Resident appeal & retention
Lower electric bills are a tangible perk residents notice every month and a story your leasing team can tell.
Now forming our 2027 pilot program
Balcony solar for Southern California apartments.
Turanor Energy is building turnkey, building-wide plug-in solar programs for apartment owners, property managers, and HOAs. Each home gets a compact, certified kit on its balcony that plugs into a standard outlet. No roof, no drilling, and under California's new law, no utility interconnection application.
- Up to 1,200 Wof plug-in solar per home under SB 868
- Jan 1, 2027the date the law takes effect
- SCE · SDG&E · LADWPand other SoCal utilities covered
How it works
One agreement with the owner. A kit on every balcony that wants one.
Balcony solar is small: a couple of panels clamped to a railing, feeding a home's own outlet. Turanor plans to handle all of it at building scale, so owners deal with one partner instead of dozens of separate tenant requests.
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1. Building assessment
We review balcony orientation, shading, railing type, outlet access, and how the building is metered. Then we tell you plainly which units are good candidates.
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2. Owner approval & program design
SB 868 doesn't override leases or HOA rules, so we start with the owner. Together we set equipment standards, lease-addendum language, and how residents opt in.
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3. Certified kits, no-drill mounts
We plan to use only kits certified as complete plug-in systems with anti-islanding protection, as the law requires, on removable clamp mounts rated for the railing.
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4. Plug in & track
Residents plug in, register with the utility if it asks, and start using their own solar power. We track output across the program and swap or remove kits when residents move.
Why now
California just legalized plug-in solar. The rules start January 1, 2027.
The Plug and Play Solar Act (SB 868) was signed in September 2026. It lets each home use a small certified solar device plugged into a standard outlet without the utility interconnection process that rooftop systems go through.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Local permitting, lease, and HOA rules still apply.
- 1,200 WMaximum combined AC output per home, through a single standard outlet.
- No approvalUtilities can't require prior approval, fees, or extra equipment. They can ask for a simple online registration.
- UL-certifiedDevices must be certified as plug-in PV systems with anti-islanding, so they shut off during outages and never backfeed the grid.
- All SoCalCovers investor-owned utilities like SCE and SDG&E and city-owned utilities like LADWP.
- Through 2029The interconnection exemption runs until Jan 1, 2030 unless the Legislature extends it. Starting early matters.
For property owners, managers & HOAs
A visible clean-energy amenity, without touching the roof.
Rooftop solar on multifamily buildings is slow, expensive, and often impractical. Balcony solar works unit by unit, and we plan to run it as one turnkey program across your portfolio.
Talk to us about a pilot buildingNo roof, no structural overhaul
No-drill clamp mounts that come off when a resident moves out. No roof penetrations and no reworking of shared electrical systems.
ESG & sustainability reporting
Program-level output data you can use in sustainability reports and conversations with investors.
Rules you control
You approve the equipment, mounting standards, and lease terms. One standard set of rules for every unit.
For residents & renters
Want balcony solar? Bring Turanor to your building.
Renters in California still need the landlord's or HOA's approval to put anything on a balcony, and SB 868 doesn't change that. The easiest route is a program your building approves up front, and we can help you make the case.
- Tell us your building and manager, and we'll reach out to them
- No-drill, removable equipment that's easy to leave behind or take with you
- Your power runs your own fridge, AC, and devices first
- An optional plug-in battery to shift daytime solar into the evening (coming next)
Savings estimator
Estimate what balcony solar could save.
A rough, order-of-magnitude estimate for planning only. Real results depend on orientation, shade, mounting angle, and how much of the solar power each home uses as it's produced.
Estimated program savings / year-
Per unit / year-
kWh per unit / year-
Program kWh / year-
Rate assumed-
Assumptions
- Production: about 1,450 kWh per kW per year for a tilted SoCal installation (1.2 kW comes to about 1,740 kWh, the middle of the 1,500 to 1,900 kWh range seen in public estimates). Vertical mounting is figured at 25% less.
- Average residential rates (approx. 2026): SCE about $0.345/kWh, SDG&E about $0.45/kWh, LADWP about $0.29/kWh. Your actual tier or time-of-use rate will differ.
- Savings = production × share used on site × rate. Assumes no export credit, no federal tax credit (the residential credit expired at the end of 2025), and no rebates.
- For reference: a 1.2 kW kit on SCE rates saves roughly $360 to $665 a year when most of its power is used on site. Results vary by utility and usage.
Estimates only. They are not a quote or a guarantee of savings.
Coming next · Plug-in batteries
Save midday sun for the 4–9 PM peak.
Balcony solar produces the most in the middle of the day, when many residents are at work. A small plug-in battery can store that power for the evening, when SCE and SDG&E time-of-use rates are highest. We're evaluating battery-integrated kits that stay within the 1,200 W limit and plan to offer them once certified options are available.
Note: under SB 868, plug-in systems must shut off during grid outages, so they are not backup power.
FAQ
Common questions
Is balcony solar actually legal in California?
Starting January 1, 2027, yes. SB 868, the Plug and Play Solar Act, exempts certified plug-in solar devices of up to 1,200 W per home from utility interconnection requirements. Until then, plug-in devices fall under the existing interconnection rules. The exemption currently runs through January 1, 2030.
Can I install it as a renter without asking my landlord?
No. SB 868 covers utility rules only. It doesn't override leases, HOA CC&Rs, or building rules, so you still need approval from your owner or HOA. That's why Turanor works directly with owners and managers to set up approved, building-wide programs.
How much can a kit save?
It depends on the utility, orientation, shade, and how much of the power your home uses as it's produced. As a rough reference, a 1.2 kW kit could save about $360 to $665 a year on SCE rates when most of its output is used on site. Savings are usually higher on SDG&E and lower on LADWP. Try the estimator. All figures are estimates.
Do I get credit for power sent back to the grid?
No. Plug-in systems under SB 868 are designed to offset what your home uses and don't earn net-metering or export credit. That's why kit sizing and plug-in batteries matter.
Will it keep my lights on during an outage?
No. The law requires anti-islanding protection, which shuts the device off during a grid outage so it can't send power onto the lines while crews are working.
Do I need a permit or to notify my utility?
Utilities can't require approval or charge fees for qualifying devices, but they may ask for a simple online registration. Some cities may still have permit requirements. As part of each program, we'll check the rules with the local building department.
Which kits will you use?
We're evaluating suppliers now. SB 868 requires the complete system to be certified as a plug-in PV system (for example, to UL 3700) with anti-islanding protection, and public reporting suggests fully compliant kits will arrive around 2027. We will only deploy equipment that meets the law's requirements.
Is there a federal tax credit?
The federal residential clean energy credit (25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so our estimates don't assume one. Owners should ask their tax advisor about any business-side treatment.
Leadership
Brian Gallagher
CEO, Chief Executive Officer (and Chief Energy Optimizer)
Brian is a Southern California solar business development leader with experience at Q CELLS North America, SunPower, and Valta Energy, and holds an MBA from UC Irvine's Merage School of Business. He founded Turanor Energy to bring plug-in balcony solar to the region's apartment buildings.
2027 pilot program
Put your building on the early-access list.
We're looking for a small number of Southern California multifamily buildings, ideally 20 to 50 units with sunny south- or west-facing balconies, to join our first pilot in 2027. Owners, managers, HOA boards, and residents are all welcome to reach out.
- No commitment. This is just an expression of interest.
- Free building assessment for selected sites
- SCE, SDG&E, and LADWP territories