The New Solar Wave

Why Now?

In the early 2000s, solar was hailed as a viable fossil fuel alternative and deployment increased at a record pace in the US. That began to change after a 2013 report commissioned by the Edison Electric Institute — the investor-owned utilities' own trade association — framed distributed solar as a competitive threat to utility revenue rather than a grid asset.

The "cost shift" narrative born in that report — that wealthy solar owners shift costs onto everyone else — has since been repeated in utility-funded studies, regulatory filings, and media placements nationwide, shaping outcomes ever since, most visibly in California's NEM 3.0 decision.

The evidence tells a different story. Solar is one of the cheapest sources of new electricity generation, and it can be deployed faster than almost any other clean energy resource. Rigorous analysis of the "cost shift" shows it is far smaller — and far more contested — than utilities claim. The New Solar Wave exists to perform research and make evidence accessible to journalists, regulators, educators, and the public.

Our Approach

01 Produce rigorous, citable research that documents solar's real economics and rebuilds the evidentiary record utilities have shaped for a decade.
02 Translate that research into plain-language public education — explainers, media partnerships, and community outreach — that restores public understanding of solar's value.

Who This Reaches

Journalists & editorial boards seeking transparent, non-partisan analysis.
Regulators & legislative staff needing a counterweight to utility filings.
Homeowners & renters weighing whether solar is worth it.
Funders who value independent, open-source research.

01 Track · Research & Analysis

"Solar, By the Numbers"

A Myth-vs-Evidence Report on Rooftop Solar Economics

This research builds the citable, open-source evidentiary base that journalists, regulators, and educators can draw on directly. It:

Traces the "cost shift" narrative to its 2013 utility trade association origin
Reconstructs the cost-shift methodology, and adds corrected analyses that reverse utility claims
Documents NEM 3.0's measured effect on California rooftop solar deployment and compensation
Draws on Berkeley Lab's national solar-adopter income and demographic data to counter the "wealthy solar owner" framing
Separates legitimate grid-cost questions from unsupported claims in the public debate
Releases all data, models, and code open-source for independent verification

02 Track · Public Education

Public Education

Track Item 1

Explainer & Media Series

Primary vehicle — SolarWAVE Action leads production.

Plain-language explainers, data visualizations, and social content that translate the research for a general audience — paired with media partnerships and op-ed placements at outlets with large reader bases.

Track Item 2

Community Outreach

Supporting role — delivered via webinars and partner organizations.

A speaker series and webinars for community groups, students, and local officials who want to understand solar economics without the spin.

All gifts to The New Solar Wave support research and education activities and are tax-deductible through SolarWAVE Action's fiscal sponsorship with the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), a 501(c)(3) organization.