"After watching a YouTube video about solar panels that can be plugged into a regular electrical outlet, Melani Jackson plopped four panels in the backyard of her Salt Lake City home. While that’s not a large sum, she is happy to have banked those savings, which required little effort on her part. Millions of Americans worried about rising energy costs might soon follow in her footsteps as states start allowing homeowners and renters to plug in solar panels on balconies, in backyards and other places. Plug-in systems are much smaller and cheaper than rooftop build-outs — some costing just a few hundred dollars a panel. SEE ALSO:"What You Need to Know About Installing Plug-In Solar Panels" (New York Times)https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/business/energy-environment/plug-in-s...