Recommended Kits
The kits we’d actually buy.
We list what we’d genuinely recommend — nothing else. Right now, three kits clear that bar. The US market for plug-in solar is still early: product selection is limited, state laws are catching up, and new options are arriving. We update this page as that changes.
Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we earn a small commission at no cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend or how we describe it.
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$18/mo
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| Kit | Best for | Price | Output | Est. savings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Solar Supplier 810W★ Best overall | Best hardware quality | ~$969 | 810W | $10–$38/mo | Details ↓ |
| PLUGGEDSOLAR 800W▼ Amazon pick | Prime shipping, easy returns | $1,395 | 800W | $9–$37/mo | Details ↓ |
| CraftStrom 800W🌎 Works in all 50 states | No state law required | $2,031 | 800W bifacial | $15–$40/mo | Details ↓ |
US Solar Supplier 810W Balcony Kit
Best for: Anyone who wants the best-quality hardware in this category — the APsystems EZ1 is the gold-standard microinverter, and this kit ships everything you need in one order.
Two 405W Runergy panels paired with an APsystems EZ1-LV microinverter — the same platform that powers over a million European balcony systems. Dual MPPT means each panel operates independently, so partial shading on one panel doesn’t reduce output from the other. SunModo SunShield awning-mount racking, 120V AC cord, and all connectors included.
- APsystems EZ1 — 97.3% peak efficiency, best-in-class dual MPPT
- Inverter certified UL 1741, IEEE 1547, CSA C22.2
- Warranty: 30yr panel performance / 10yr inverter / 20yr racking
- Ships complete — panels, inverter, racking, cable, everything
- Same platform proven across 1M+ European installations
- Not on Amazon — direct order from US Solar Supplier
- Racking sized for awning or balcony rail; ground-mount sold separately
2 × 405W panels
APsystems EZ1-LV
Dual MPPT
Ships from Louisville, KY
PLUGGEDSOLAR 800W Plug-and-Play Kit
Best for: Buyers who want the convenience of Amazon — Prime shipping, easy returns, and a single checkout.
Four 200W panels, an 800W microinverter, and a 50ft cable that plugs into any standard wall outlet. When the sun is out, the system feeds up to 800W directly into your home circuit — offsetting whatever is drawing power at that moment. No battery, no complicated wiring, no electrician.
- Available on Amazon — Prime shipping, familiar returns
- True grid-feed — reduces what your meter draws from the utility
- Wi-Fi monitoring built into the inverter
- Inverter UL 1741 compliant — anti-islanding and overload protection
- Panels ship separately — allow extra lead time
- Some reviews report inverter quality variance
- Higher per-watt cost than the US Solar Supplier kit
4 × 200W panels
Grid-feed
Wi-Fi monitoring
Ships via Amazon
CraftStrom 800W Zero-Export Kit
Best for: Anyone in a state that hasn’t passed a plug-in solar law yet — or anyone who wants zero legal ambiguity regardless of state. The zero-export design means no utility permission, no interconnection agreement, no state law required.
CraftStrom’s kit uses a proprietary PowerMeter that monitors your home’s electricity draw every 0.1 seconds and adjusts inverter output in real time, so the system never produces more than you’re using — and never pushes power back into the grid. That zero-export design sidesteps the utility interconnection question entirely, making it the only major plug-in kit that operates without restriction in all 50 states. The four panels are bifacial, meaning they capture light from both sides — a meaningful advantage on white-painted patios or bright concrete surfaces.
- Zero-export technology — legal in all 50 states, no utility permission needed
- Bifacial panels — up to 30% more output in high-reflectance environments
- ETL Listed inverters (Intertek, equivalent to UL Listed) — IEEE 1547 compliant
- Built-in galvanic isolation — physically disconnects if a fault is detected
- Up to 1,872 kWh annual production estimate from CraftStrom
- Houston-based company; operating since 2021, ~4,000 systems shipped
- Most expensive kit on this page — zero-export hardware costs more
- 3–4 week lead time; not available on Amazon
- Semi-flexible bifacial panels require flat or near-flat mounting surface
4 × 200W bifacial panels
Zero-export
Smart PowerMeter
Ships from Houston, TX
A note on UL certification
All three kits on this page use inverters certified under UL 1741 — the safety standard for grid-connected inverters, covering anti-islanding shutoff, overload protection, and automatic disconnect. CraftStrom’s inverters carry ETL listing from Intertek, which is equivalent standing to UL listing (both are federally recognized testing labs). You may also see mention of UL 3700, a newer system-level standard designed specifically for plug-in solar; it launched in early 2026. As of August 2026, no product has completed independent UL Solutions certification under it — though Hoymiles’ HiFlow Pro microinverter, announced in July, is the first product built to meet its technical requirements. Hoymiles itself is careful to call it “UL 3700-compliant” rather than “UL 3700 certified,” and that distinction matters: compliance is the manufacturer’s own claim, while certification means an independent lab has verified it. The HiFlow Pro is pre-order only as of this writing (around $150 for the microinverter alone, panels sold separately), with shipping expected in September — one to watch, not yet one we can vouch for firsthand. All three kits here meet the established UL 1741 standard. For the fuller picture of what’s shipping versus just announced across the category, see our hardware roundup. Read more in The Current →
Why only three?
The US market for plug-in solar is still in its early stages. Until 2025, these systems existed in a legal gray zone in most states — only a handful of states have passed formal laws permitting them, with more on the way. That regulatory uncertainty kept most manufacturers focused on Europe, where Germany alone has over 1.3 million balcony solar installations — a gap we dig into in what the US can learn from Germany’s balcony solar boom.
What that means for buyers today: product selection is genuinely limited, and several kits we evaluated didn’t meet the standard we’d hold ourselves to — either poor components, unavailable stock, or mixed enough reviews that we wouldn’t send a reader to them. We only list what we’d buy.
EcoFlow’s STREAM system — likely the most polished plug-in kit available — is currently only sold for use in Utah under that state’s new plug-in solar law, with broader US availability expected later in 2026. Hoymiles’ HiFlow Pro microinverter, the first built for the new UL 3700 standard, is available for pre-order now with shipping expected in September; we’ll consider a full kit review once it ships and once (or if) it completes independent UL Solutions certification. New entrants from Bluetti and others are arriving as state laws catch up.
We update this page as the market develops. If you’re not in a rush, it’s worth checking back in a few months.
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