Dave Kesner’s household was the first on his hilly La Mesa street to install rooftop solar panels in 2000, when a massive electricity shortage caused blackouts and price spikes across California.
“Our utility rates virtually doubled very, very quickly. And I just thought, ‘This is not sustainable,’” Kesner said.
He was happy with his rooftop setup until it finally died last year. Contractors said it would’ve cost at least $5,000 to replace, which didn’t make financial sense now that Kesner and his wife were empty nesters…