Last year his electric bills totaled $538, down from about $6,000 per year in pre-panel days.

"I have no regrets, even with the panels being so expensive," said Taylor, who is mayor of Brentwood.

He received a $20,000 rebate under the California Solar Initiative, which was instituted in 2007 by the state and is available to every homeowner. That, plus other discounts, brought the cost of the panels down to $23,000.

While solar power has grown almost 50 percent in the last couple of years, it makes up less than 1 percent of U.S. power