America’s rooftop solar market has a $1.2 trillion problem. (Latitude Media)
The challenge: Rooftop solar costs about $3 per watt in the US, 3X the price in countries like Australia and Germany.
Tesla and nonprofit Permit Power say it could fall below $2—or even $1—if permitting and installation rules caught up with tech. Tesla pointed to a patchwork of 1,600 utilities and 7,000 jurisdictions, each with different rules. Red tape alone adds more than 50¢ per watt.
The payoff: Cutting costs to $1 per watt could unlock 18M more rooftop systems, 200 GW of new capacity, and save US households $1.2T by 2040.