More than 1.5 million homes and businesses have installed solar panels in the Golden State, thanks in large part to the net metering incentive program. If the lawsuit succeeds, rooftop solar installations could continue to grow rapidly, as they have for the last decade — meaning more clean electricity generated on urban buildings and parking lots, and less reliance on monopoly utility companies building long-distance power lines to carry electricity from large solar farms in the desert.
If the lawsuit fails and reduced incentives remain in place, rooftop solar installers expect a steep decline in business. That could mean more large solar farms and lengthy transmission lines — and higher profits for the utility companies building them.