Utilities have generally been successful in their campaign to propose rulemaking changes and gain approval from state regulators to make cuts to rooftop residential solar electricity export rates and assess fixed charges on rooftop solar customers.
The state approved about 75% cuts to rooftop solar export rates, known as net energy metering (NEM), which occurred while interest rates rose precipitously. Rooftop solar installations fell 45% in 2024, according to Wood Mackenzie.
Residential solar now appears to be facing a crisis, and policy turmoil in California, which once represented about 50% of the national market, is not helping. Some major residential installers did not survive 2024. This included the bankruptcy of SunPower and Titan Solar Power. Sunnova Energy is now another major player in the market facing turmoil and potential bankruptcy.
