Here are three standout rooftop solar trends that emerged in 2022 – and how they impact consumers who want to switch to clean energy.
Rooftop solar trends in 2022
EnergySage has just released its 16th Solar & Storage Marketplace Report, and the online comparison solar and storage shopping marketplace shared it with Electrek for an exclusive first look.
Its calendar year 2022 report – which can be downloaded for free – looks at trends in rooftop solar pricing, equipment, marketplace share, and financing. The report draws from millions of transaction-level data points generated by quotes sent to homeowners in 2022 from solar companies in 41 states and Washington, D.C.
Below are three key insights that EnergySage identified in this new report. Electrek spoke with Spencer Fields, head of insights at EnergySage, and one of the report’s authors, about what those three takeaways mean for consumers going forward.
Solar prices rose over 6% year-over-year
Ongoing equipment supply constraints continue to impact pricing, as the quoted price of solar on EnergySage has increased to $2.85 per watt, a 6.7% increase since the lowest price in early 2021. The installed cost of energy storage is also up, increasing by $50 per kWh stored, or 3.9%, in 2022.
Spencer Fields’ Take: The solar market was affected by inflation like many other consumer goods were in 2022. Equipment supply constraints are certainly affecting the market, and that impacts the availability of raw materials or assembled products that are installed on a consumer’s home. Not only was it harder to get supply, but it also took longer to do so. So that contributed to the price of solar in 2022.
But on the positive side, solar prices increased at a slower pace than other consumer goods, and particularly electricity. Plus, the Inflation Reduction Act was enacted, which bumped the tax credit up to 30%, so it mitigates the inflation rate.
All of this highlights the importance of shopping around for rooftop solar. It’s important that consumers get at least three quotes to get the best price from a vendor they trust.
Residential market-share shifts for solar panel brands
In the second half of 2022, Qcells overtook REC as the most frequently quoted panel brand on EnergySage, with more than 25% of all quotes including Qcells panels. Additionally, as installers looked to secure their supply during shortages in 2022, the share of quotes represented by the top three brands on EnergySage continued to drop – from 66% in 2021 to 58% in 2022. Enphase remained the most quoted inverter and battery storage brand. (Editor’s note: Enphase is based in California, and its inverters are made in Mexico.)
Spencer Fields’ Take: A big part of the push of the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as tariffs on solar panels manufactured abroad, is to bring more manufacturing to the US. Qcells has a huge manufacturing expansion going on in Georgia, and it began the process of building out manufacturing capacity a few years ago, so they’re producing US-made solar panels.
Consumers are more aware of where their products are being made. Qcells is the player with the largest market share in the US. It has a robust supply chain in the US.
Installer brand loyalty continues to increase
In the second half of 2022, 59% of installers offered only a single inverter brand, the highest level of brand loyalty since EnergySage began tracking this information in 2014. Similarly, over one-third of installers only worked with a single solar panel brand in the second half of 2022, the highest level since 2015.
Spencer Fields’ Take: This finding belies the importance of getting multiple quotes since companies are working with single brands. That way consumers have access to multiple brands. One thing that’s unique to the solar industry is that most manufacturers are not household names – it’s not like makes of cars. So that makes it much more incumbent on the homeowners to do that little bit of extra research.
Consumers may be less likely to find installers with multiple packages. When it comes to inverters, for example, installers may be very familiar with that particular technology. So it should give consumers confidence that the installer is choosing to work closely with an individual brand and that consumers are paying appropriately for higher-quality equipment.
Photo: EnergySage
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Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI attends the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference at the Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., on July 8, 2025.
David A. Grogan | CNBC
OpenAI is in talks with investors about a potential stock sale at a valuation of roughly $500 billion, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.
The talks are in early stages and would involve a secondary sale with shares sold by current and former employees, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are confidential. Thrive Capital, an investor in OpenAI, could lead the potential round, the sources said.
Bloomberg was first to report on the latest talks.
OpenAI’s valuation has been on a continuous upswing since the artificial intelligence startup launched ChatGPT in late 2022 and quickly established itself as the leader in generative AI. The company announced a $40 billion funding round in March at a $300 billion, by far the largest amount ever raised by a private tech company.
Last week, OpenAI announced its most recent $8.3 billion tranche tied to that funding round.
OpenAI released two open-weight language models on Tuesday for the first time since it rolled out GPT-2 in 2019. The models aim to serve as lower-cost options that developers and researchers can easily run and customize, OpenAI said.
The company said earlier this week that ChatGPT was about to hit 700 million weekly active users.
OpenAI rival Anthropic, meanwhile, is in talks to secure between $3 billion and $5 billion in new funding led by Iconiq Capital at a potential $170 billion valuation, up from $61.5 billion in March.
