The worst solar companies in California: how to check a company’s record

How this page decides what to list

A “worst companies” list built from online reviews mostly measures who has the most customers and the angriest ones. So this page uses a narrower rule: a company appears only for an event on a public court or state record, linked to that record, with the date it was checked. There are no scores, no stars and no opinions about workmanship. A company not named here has not been cleared; it simply has no qualifying record on this page. For the other side of the decision, the guide to choosing and verifying a solar company covers what to look for in a good one.

Residential solar bankruptcies on the federal court record

A bankruptcy filing is a financial event, not a verdict on anyone’s roof work. It matters to homeowners because warranties, production guarantees and service calls depend on a company that is still operating. These three companies sold residential solar in California; each filing below was read on CourtListener’s copy of the federal docket on September 23, 2026.

If you have a system from one of these companies, what happens next depends on whether you own it or lease it and who issued each warranty. The guide to solar installer bankruptcy in California walks through each case, and the Sunrun review covers the questions people ask about Sunrun’s own status.

Check any company’s record yourself

1. The license record. The CSLB’s Check a License tool shows whether a license is active, what it covers and its complaint disclosure. Search by license number or business name, and look up the salesperson’s registration too.
2. Federal court records. Bankruptcy cases are federal, and some lawsuits against solar companies are filed in federal court too. CourtListener lets you search dockets by company name for free.
3. State court records. Lawsuits filed in California state court sit with each county’s superior court, which keeps its own case records.
4. Reviews, read the right way. Skip the average. Read the most recent one- and two-star reviews and look for repeated themes: missed install dates, unanswered service calls, bills that did not match the proposal.

Several reviews on this site already do this for specific companies, checking license numbers and court records against what each company says about itself, among them the Powur review, the Solar Optimum review and the Palmetto review. They are not a ranking. The full list is on the California solar company reviews index.

Warning signs the state tells you to watch for

Bad solar experiences usually start with the sale, and state guidance names the patterns.

• “Free” solar. The CPUC’s consumer guide: “Solar energy is rarely free. An honest company will be upfront about all the costs.”
• A large deposit. A home improvement down payment cannot exceed $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less (CSLB bulletin #20-22).
• No disclosure document. California requires a solar energy system disclosure document on the front page of a residential solar contract.
• A price from someone who is not the contractor. The CSLB says lead generators and brokers may refer and book appointments but may not quote or negotiate a solar contract without the right license or registration.
• Financing on your property tax bill. DFPI warns that PACE contracts “are signed financing agreements that are difficult to void.”
• Pressure to sign today. You have at least three business days to cancel, five if you are 65 or older, according to the CPUC guide.

The long versions are in solar contract red flags, solar sales tactics and dealer fees in solar financing.

If you already hired a company that let you down

Start with the CSLB. Homeowners, other contractors, subcontractors, employees and public agencies can all file complaints, and the board says it has jurisdiction over licensed and unlicensed contractors’ projects for up to four years. When it cannot settle a complaint, it may refer you to alternative dispute resolution (CSLB, checked September 23, 2026). If you are still inside the cancellation window, cancel in writing first. For money paid and work not done, see what to do when a solar company takes your money.