By Erik Anderson / Environment Reporter
Contributors: Roland Lizarondo / Video Journalist

Ross Williams has worked in the San Diego region’s residential solar industry since 2010, and he has never seen a darker business outlook for his firm, HES Solar.

That grim future is tied to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) changing the state’s solar rules a year ago, slashing the value of rooftop generated electricity.

The legislatively mandated review led to changes that cut the value of electricity generated by residential solar panels by 75% in the CPUC ruling, making it harder for residents to recover the cost of installing new systems. Solar arrays can carry price tags in the tens of thousands of dollars.

The change is pushing sales down and layoffs up as the nation’s largest solar industry shrinks in the face of a cloudy future.