California is set to require solar panels on all newly built single-family houses, the first statewide mandate in the nation. That's expected to save buyers money in the long run, but will raise their upfront costs at a time many are already struggling to afford a mortgage.

Weeds poke listlessly from the flat, rocky earth as the temperature climbs to the mid-90s. On a cloudless March afternoon, the blue horizon stretches out uninterrupted, as if even birds are too weary to fly.