The products, commonly known as balcony solar, are already widely sold in Australia but have not been legal to plug in. Sanderson estimated that households could save $240 a year on power bills, or $500 when paired with a battery.
"For too long, the benefits of cheap solar have been out of reach for anyone who doesn't own their roof," Sanderson said at a CEDA Energy Outlook lunch. "That isn't fair, and the Cook Labor Government is doing something about it."
She noted that millions of European households use these systems daily and said WA families should be able to do the same.
Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowan said the change would benefit renters, who can take the kit with them when they move. "It's been legal for a long time and now United Kingdom and New Zealand are doing it, and we're going to do it too," he said.
Heidi Lee Douglas, chief executive of Solar Citizens, welcomed the push, saying it would help renters, apartment dwellers and low-income households "access some of the bill-busting benefits that cheap clean solar homeowners enjoy."
Consultation on safety standards opens on Wednesday, with legislation to follow at a date yet to be determined. About one in 10 German households already use plug-in solar.