North Carolina Legislature Passes Rooftop Solar Bill as Home Installations Fell Two-Thirds
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Aug 12
North Carolina Legislature Passes Rooftop Solar Bill as Home Installations Fell Two-Thirds
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Aug 12
Summary
Republican lawmakers approved a regulatory reform measure that lets licensed architects or engineers certify some home solar and battery systems, reducing local permitting delays and potentially cutting installation costs.
The change lands as North Carolina’s residential solar market weakens: new home installations fell by two-thirds from the fourth quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026 after Trump ended the 30% federal rooftop solar tax credit.
Josh Stein called easier access to solar and storage a step toward lower power bills, while the state’s utility customers face broader affordability pressure from $18.6 billion in requested U.S. rate increases in the first half of 2026.
The bill offers a limited clean-energy win after North Carolina repealed its interim carbon goal last year and regulators paused new utility-scale solar and battery projects in April.
With federal subsidies gone, will North Carolina's radical permitting shortcut save homeowners enough money to revive the state's crashing solar market?
Could bypassing local government inspectors for home solar installations accidentally spark a wave of dangerous residential safety and fire hazards?