Net metering reform and rooftop solar
Rooftop solar, prosumers and net metering appear on 50 recent papers, mostly in economics, and the topic is fading, with 7 papers in the last quarter against about 14 per quarter before. California and other markets have cut the payment for exported power. Did installations collapse, and did batteries take their place?
What prompted this
Since October 2025, 50 papers carry a rooftop-solar, residential-solar, net-metering, prosumer or distributed-generation keyword (39 in economics journals): "rooftop solar" on 15, "prosumers" on 13, "distributed generation" on 13, "net metering" on 6. Seven were published in July–September 2026 against about 14 per quarter earlier.
Questions
- After the payment for exported power was cut, how far did new installations fall, and did the share with batteries rise?
- Did the reform reduce the cost shift from solar owners to other customers, as its supporters claimed, and by how much?
- Do solar owners change when they use electricity once exports pay less?
Data that could help
Interconnection records with installation dates and battery pairing, utility tariff changes, and smart meter data.
Next step
Compare monthly residential solar installations and battery attachment rates in California before and after the 2023 net billing change with those in neighbouring states.