Solar power in California
OverviewGovernment supportHistoryPhotovoltaicsSolar thermal powerGenerationState challenges with solar powerPublic opinion
Since 1980, the state government excluded solar installations as taxable improvements on a property. This has resulted in many counties seeing no tax benefit from solar farm installations, with some like Kern County stating that they had lost $110 million in property taxes over a decade due to this policy. State legislators felt that the policy was necessary because otherwise the property taxes on solar farms would be four to seven times higher in California than neighboring states, and would thereby incentive