Plug-in solar made it to KQED and NPR today!

Plug-in solar made it to KQED and NPR today. That sentence would've sounded like science fiction just a year ago. Now it's a Tuesday. And I mean that as a measure of how fast things are moving, not as a signal that the work is done — it's not. But the pace of change is real.

What KQED and NPR Mean for This Story

KQED is Bay Area public radio and the region's flagship NPR affiliate. It reaches a daily audience of engaged listeners who care about the issues that shape California and the nation. It's not a clean energy trade publication — it's where people learn about housing policy, local politics, and the occasional story about a technology that's changing their neighborhood. When plug-in solar shows up on KQED and NPR, it's moving from the clean energy community into the broader civic conversation.

The Speed of This Shift

A year ago, plug-in solar was a niche idea in the United States. Now we've been covered by The New York Times, The Washington Post, PBS NewsHour, the San Francisco Chronicle, CleanTechnica, PV Magazine, and KQED and NPR. That's not just Bright Saver getting press. That's an entire category of clean energy technology becoming legible to the mainstream. Plug-in solar works. Consumers want it. Legislators are starting to act.

What We're Doing About It

At Bright Saver, we're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Oakland. Our NEM GO kit gives California homeowners with existing rooftop solar a way to expand their system with four 250-watt plug-in panels — installed in about 45 minutes, no electrician, starting at $1,499. We're also working with legislators in 29-plus states to build the regulatory foundation for plug-in solar everywhere.

The story is moving. Visit brightsaver.org.