THE NORTH VALLEY DISPATCH

When the federal 30% tax credit for residential solar quietly expired at the end of 2025, the phones at solar offices across the state went silent. Homeowners assumed the door had closed. For most of them, no one ever told them otherwise.

What didn't expire is the more basic problem the tax credit was always a workaround for: PG&E rates continue to climb, and Northern California homeowners are still paying for power they never get to own. That has not changed. What has changed is how homeowners are being asked to get there.

The program in question is not a lease and not a PPA — the two structures that dominated the last decade of residential solar, where a homeowner pays monthly for power indefinitely and never holds title to the equipment on their own roof. It is a prepaid ownership path: pay once upfront, or finance that single payment through Travis Credit Union, and the system itself becomes the homeowner's asset — not a subscription that continues after the panels are paid off.

North Valley Solar Power, which designs and manages residential solar programs across 15 Northern and Central California service areas, says the confusion is understandable — and correctable. The company does not perform installation work itself; physical installation on every project is carried out by a licensed installation partner, while NVSP manages design, program eligibility, and homeowner coordination from first call to activation.

A completed rooftop array. Ownership transfers to the homeowner at the end of the program term.

The company is explicit that not every PG&E household will qualify, and that eligibility depends on details specific to each home — roof condition, current utility usage, and account standing among them. Rather than quoting a blanket price, NVSP is directing homeowners toward a short, no-obligation eligibility check before any conversation about numbers happens.

"We'd rather tell someone honestly whether they qualify in two minutes than have them sit through a sales call for something that was never right for their home," the company said.

Battery backup options are evaluated case by case during the eligibility review.

For homeowners who assumed the moment for solar had passed with the tax credit, North Valley Solar Power's message is narrower and more specific than a typical ad: check eligibility first, hear real numbers second, decide third. The eligibility check below takes about two minutes and asks only what's needed to determine whether a given home qualifies for the program.

North Valley Solar Power's program management office, serving 15 California communities.