CNBC previously reported that OpenAI’s annual recurring revenue is projected to top $20 billion by year-end, up from $10 billion in June.
Electric cars don’t have intakes and exhausts, so they can’t get hydrolocked in deep water the way ICE-powered cars can – but that doesn’t make them amphibious. Nobody told this Texan Chevy Bolt EUV owner that, and when they got caught on the wrong side of the floodwaters, they licked the stamp and sent it!
The recent catastrophic flooding in Texas has brought unimaginable tragedies and hardships to thousands of people who unquestionably deserve better, and living through something like that can lead people to make some rash decisions (I made it through the aftermaths of Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, AMA). Rash decisions like pulling up to a tunnel flooded in nearly three feet of water, and deciding to stand on the gas.
Think I’m exaggerating? Watch this Chevy Bolt EUV go full “Boat Mode” as its driver decides that dealing with whatever unseen obstacle or deadly live wires concealed by the floodwaters are less annoying than having to find an alternative route for yourself.
Submerging an EV that wasn’t designed for it (or even a Cybertruck, which allegedly was), isn’t exactly advisable. In addition to the underwater threats, submerging the skateboard in water could damage sensitive electrical connectors, compromise battery seals, and cause shorts in circuit boards over time.
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“Even more critically, water ingress into high-voltage systems can pose serious safety risks, including electrical faults or, in rare cases, thermal events,” writes Jonathan Lopez, over at GM Authority. “Although the Bolt EUV in this instance completed its soggy journey successfully, long-term effects may still emerge.”
In other words: don’t try this at home.
Electrek’s Take
Chevy Bolt EUV, via GM.
Like, don’t try this at home … but it’s pretty awesome.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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Georgia BRIGHT, a statewide initiative to deliver affordable solar, kicked off its “No-Cost Solar Plan” in Atlanta yesterday, giving qualified homeowners a shot at roughly 400 fully prepaid rooftop-solar systems with zero upfront or maintenance costs. However, Georgia Bright’s No-Cost Solar Plan may lose its $156 million in grant money if the EPA steals back the Solar for All program’s entire $7 billion, which funded it.
On Earth Day (April 22) 2024, the Georgia BRIGHT Communities Coalition, including lead applicant Capital Good Fund, along with coalition member cities, Atlanta, Savannah, and Decatur, and dozens of other Georgia stakeholders, was allocated $156 million from Solar for All to bring solar to thousands of households statewide between now and mid-2029.
Families that earn 80% or less of their county’s Area Median Income can enter a drawing for the No-Cost Solar Plan now; a second drawing for another 400 systems is set for spring 2026.
“As the cost of living increases across our most vulnerable communities, this program will deliver significant savings to the households that need it most,” said Alicia Brown, director of Georgia BRIGHT.
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Those savings are already showing up. Pilot participant Christine Difeliciantonio saw her power bill plunge on her Columbus home from $224 in June 2024 to $50 in June 2025 after her panels came online, and she says the added resilience eases her mind during storms.
Nonprofits are benefiting, too. Trees Atlanta had 140 panels installed on their headquarters last November in the pilot program; the rooftop array went live in March and is on track to save about $3,000 a year, the carbon equivalent of planting 28,000 trees over 25 years.
What’s next for Georgia BRIGHT …
Georgia BRIGHT’s other programs in the works include its Residential Solar Savings Plan, offering custom rooftop installs with no upfront cost and guaranteeing households at least 20% savings on day one after factoring in the modest monthly payments. Georgia BRIGHT is also developing Community Benefit Solar, which lets businesses, houses of worship, and apartment buildings go solar so long as they share part of the financial benefits – think grocery gift cards, help with utility bills, discounted daycare, or rent relief – with eligible neighbors for five years. Finally, a Utility-Led Community Solar initiative will send grants to local utilities so they can run shared-solar programs designed specifically for low-income customers.
These programs really make a difference in a state like Georgia, which doesn’t offer any other solar incentives.
… if the EPA doesn’t steal its money
The New York Timesreported today that the Trump-led EPA is drafting letters to claw back the entire $7 billion Solar for All pot from 49 states, plus 11 nonprofit groups and Native American tribes. The grant money was awarded under President Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. According to the Times‘ sources, the EPA plans to send termination notices this week, effectively erasing solar savings for nearly a million low-income families before the panels ever land on their roofs.
Legal groups are already gearing up for the fight. “If leaders in the Trump administration move forward with this unlawful attempt to strip critical funding from communities across the United States, we will see them in court,” Kym Meyer of the Southern Environmental Law Center told the Times.
If the EPA pulls the trigger on this cruel, senseless plan to steal solar from lower-income communities, it wouldn’t just kneecap Georgia’s new program – it would pull the rug out from under low-income solar projects nationwide. The fight over Solar for All is officially on. How about that energy emergency that Trump declared, eh?
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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