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The idea of making solar part of your home's power source mix is to keep your rising electricity bill in check but analysts said up-front costs complicate planning, and Minnesota wants to be part of an emerging market featuring less expensive plug-in models.

The units, also known as "balcony solar," typically cost several hundred dollars. Traditional rooftop solar panels have long enjoyed tax credits but still come with price tags well into the thousands.

Will Mulhern, electricity program director for the advocacy group Fresh Energy, said balcony solar setups are much smaller and can be easily transported, allowing more renters to adopt the technology.

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"When you think about rooftop solar, a lot of folks will generate electricity and then they'll sell that back to the power grid," Mulhern observed. "But with balcony solar, it's really just going to serve the devices that are in your home."

Appliances and digital devices will directly soak up the captured solar power flowing into a wall outlet. Backers said it helps ease pressure on the power grid as electricity demand soars. Fresh Energy supports a legislative plan to set standards for balcony solar in Minnesota, including safety and assurances customers would not have to contract with a utility, like they do with rooftop connections.

Utilities in other states oppose the moves, arguing unused electricity could flow back to the grid, overwhelming the system.

Supporters countered electricity generated from plug-ins is minimal compared to rooftop panels and new product certifications from a nationally recognized testing lab can help prevent backflow.

Cora Stryker, cofounder of the national nonprofit Bright Saver, which helps expand access to balcony solar, said following massive popularity in Europe, nearly 30 other U.S. states are considering bills similar to Minnesota's. Stryker added consumers are making it clear they do not want to be left on the sidelines in the clean energy transition.

"Solar is the cheapest energy on the planet, full stop," Stryker emphasized. "We need all forms of it everywhere, all at once. We are not in a position where we can wait any longer to reduce ordinary folks' utility bills."

Some GOP lawmakers in Minnesota have concerns about the balcony solar bill but nationally, Stryker pointed out there is bipartisan support for cementing a regulatory framework. It includes the Republican-controlled legislature in Utah, which passed the nation's first plug-in law. The push for balcony solar comes as most monthly electricity bills keep climbing, with an average increase of 6.7 percent last year.