The “pink tax” for solar panels: Financial returns on solar investments by gender in Los Angeles, California

Abstract

Residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have become increasingly common in the United States. However, there have been gender, racial and socioeconomic disparities in both the adoption of and returns from investments in solar PV. This paper examines the “pink tax” for solar panels by examining gender-based differences in the financial returns for residential rooftop solar installations using a cash flow model for Los Angeles, CA matched to socioeconomic and demographic data from the Census Bureau. The analysis shows that women tend to see lower rates of return on investment in solar PV systems stemming, in part, from higher costs paid for these systems per watt installed. There is also evidence that women tend to be sold larger systems which can generate a more significant financial burden for systems with a lower rate of return.