The U.S. residential solar industry has seen better days.
Electricity bill credits in rooftop solar-saturated states like California are a fraction of what they once were. Tariffs have made components more expensive, just as federal tax credits are set to sunset. Anti-renewables legislation is casting a long and dark shadow, and a series of bankruptcies among established names in the space has cast further doubt on whether the dollars and cents still make dollars and sense.
But at least one man believes residential solar can reach a point of profitability. In fact, he’s actively proving it.
TJ Rogers, the CEO of SunPower, has led an illustrious career in the solar and semiconductor space. An outspoken free-market evangelist, Rodgers possesses a clear vision of what he believes an American home solar company should be.
“If you apply quality principles to a company, the savings you will get from the company will overwhelm whatever it costs to have a quality department applying those principles,” Rodgers shared. “Quality is free.”
He also has strong opinions about the government’s role within free markets.
“Why do Americans pay $3 per watt for solar, and Europeans pay a buck-fifty a watt?”, Rodgers questioned, recalling a recently penned op-ed article. “Why in the land of the free, even with a subsidy that should nominally reduce the cost? And the answer is, the government is in there, screwing everything up all the time. They’re doing it again.”
In this episode of the Factor This podcast, Rodgers shares his recipe for success with host Paul Gerke, detailing the challenges and opportunities in the residential market and solar at large. Topics of discussion include:
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