California Rooftop Solar Is at a Crossroads

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

California has been a leader in rooftop solar adoption for years thanks to incentives and compensation programs. But policies from utilities and state lawmakers are removing incentives and making it more expensive for residents to have solar on their homes. Supporters of the changes say the new policies will reduce everyone’s electric bills, but solar advocates say cutting back on rooftop solar will make it harder for California to meet its renewable energy goals. We talk with experts about the future of rooftop solar in California and what this moment means for renewable energy. Guests: Sammy Roth, climate columnist, LA Times Mohit Chha, senior analyst, NRDC Bernadette Del Chiaro, senior vice president for California, Environmental Working Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Support for KQED Podcasts comes from Landmark College, commemorating 40 years of educating people who learn differently, with programs on campus and online for both students and professionals.
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0:14.8	Greetings boomtown.
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0:32.6	You know, From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
0:47.3	There are different ways of generating electricity, each with its own pros and cons.
0:52.3	There are fossil fuels which can be superficially cheap
0:55.0	but emit toxins as well as greenhouse gases. Nuclear power is better for the climate but comes
1:01.0	with radioactive waste complications our country has never solved. Even among solar there's
1:05.8	different ways of doing it, big fields of panels in the deserts or putting them on the roofs
1:10.6	of buildings and homes.
1:12.4	Today we're going to talk about the complexities of that last category, rooftop solar,
1:17.0	and the effects it has had on California's energy system.
1:20.2	It's all coming up next, right after this news. Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal. There are perhaps two million buildings with solar panels on the roofs in California.
1:45.5	Solar panels are popular in our state not only because they provide a measure of energy
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