The California Solar Initiative (CSI) is a now-defunct energy program overseen by the California state government that encouraged local communities to purchase solar energy infrastructure for homes by providing rebates on solar energy production. The CSI, as part of a $3.3 billion Go Solar California campaign, lasted from 2006 to 2016. CSI and the California government have been criticized for inadvertently creating pollution through defunct solar panels. ^{1 2 3}

Background

The California Solar Initiative (CSI) was part of the Go Solar California campaign started in 2006 that sought to subsidize the production of 3,000 megawatts of solar energy for the state through home-based solar panels. The campaign also advocated installing solar hot water systems in homes by the end of 2017 as well as developing a “self-sustaining private market” in the state of California for solar energy. The Go Solar California campaign had a total budget of $3.3 billion, with $2.2 billion allocated to CSI, which was financed by state private investor-owned utility companies and operated by the California Public Utilities Commission. ^{1 2 3 4}

The CSI also managed rebates and several sub-programs targeting low-income housing. The “Single-family Solar Affordable Solar Housing” program supported providing single-family, low-income homes with solar energy infrastructure and was budgeted $54 million. The “Multifamily Affordable Solar Housing” program supported multi-family, low-income homes with a budget of $54 million. The “CSI-Thermal Program” subsidized the adoption of solar-powered home water heating devices, and the “CSI-Thermal Low-Income Program” supported low-income families with the transition to solar energy installation. ^{1 2}

Throughout the CSI’s operations, the Center for Sustainable Energy administered the CSI in the territory of San Diego Gas and Electric, a regulated public utility. The Center oversaw 19,300 rebates totaling over $191 million. ^{1 2}

On December 31, 2016, the CSI program shut down in accordance with its legislative mandate. As of 2025, the California Public Utilities Commission operates the Net Energy Metering program which purchases energy sold to the California electric grid, primarily from home-based solar panels. ²

In 2021, the California Measurement Advisory Council released a report evaluating the overall impact of CSI. The report claimed that by 2017, 724,816 behind-the-meter solar photovoltaic systems with 5,885 megawatts of capacity had been installed in territories covered by the CSI, which exceeded the group’s initial 3,000 megawatt goal. The report also claimed the CSI achieved its goal of establishing a “self-sustaining solar energy” market as it claimed 80 percent of solar energy systems in California were purchased without CSI support. The report found that the CSI reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 3.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, or the equivalent of removing over 700,000 cars from the state. ⁴

In 2022, 15 percent of all energy generated in California came from solar systems. ⁵

Controversy

A 2022 report from the Los Angeles Times criticized the California Solar Initiative (CSI) and other solar subsidizing programs for the state due to claims of producing unintended negative environmental impacts. The report alleged that during the period of its operation, most solar panels purchased through these programs would only last for 20 to 30 years, while only 10 percent of had been properly recycled leading to a buildup of defunct solar panels in landfills that led to a “[contamination of] groundwater with toxic heavy metals such as lead, selenium and cadmium.”  ⁵

Leadership

The California Solar Initiative was reportedly “designed and implemented” by Cecilia Aguillon, the founder and president of Aguillon Enterprises, a consulting firm for governments engaged in weather-dependent energy programs. From 2018 to 2022, Aguillon was the director of energy transition at the Institute of the Americas. From 1998 to 2017, Aguillon worked in several  roles at Kyocera International’s Solar Energy Division in California, during which time she helped design the CSI. Aguillon previously sat on the board of the California Solar Energy Industries Association and currently sits on the board of the Climate Defenders Action Fund. ^{6 7}

1. “California Solar Initiative.” Center for Sustainable Energy. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://energycenter.org/program/california-solar-initiative
2. “California Solar Initiative (CSI).” California Public Utilities Commission. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/demand-side-management/california-solar-initiative.
3. “Go Solar California.” Ecology Center. Updated June 21, 20213. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://ecologycenter.org/directory/directory-entries/go-solar-california/.
4. “California Solar Initiative (CSI) Final Impact Evaluation.” California Measurement Advisory Council. January 28, 2021. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://www.calmac.org/publications/CSI_Evaluation_Report-2.pdf.
5. Kisela, Rachel. “California went big on rooftop solar. Now that’s a problem for landfills.” Los Angeles Times. July 14, 2022. Updated July 15, 2022. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-07-14/california-rooftop-solar-pv-panels-recycling-danger#:~:text=Beginning%20in%202006%2C%20the%20state,%2D30%2Dyear%20life%20cycle.
6. “Cecilia Aguillon.” New Energy. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://newenergyevents.com/h2lac2021/speakers/cecilia-aguillon/.
7. “Cecilia Aguillon.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilia-aguillon-66761110/.