Texas is investigating the rooftop solar industry, after years of CBS News Texas reporting

Stacks of solar panels sit gathering dust behind Brian Blake's Kennedale home. 

"They're a mess in my backyard," he said.

For five years, he and his wife, Sandra Dolan, have leased 50 panels from national solar panel retailer Sunrun. For five years, they have been fighting the company for what they say they were promised.

"Everything we'd been told… none of it was true," Dolan said. 

In 2024, the panels' energy production plummeted. And when hail damaged their roof last year, the Blake and Dolan said they could not get Sunrun to take the panels off to make repairs, so they had to hire another company to remove them.

"I said, 'I've got roof damage. I don't want water damage'," Blake said.

Despite that, the family was still being charged $138 per month for the panels that weren't doing anything.

"I would just like it to be gone," Dolan said.

Complaints to the Better Business Bureau and Facebook pages, like the one titled "Sunrun Solar Sucks", show a pattern of similar stories.

Investigation underway

This month, the Texas Attorney General's Office announced it's launching what it calls a "major initiative to combat widespread fraud by companies selling solar panel systems."

Sunrun is one of the targets.

For years, the CBS News Texas I-Team has reported on pervasive issues in the rooftop solar industry, from the door to door sales often made by third party companies taking high commissions to false promises of never having to pay another electric bill and the large number of elderly and vulnerable signed to long-term contracts.

In 2024, we highlighted Freedom Forever, another company named in the AG's investigation. Customers reported the company was initiating loans in their name for solar panels they never bought.

In a span of five years, complaints to the AG's office about solar panels more than quadrupled.

As part of those investigations, the I-Team sent e-mails asking the agency whether it would take action. At the time, they went unanswered.

Probing industry practices

With its new investigation, the AG is taking a broad look at the industry.

Civil investigative demand letters sent to Sunrun, Freedom Forever, Lonestar and CAM Solar show they have been asked to disclose records related to compensation for their sales reps, the scripts they use while going door-to-door, the contracts they have customers sign, the warranties and service plans they offer, the formula used to determine whether customers save any money, and the representations they make about energy savings.

"Thousands of Texans have been targeted by companies selling solar panel systems and it's imperative that these companies are held responsible for any lies or deceptive marketing they use," Attorney General Ken Paxton said in the statement announcing the investigation.

Attorneys general in at least a dozen other states have already taken legal action against solar companies accusing them of defrauding customers.

"I think it's time that they went after the businesses that are doing unethical trade in their states," Blake said.

He's happy to see Texas finally appearing to jump on board.

Solar companies respond

CBS News Texas reached out to all four companies named by the AG's office.

CAM Solar and Lonestar did not respond.

Freedom Forever said it was working on a response, but declared bankruptcy two days later and furloughed all its employees.

Blake and Dolan have confirmed, since speaking to CBS News Texas, they reached an agreement with Sunrun cancelling their contract and awarding them $15,000 in damages.

Read Sunrun's response below:

"We are committed to working with the Texas Attorney General's Office to fully respond to the request for information and welcome any process that enhances industry safeguards around consumer protections. Of the complaints mentioned, Sunrun accounts for just four over the last two years, which have all been resolved. 

Sunrun has been in business for nearly 20 years and has built the most comprehensive consumer protection program in residential solar and battery storage. We take issue with being lumped in with other companies that don't operate with the same strict standards that put Texas consumers first."

The company went on to say that the majority of its more than 1.1 million customer are happy with their system.

"Only a small fraction of a percent of our total customer base has raised formal concerns. And when they do, we act swiftly to resolve them. 

In regard to Brian Blake and Sandra Dolan, we are pleased that we've been able to reach a mutually agreed upon resolution."