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APsystems brings EZ1 Plug-In Microinverter to U.S. solar market | The Pitch

APsystems brings EZ1 Plug-In Microinverter to U.S. solar market | The Pitch

By Brad Kramer June 15, 2026

Plug-in solar — also called balcony solar — has become a growing trend in the United States, with several states considering or already passing laws to allow the technology. After gaining a foothold in Europe, this DIY solar technology is seeing increased interest in the U.S. market. Aimed primarily at people living in apartments or other dwellings where rooftop solar may not be feasible, plug-in solar products allow residents to easily install solar panels on their balcony or deck. APsystems has been active in this space in Europe, and now the company has brought its EZ1 Plug-In Microinverter to the U.S. market to meet this growing demand. Doug Hewitt, U.S. country director at APsystems, joined The Pitch to discuss this trending market.

Key Quotes

Can you provide an overview of the plug-in solar market?

Hewitt: In Europe, the balcony solar / plug-in solar market has been going on for a few years now, and APsystems has gotten into that market and has since expanded and added batteries. Obviously, we have a lot of players now that are on that side of the world, so we kind of got an early jumpstart on it. With the U.S., we figured it would also be a big thing here. And it just so happens that I live in Utah, and we passed the laws here in for plug-in solar. And then since then, we’ve had other states follow suit.

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The trend is power is continuing to go up. Electricity is getting expensive. We have data centers going in all over the place, and the fact of the matter is that this is going to increase costs. With the ITC going away, except for TPO, I think people are still looking to save money, and one of those things is we always have to have is electricity. If we can find easy ways to save money, then I think that everyone’s obviously going to go that way. Apartments, condos and renters have not been able to access the solar space, and I think this is just an easy entry level for people to get into solar, get going green, and also save money on electricity bills. That’s really our target market. This is an easy add-on to systems that already have net metering, so that is a customer base we’re going after, as well as the people that are renters and people in condos who haven’t been able to experience solar yet.

What can you tell us about the APsystems EZ1 Plug-In Microinverter?

Hewitt: It’s a dual microinverter, just like our residential DS3s. It’s 900 continuous watts, and it’s just plug-and-play. You can put two panels on there, or you can even do up to four panels, depending on the voltage and the amperage. But really, that’s it. It’s a dual-micro. You can just plug it right into the wall. The app is extremely quick and easy. It’s done with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It’s a really simple setup. It’s true DIY.

How is this technology different than traditional solar?

Hewitt: It’s 120 volts. Traditional solar is 240 volts, and it’s a lot of you have to have a breaker installed separately, you know, to go into your main panel. It’s obviously higher voltage. This is just one leg of two, so your typical outlets in your home are going to be 120 volts. Something like your AC is going to be 240, right? So this is an easy way to just literally plug it into your wall, without the need of any sort of electrician or solar installation.