You can now plug solar panels into a wall outlet in some states.

No permits. No installer or electrician even required?

Just… plug it in.

So who’s responsible when that system starts sending power back into your home, or the grid?

Plug-in solar is moving faster than the standards designed to govern it. And right now, the rules are still being written.

In this conversation, Nico Johnson sits down with two experts at the center of the process. One is helping shape the National Electrical Code, the other bringing products to market. Together, we unpack what actually needs to happen for this category to scale safely.

This isn’t just a new product [category], it’s a new edge case for the entire ecosystem, one where DIY meets infrastructure, and where the lines between safety, enforcement, and responsibility all begin to blur.

Expect to learn:

🔹 Why states are legalizing plug-in solar even before standards are fully defined

🔹 Where the NEC stands on it today, and what’s coming in the next code cycle

🔹 The real risks around circuit overload, ground faults, and backfeeding

🔹 Why utilities might push back

🔹 How much safety can (and should) be built into the product itself (so we can void unnecessary permitting)

If this works, millions more people can generate their own power.

Press play and help us decide, are we ready for this shift?

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.

Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolar

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

923: Plug-In Solar Is Moving Fast… But Who Sets the Rules? | Electrical Code Experts Weigh In - with Rebekah Hren & Patrick Barney

SunCast

923: Plug-In Solar Is Moving Fast… But Who Sets the Rules? | Electrical Code Experts Weigh In - with Rebekah Hren & Patrick Barney