In short: When people search for "DIY solar," they usually find off-grid kits that assume you own a roof, can wire a system, and are comfortable on a ladder. There is a far easier kind of DIY solar: a plug-in panel that hangs on a balcony or fence and plugs into a standard outlet. No roof, no electrician, and in a growing number of states, no interconnection or permits. It is the only DIY solar most renters can actually do. What "DIY solar" usually means, and why it is harder