Electric Meter

How Solar Works (and Why It's a Game-Changer in California Right Now)

Solar 101
March 12, 2025•2 min read

First: Solar Isn't Magic — It's Just Smart Science.

At its core, solar panels take sunlight and turn it into electricity you can actually use in your home.
Here’s how it goes down:

  1. Sunlight hits your solar panels.
    → They’re made with special materials (usually silicon) that get excited when the sun shines on them.

  2. That excitement creates an electrical current.
    → This current is direct current (DC), but your home needs alternating current (AC).

  3. Your inverter steps in.
    → It flips the DC into AC so your fridge, TV, and A/C unit can actually use it.

  4. Your home uses the solar energy first.
    → If you’re making more than you need, it gets pushed back to the grid.

  5. The grid becomes your backup.
    → At night or on cloudy days, you still pull from the grid like usual — just a lot less.

What's Different in California Now (NEM 3.0)

California used to reward solar customers big time for extra power sent back to the grid.
Under the old rules (NEM 2.0), you got full retail credit for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) you exported.

Now under NEM 3.0:

  • You get way less credit — about 75% less in most cases.

  • Exporting extra energy isn’t the golden ticket it used to be.

  • Self-using your solar (or storing it with a battery) is the new smart move.

Translation:
If you don’t have a battery or a smart solar setup, your savings could be way lower than expected.

So... Is Solar Still Worth It in California?

✅ Yes — if you design it smart.

  • Solar still slashes your utility bill.

  • Panels help protect you against rising electricity rates (and they’re rising fast).

  • Batteries make it possible to store your own power instead of getting ripped off selling it back.

In other words:
Solar isn’t just about savings anymore — it’s about control.

The Bottom Line: Solar Is Still a Power Move — But Only If You Play It Right.

At Rebel Energy Systems, we design systems that work with the new NEM 3.0 rules — not against them.
We make sure you're set up to keep more of your energy, cut your bills, and own your power.

No cookie-cutter systems. No bait-and-switch promises. Just real energy independence built for today’s California.

Curious what solar could look like for your home?
👉 Get a custom solar plan today

Back to Blog