Every few weeks, a member of the BayWa r.e. team sits down with Chris Crowell of Solar Builder in our PowerForward! series partnership.

California solar installers experienced a disastrous 2023 as soon as the NEM 3 rate changes took effect. The California Solar and Storage Association reports about an 80 percent drop in rooftop solar projects since April 2023. To make matters worse, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) closed out 2023 by approving further changes that impact the payback on battery exports. The CPUC also ended the self-consumption of solar for most virtual net metering projects. Is there any way to Power Forward! in California? We discuss with David Dunlap, VP of Product Strategy for the US, with BayWa r.e.:

• 1:04 – Summing up latest NEM 3 rule changes 2:18 – Scale of 1-10: How worried should solar installers be?


• 7:08 – Given the new California market, how can installers maintain profitability?


• 11:43 – What else can I do to diversify, and not totally rely on solar sales?


• 14:15 – Overview of Virtual NEM program changes: “This looks wrong”

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PowerForward!: a Partnership between BayWa r.e. and Solar Builder

We bring our industry expertise together to help solar installers build their businesses.

Check out our Solar Tech Talk Series!

Solar Tech Talk Podcast Series

Product manager nerds by day, solar products podcast hosts by night – BayWa r.e. brings on leading industry experts to talk residential and commercial solar equipment, the latest solar news, and big ideas for our U.S. contractor community.

BayWa r.e. Solar Distribution supplies residential and commercial solar installers in the United States with quality solar + storage components, forecasting, business planning advice