A teetering U.S. residential solar industry may now be on the brink of collapse. Faced by macroeconomic challenges and shifting sands of state and federal policies, an industry once defined by double-digit growth in installations is experiencing steep declines – and the latest draft of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes things far worse.

The latest draft of the bill is bad all-around for clean energy, but it is particularly damaging to residential solar, cutting federal tax credits far sooner than expected.

Residential solar installations declined 31% in 2024. Over the last year, industry titans like SunPower, Sunnova, and Mosaic Solar have filed for bankruptcy.

The industry historically has leaned on the value proposition of lowering customer electricity bills and providing predictable costs for the long-term. However, that value has been increasingly difficult to provide.

  • Infinite@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    4 days ago

    My favorite solar scam is the Power Purchase Agreement:

    • company installs solar, you pay $0
    • typically sized to generate 100-150% of your consumption
    • company bills you ~80% of your actual or previous average use
    • price is on contract and has scheduled increases
    • after 15-20 years, negotiate a new contract, maybe buy the system, or have it removed

    What if solar gets 20x better? Fusion gets solved? Too bad, contract pricing.