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United States › California

California solar installation & market data

Market totals through July 2026 By The SolarDNA Data TeamInstallation records through April 28, 2026
California has about 2,337,728 solar systems totalling 21.08 GW, with 30.9% of owner-occupied homes on solar and residential solar added up 1.1% over the trailing twelve months. SolarDNA tracks 2,260,501 individual installations here at a median installed cost of $4.26/W.
Explore California in the app See California installers
Solar systems
2,337,728
See data
Installed capacity
21.08 GW
See data
Median cost
$4.26/W
See data
12-mo growth
▲ 1.1%
See data
Adoption
30.9%
See data
SolarDNA tracks 4M+ installations across 16.3K+ zip markets.How we build this data →
California solar market summary

The California solar market at a glance.

California has about 2,337,728 solar systems totalling 21.08 GW, as reported by its utilities through July 2026. 1,089 MW of residential solar was added in the trailing twelve months, up 1.1% on the twelve months before. 30.9% of owner-occupied homes have gone solar and 16.8% of solar customers have a battery. SolarDNA tracks 2,260,501 individual installations here, with a median residential cost of $4.26 per watt, from 12,530 installers.

53
SolarDNA Market Score
How Market Score is calculated ↗
Analyst's take

California's SolarDNA Market Score: 53 out of 100.

California scores 53 out of 100 on SolarDNA's Market Score, a 0-to-100 scale benchmarked against every other state market. That is higher than 82% of U.S. states. Grade B (Great).

The score combines 5 subscores, each computed from observed market data:

  • Velocity (51): trailing-12-month growth in solar added versus the prior twelve months, so accelerating markets score higher.
  • Cost (48): median installed $/W relative to the national median (a cheaper market scores higher).
  • Incentives (30): net-metering coverage, RECs a new system can earn, state tax credit, rebate program and tax exemptions (components listed below).
  • Resource (48): annual solar irradiance, so the same system produces more where this score is high.
  • Depth (100): proven demand: how many systems are already installed, with a bonus for markets that show adoption without being saturated.
Incentive components · California
reviewed 2026-09
Net-metering coverage64%of residential customers
RECs for new systemsNone
State tax creditNo
Rebate or performance programNo
Property tax exemptionYes
No sales tax on systemsNo

Property tax exclusion for new solar; net billing (NEM 3.0) since 2023 lowers export value.

Federal: Federal residential credit (25D) ended for systems placed in service after Dec 31, 2025. Third-party-owned systems can still use the commercial credit (48E) through 2027 under construction-start rules.

The Market Score is a starting point, not a territory decision.

State-level averages hide wide variation. Here's how to go deeper in the app:

  1. 1Narrow to a zip codeZip metrics give a far more accurate picture of the exact neighborhoods you are considering.
  2. 2Apply filtersFilter by score, growth, $/W, adoption and permits to reach the markets that actually match your model.
  3. 3Benchmark the installersSee who already wins there, how fast they are growing, and what they charge per watt.
Explore California in the app See California installers
Key definitions

How SolarDNA defines these metrics

Solar systems

Solar systems is the market-size figure: the systems utilities report on their lines, plus an estimate (sized from reported capacity) for systems outside net metering. It is current for every state.

How SolarDNA calculates solar systems →

Tracked installations

Tracked installations are the individual residential, commercial and utility-scale systems SolarDNA holds a record for. SolarDNA de-duplicates the same system across records. Pricing, installers, equipment and every zip-level figure come from these records.

How SolarDNA calculates tracked installations →

Median installed cost

Median installed cost is the middle price per watt (DC) that homeowners paid for a residential system in the trailing twelve months, before incentives. Quartiles show the spread.

How SolarDNA calculates median installed cost →

Adoption rate

Adoption rate is the share of owner-occupied homes with a residential solar system. It measures how saturated a market is, not how fast it is growing.

How SolarDNA calculates adoption rate →

12-month growth

For a state, growth compares the residential solar capacity added in the trailing twelve months with the twelve months before, from utility-reported totals with one-off reporting corrections smoothed out. For cities and zip codes it compares tracked installations.

