alt.hn

7/5/2026 at 8:58:22 PM

Why New Jersey's balcony solar bill is a huge deal for renters

 https://www.cnn.com/climate/new-jersey-balcony-solar-renters

by breve

7/6/2026 at 1:18:38 AM

I'm curious if these systems form a net positive. The cost of a thing provides a pretty reasonable proxy as a summation of the energy put into it's creation. The implication being that a balcony solar system is probably roughly net-negative, environmentally speaking, until it reaches its ROI.

I wonder if enough of these systems reach return to cover all the ones that don't for some reason or another. Looks like ROI might be 3-7 years, at the high end seems probable people would maybe move and not be able to use them and never really get their money's worth out of it.

by ticulatedspline

7/6/2026 at 2:57:31 AM

> at the high end seems probable people would maybe move and not be able to use them and never really get their money's worth out of it.

The whole point is that these plug-in like a hairdryer. Zero installation.

If you move, you take it with you.

If you move to a place they are not permitted, sell it before you leave.

by testing22321

7/6/2026 at 11:09:31 AM

This isn't a huge deal except in aggregate.

For individual renters (or homeowners) it's a small outlay that repays itself over a few years and then saves a small amount of money.

It's relatively boring and that's good.

by ZeroGravitas

7/5/2026 at 9:07:46 PM

Unfortunately, the article makes no mention of (approx) how many rental units there are in NJ. A step further would be, of those, how many have balconies. And finally, how many face south (or close).

I live in Central NJ. This bill certainly can’t hurt. But is the impact significant? Anecdotally, it doesn’t feel that way. The (new) governor still has a campaign promise to fulfill.

by chiefalchemist

7/6/2026 at 5:23:44 AM

They are called balcony solar but you don't need a balcony, that's just convenient. You just need an outlet and sun.

by undersuit

7/6/2026 at 10:30:32 AM

So people are just going to hang them out windows? Perhaps many stories up? What about severe weather? I wonder how long before you’ll need a license to install one of these?

That aside, thanks for filling me in. We’ll have to see how it goes

by chiefalchemist

7/6/2026 at 2:12:01 PM

These will hardly be the first things attached to balconies.

by ceejayoz

7/6/2026 at 2:23:13 PM

New Jersey isn't entirely high-rises with no balconies, some people will put them out in their yards or hang them from their porch.

by undersuit

7/6/2026 at 2:29:07 PM

you're gonna love hanging baskets

by x13