Good energy
starts with
your roof.
Understand solar roofs, panels and battery storage before you decide what belongs on your home.
Start with the essentialsPractical explanations. Sources you can check.
Start with the right questions.
Three practical guides to the decisions that shape a solar project.
01 · Solar roofing · IllustrationSolar roof or
solar panels?
Two ways to use the same sunlight. Compare the full project, from the roof covering to future repairs.
comes first.Condition → Scope → Solar
Does your roof need
replacing first?
What to ask before putting a long-term energy system on an existing roof.
backup power.Generation · Storage · Isolation
Will solar work
in a power outage?
Understand what actually keeps selected circuits running, and what a battery specification leaves out.
Same sunshine.
Different rules.
Your utility, rate plan and installation date matter. Start with the terms that apply to your home.
Read the California guideKnow your electricity provider.
PG&E, SCE and SDG&E’s Solar Billing Plan is not a universal rule for every California utility.
Separate using energy from exporting it.
A kilowatt-hour used at home and one sent to the grid can have different values. Your usage pattern belongs in the comparison.
Check incentives by date.
Budget a new 2026 home installation without the former 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit. The IRS cutoff falls at the end of 2025; a proposal saved from an earlier year needs fresh numbers.
The weekly energy read.
New developments in solar and home energy, with the practical meaning explained.
All news & editionsReading outage risk. Following battery progress.
This week: California reliability data, a local clean-energy grant window, and two international perspectives on batteries.
Read this editionThe details behind
a solar decision.
From a surprising true-up bill to a battery that did not back up the house. Find practical answers, the next thing to check and sources you can follow.
Explore 68 questions & answersWhen the roof itself
does more.
Solar shingles and tiles bring electricity generation into the building material. Learn what “integrated” means, what to compare, and why the roof’s condition still leads the decision.
Understand solar roofingRedwood is an information project for California homeowners. We explain the questions behind a purchase, link to original sources, and distinguish current guidance from the domain’s historical solar-roofing material. About this publication ↗