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> So far, utilities have won over lawmakers in five states and convinced them to delay votes on plug-in solar bills

They'll change their mind once so many people use panels without permit that they cause difficulties with grid stability due to the unregistered solar panels making it less predictable. That was a reason they massively loosened the requirements where I live.

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can you expand on that?

Originally it was required to collect a signature from every tenant living in the building in order to be permitted to install a plug-in solar panel. As a result people living in rented apartments just did it without asking, but that meant more energy generation that the supplier doesn't know about which supposedly made it more difficult to manage the grid. So they decided to instead flip it around so anyone opposing installation of a panel has to submit a written statement.

I see! So you're saying the opposite of what I thought. They're going to WANT regulation in the long term!

They're going to want to know about panels being installed, and regardless of whether the regulation says they can be installed, they will be, so the regulation will tend towards allowing installation but at least encouraging reporting it (while regulation that forbids installation will mainly just discourage reporting).

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