DIY plug-in solar gains momentum in the US

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="EcoFlow’s high-end, weatherproof, plug-in solar kit with integrated battery. | Image: EcoFlow" data-portal-copyright="Image: EcoFlow" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/banner.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> EcoFlow’s high-end, weatherproof, plug-in solar kit with integrated battery. | Image: EcoFlow </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>This is</em> <a href="https://www.theverge.com/the-stepback-newsletter">The Stepback</a><em>, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on e-bikes, power stations, and how to </em><a href="https://www.theverge.com/work-from-home-remote-wfh"><em>work anywhere</em></a><em>, follow </em><a href="https://www.theverge.com/authors/thomas-ricker"><em>Thomas Ricker</em></a><em>. </em>The Stepback<em> arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for</em> The Stepback <a href="https://www.theverge.com/newsletters"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>How it started</strong></h2> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">With a deep breath, I took the cable seething with 800W of solar power and plugged it directly into a standard wall jack in my home. Nothing sparked, nothing smoked, and by the end of that sunny summer day, my electricity bill had dropped to nearly $0.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">As unnerving as it sounds to treat a common household power outlet as a power <em>input</em>, these DIY plug-in sol …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/column/990183/diy-plug-in-solar-us">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>