“Energy writer Felicity Bradstock had a mission: to put lipstick on the pig–and probably in conjunction with the rent-seeking, crony-capitalist Solar Energy Industries Association. Only the end of state and federal subsidies can cut the solar industry down to size and close the SEIA.”
MasterResource has chronicled the bust of the U.S. rooftop solar industry (86 firms as of a year ago), led by Houston-based Sunnova [1]. The major story is degrowth and litigation, as victims try to escape long-term contracts with defunct or shaky companies.
The bust occurred despite rooftop solar’s Investment Tax Credit (ITC), state-level net metering laws, and other subsidies–all to turn uneconomic, dilute, intermittent solar into a grid-competitive electricity source. Even with this, smoke-and-mirror long-term (15- to 30-year) warranty contracts were necessary to levelize the cost to something affordable. Relatively wealthy people, for the most part, took the bait.
The mainstream (legacy) media has reported little on this alternative energy failure–and not as much as it has on the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) bust. Worse, slight-of-hand reporting is trying to sell solar as a bright spot in today’s energy news. Consider this recent post at OilPrice.com: “Soaring Energy Prices Are Driving a Home Solar Boom” (May 23, 2026).
Felicity Bradstock began with these bullets:
The first bullet is a half-truth at best. The U.S. rooftop solar industry is busted, and the UK market is driven by its own set of government policies, not a free market. The second bullet makes a technological point that is misleading since solar is still not competitive and fossil-fuel technologies are improving too. “Long-term savings” is hardly guaranteed.
The third bullet is the problem: massive subsidies are still not enough to rescue a highly uneconomic alternative on the grid.
Bradstock blazingly ignores reality by changing the time frame from the last two years into “decades.” She begins:
Home solar power installations have risen significantly in recent decades, as consumers look to drive down their electricity bills and make their energy use more sustainable. Now, with oil and gas prices soaring due to geopolitical challenges, more households are being attracted to solar installations.
The falling price of solar power has attracted millions of consumers to invest in solar installations in recent years, and now even more households may adopt solar systems…. many households are taking energy into their own hands by investing in rooftop solar panels.
Really?
In the United Kingdom, solar panel sales have increased significantly since the start of the Iran war, according to the energy provider Octopus Energy. Sales increased by around 54 percent in March, compared to February, with consumers investing in larger solar arrays.
The UK solar market has a life of its own outside of the Iran War. Bradstock then shifts to utility-scale solar in the U.S.:
In the United States, solar adoption has become the fastest-growing source of power in the country in recent years. In 2024, 84 percent of all new electricity production capacity added to the grid came from solar power and battery storage.
Then she gets realistic (if the reader has made it this far):
Rooftop solar panels and installation are estimated to have a median cost of around $30,000, before government incentives, meaning that while they offer a clear path to cutting electricity costs, at present, only richer households can afford to invest in these installations.
Ouch! It is a wealthy person’s subsidy, and in places like California, sophisticated users have gamed the system to benefit at the expense of non-participating ratepayers (the less sophisticated).
Felicity Bradstock then pivots to plug-in solar, a whole different ball of wax:
In recent months, faced with higher energy prices, several U.S. consumers have taken energy into their own hands by installing plug-in solar panels without informing utilities. This is simple, as people can buy cheap, small solar panels and hang them nearly anywhere without hiring an electrician’s services, as the panels can be plugged into a regular outlet to start generating electricity, with the support of a microinverter.
But regarding the latest great hope:
In the U.S., there is no ground fault circuit interrupter, meaning appliances do not cut out as necessary to minimise the risk of electric shock. However, some states, such as Utah, have introduced legislation to encourage greater uptake.
She ends:
With or without permission, the consumer trend of installing household solar systems is set to continue so long as fossil fuel prices remain highly volatile and energy bills are elevated.
Final Comment
Felicity Bradstock had a mission: to put lipstick on the pig–and probably in conjunction with the rent-seeking, crony-capitalist Solar Energy Industries Association. Only the end of state and federal subsidies can cut the solar industry down to size (off the grid) and close the SEIA.
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[1] Appendix A: Major US Solar Bankruptcies:
Major solar busts as of mid-2025 include:
California Company Closures:
Texas Company Closures:
Other States:
Zenernet – AZ; 3D Solar – Florida; AAA Certified Solar – Nevada; Accept Solar – MA; ACE Solar Systems – AZ; Arizona Solar Concepts – AZ; Brimma Solar – WA; Code Green Solar – NJ; EcoMark Solar – CO; Elan Solar – UT; Electriq Power – FL; Encor Solar – UT; Gulf South Solar – LA; Moxie Solar – IA; Refresh Energy Group – CO; Saveco Solar – UT; Solar Is Freedom – OH; Solar Titan USA – TN; SolarDot – FL; Solarworks – AZ; Solular, LLC – NJ; Utah Solar Group – UT; Voltage Solar Power – FL [23]
[2] These posts include:
Previous posts have been: