Senate BillPassed both housesPublic Utilities
SB 868: Electricity: portable solar generation devices.
What SB 868 does, verified September 14, 2026
This bill would exempt portable solar generation devices from state and local interconnection requirements, allowing customers to install and use these devices without additional fees or restrictions. The devices would not need to meet the same safety and performance standards as traditional electrical systems. Customers using these devices would be required to notify the electrical corporation or local utility of the device's address and size. The bill would also prevent local utilities from requiring customers to take specific actions, such as paying fees or charges related to the device or the electricity it generates. No reimbursement would be required for the costs associated with implementing this bill.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
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✓First Chamber FloorComplete
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5GovernorCurrent
6ChapteredPending
Last action: Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 6 p.m. (2026-08-25)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $15/moUnlockRecent actions35 total · showing 5
| Aug. 31, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 6 p.m. |
| Aug. 26, 2026 | Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 36. Noes 4.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
| Aug. 25, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 6499.) Ordered to the Senate. |
| Aug. 25, 2026 | In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending. |
| Aug. 25, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. |
Latest bill textEnrolled version, August 28, 2026 · 1,260 words
| Enrolled August 28, 2026 |
| Passed IN Senate August 26, 2026 |
| Passed IN Assembly August 25, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly August 20, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly August 17, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly June 15, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate April 07, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate March 23, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate March 05, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 868
| Introduced by Senator Wiener (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Schultz) (Coauthors: Senators Arreguín, Becker, and McNerney) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Boerner, Connolly, Davies, Irwin, Kalra, Petrie-Norris, Schiavo, and Ward) |
January 05, 2026 |
An act to add Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 8530) to Division 4.1 of, and to repeal Section 8531 of, the Public Utilities Code, relating to electricity.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 868, Wiener. Electricity: portable solar generation devices.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards.
This bill would, until January 1, 2030, exempt a portable solar generation device, as defined, from all interconnection requirements imposed by state law, the commission, electrical corporation rules, or local publicly owned electric utility rules, as specified. The bill would, until January 1, 2030, prohibit an electrical corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility from requiring a customer using a portable solar generation device to take specified actions, including, among other things, paying any fee or charge related to the device or the electricity the device feeds into a building’s electrical system. The bill would, until January 1, 2030, authorize an electrical corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility to require a customer using a portable solar generation device to notify the electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility, using a simple online registration form, of the address, make, model, and size of the portable solar generation device, as provided. Beginning January 1, 2030, the bill would prohibit the sale of a portable photovoltaic energy generation device that is designed to be connected to and disconnected from a building’s electrical system through a receptacle and does not meet the definition of a portable solar generation device, as specified.
Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because a violation of a commission action implementing the bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Additionally, by imposing new duties on local publicly owned electric utilities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) Electricity is an essential resource, especially on hot summer days.
(2) The rising cost of electricity is a barrier to basic necessities.
(3) Interconnection fees and processes can add substantial costs and time to the adoption of customer-sited solar and energy storage projects.
(4) It is the policy of the state to promote and encourage the use of solar energy systems and to limit obstacles to their use.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage the installation of solar energy systems by removing obstacles to, and minimizing the costs of, those systems.
SEC. 2.
Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 8530) is added to Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code, to read:CHAPTER 13. Portable Solar Generation Devices
8530.
For purposes of this chapter, all of the following definitions apply:(a) “Electrical corporation” has the same meaning as defined in Section 218.
(b) “Local publicly owned electric utility” has the same meaning as defined in Section 224.3.
(c) “Portable solar generation device” means a photovoltaic energy generation device, or combination of devices, that meets all of the following conditions:
(1) Has a maximum aggregated AC output of no more than 1,200 watts per dwelling.
(2) Is designed to be connected to and disconnected from a building’s electrical system through a receptacle.
(3) Is intended to offset the customer’s onsite electricity consumption.
(4) Meets the standards of the most recent version of the National Electrical Code and the California Electrical Code (Part 3 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations).
(5) Is certified as a plug-in photovoltaic system by Underwriters Laboratories, or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory.
(6) Includes a feature, certified by Underwriters Laboratories or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory, that isolates the portable solar generation device from the building’s electrical system to prevent the portable solar generation device from backfeeding electricity to the electrical grid during a power outage.
8531.
(a) A portable solar generation device is exempt from all interconnection requirements imposed by state law, the commission, electrical corporation rules, or local publicly owned electric utility rules, including, but not limited to, any requirement to enter into an interconnection agreement.(b) An electrical corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility shall not require a customer using a portable solar generation device to do any of the following:
(1) Obtain the electrical corporation’s or local publicly owned electric utility’s approval before installing or using the portable solar generation device.
(2) Pay any fee or charge related to the portable solar generation device or the electricity the portable solar generation device feeds into a building’s electrical system.
(3) Install any additional controls or equipment beyond what is integrated into the portable solar generation device.
(c) An electrical corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility may require a customer using a portable solar generation device to notify the electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility, using a simple online registration form, of the address, make, model, and size of the portable solar generation device. The notification shall not require approval of the customer’s use of the portable solar generation device by the electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility.
(d) Any device that does not meet all of the conditions listed in subdivision (c) of Section 8530 does not qualify as a portable solar generation device under this chapter and therefore does not qualify for the exemptions established pursuant to this section.
(e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2030, and as of that date is repealed.
8532.
Beginning January 1, 2030, a portable photovoltaic energy generation device that is designed to be connected to and disconnected from a building’s electrical system through a receptacle, and does not meet the conditions listed in paragraphs (4) to (6), inclusive, of subdivision (c) of Section 8530, shall not be sold or offered for sale in the state.SEC. 3.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because a local agency or school district has the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by this act or because costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.Text of SB 868 as enrolled, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions