Rooftop solar power has a dark side

Do solar panels work on a roof?

Obscured by the recent rush to sign up households for rooftop solar and speed up the electrification of America are those who already have solar panels on their roof that do not work.

How many homes have rooftop solar?

Around 4 million U.S. homes now have rooftop solar, up from 300,000 a decade ago, according to Eric O’Shaughnessy, a clean energy consultant. But in terms of regulation of the companies providing those solar panels, not much has changed since ours were installed in 2014.

How did rooftop solar grow in the 2010s?

The leasing model helped rooftop solar flourish in the 2010s, eliminating at least one barrier to adoption: high upfront costs for homeowners. Companies got the money to finance these costly installations from packaging and selling tens of thousands of solar leases to private equity and institutional investors.

What is the danger with used solar panels?

Given the current very high recycling costs, there’s a real danger that all used panels will go straight to landfill. The replacement rate of solar panels is faster than expected.

Are solar panels unpopular?

Companies that sell, rather than lease, solar panels are unpopular, too; dozens of customers have filed complaints against a company called Pink Energy, which abruptly went out of business in September 2022 and filed for bankruptcy after allegedly selling defunct solar panels and misleading customers about their benefits.

Why are so many people unhappy with solar panels?

Most of those customers are happy with it - their electricity bills have just about disappeared, and it's great for the planet. But thousands and thousands of people are really disappointed with what they've been sold. Their panels are more expensive than they should be, and they say it is hard to get someone to come fix them when they break.