About WattRank
WattRank is an independent, education-first resource for understanding and comparing plug-in solar — the small grid-tied systems that connect to an ordinary outlet. We cover the category worldwide in English, rank products on documented evidence rather than marketing claims, and treat the legal question with the seriousness it deserves.
Why this site exists
Plug-in solar is the first solar category ordinary households — including renters — can genuinely own, and it is arriving in the English-speaking world fast: millions of systems already operate in Germany, the UK is finalising its framework, and US states began opening legal pathways in 2025. What has not kept pace is honest information. The category is drowning in copied spec sheets, unverifiable certification claims and savings math that independent testers keep debunking. WattRank exists to be the resource we could not find: precise about what the evidence shows, precise about where the rules stand, and precise about what we do not know.
What we do
We maintain a worldwide ranking of plug-in solar kits scored on a documented methodology, a legality tracker covering all 50 US states and the major European markets, in-depth guides built on measured data rather than brochure figures, and free tools including a savings calculator and a legal-pathway checker. Three distinctions run through everything: grid-tied plug-in systems are not solar generators and not panel-only kits; component certification is not system certification; and the absence of a legal framework is not the same as prohibition.
How we stay independent
WattRank is reader-supported: product links go to official stores, and if we later join affiliate programs, purchases through our links may earn a commission at no cost to you — disclosed on every page it applies to, and governed by a hard rule: commercial relationships never determine scores, rankings or legal guidance. The details live in our editorial policy and affiliate disclosure.
The team
WattRank's editorial team covers product research, electrical and safety evidence, policy and regulation, and energy economics. Every byline links to the author responsible for the page and their area of focus. The team works from primary records, attributed independent testing and dated commercial evidence; WattRank does not currently claim a proprietary physical test lab. Meet the editorial team. Spotted an error? Contact us with the page and a source; evidence-backed corrections receive priority.