How SolarDNA calculates 12-month growth →

Battery share

Battery share is the portion of a state's solar customers whose system includes a battery, as reported by utilities.

How SolarDNA calculates battery share →

Permits

Permits count the solar building permits filed in the last twelve months. They lead installations by several months, which makes them the earliest read on demand.

How SolarDNA calculates permits →

Market Score

SolarDNA's Market Score grades each market from 0 to 100 on solar sales potential, weighing velocity, cost, incentives, solar resource and installer depth. Markets are benchmarked against every other market in the country, and the letter grade is set on a curve: A is the top 10% of markets, C the middle 40%, F the bottom 10%.

How SolarDNA calculates market score →
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Zip report · Market drill-down

See what a specific California zip code looks like

Drop in any California zip code and SolarDNA opens its market card: score, installs, median $/W, growth and permits, benchmarked against the state.

◈
Zip Market Score
Where the zip ranks against every other zip in the country.
◈
Growth and permits
Trailing-12-month growth and permit activity where cities publish it.
◈
State benchmark
Installed cost, score and share of installs against the state.
◈
Neighboring zips
The nearest zip markets, so you can route a territory.
Explore the data

Dive deeper into the California market

Market size & momentum

Systems, capacity, monthly additions, battery share and solar customers by utility.

See data

Pricing & economics

Installed $/W, quartiles, system sizes and simple payback.

See data

Growth & adoption

Installs by year, adoption, TAM penetration and battery attach.

See data

Installers

The league table: volume, momentum, system size and pricing per installer.

See data

Utilities & incentives

Retail rates by utility, net metering, SREC value and the planned utility pipeline.

See data
Market size & momentum

How big California's solar market is, and where it is heading

Totals reported by California's utilities through July 2026 (latest months are preliminary)

Export monthly (CSV)
Solar capacity added by month, MW · trailing 36 months
Residential Commercial & industrialOne-off reporting corrections are smoothed out.
Residential solar added, 12 mo
1,089 MW
about 145,146 systems · ▲ 1.1% vs the prior 12 months
Typical new home system: 7.5 kW AC
Next-12-month outlook
986–1,205 MW
residential · midpoint 1,095 MW

Trailing-12-month residential capacity added carried forward at half the observed growth rate (capped at ±30%), with a ±10% band. Not a forecast of permits or policy.

Solar capacity added by year, MW · * partial year
Capacity by segment
Residential14,480 MW
Commercial4,648 MW
Industrial1,950 MW
Community-solar subscribers18,451
Battery share
16.8%
of solar customers have a battery · 109,807 added in 12 months
SolarDNA holds an individual record for 2,260,501 of California's systems (97% of the reported total), through April 28, 2026. Pricing, installers, equipment and every zip-level figure below come from those records.
Utility territories

Solar customers by utility in California

Net-metered solar customers through July 2026

Export CSV
UtilitySolar customersCapacityAdded, 12 moGrowthWith battery
Pacific Gas & Electric Co.984,4939,914 MW62,364▼ 11.7%21.4%
Southern California Edison Co775,1446,672 MW51,250▼ 1.9%20.5%
San Diego Gas & Electric Co353,6682,418 MW14,422▼ 1.0%3.1%
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power102,671785 MW9,127▲ 16.2%4.2%
Sacramento Municipal Util Dist67,523440 MW5,506▼ 9.2%7.2%
Imperial Irrigation District13,147175 MW1,687▲ 6.2%—
Modesto Irrigation District12,819104 MW987▲ 29.5%10.7%
Turlock Irrigation District5,92878 MW548▼ 10.9%—
City of Pasadena - (CA)3,41631 MW326▲ 13.2%—
City of Santa Clara - (CA)1,44328 MW0——
PacifiCorp1,17416 MW134—12.1%
Bear Valley Electric Service7417 MW64——
Pricing & economics

What solar costs in California

Residential systems, trailing twelve months

Median installed cost, $/W DC by year
Median installed cost
$4.26/W
Middle half: $3.45 – $5.13
Simple payback
12.9 yrs
at 24.5¢/kWh retail · median system 5.82 kW
Growth & adoption

How fast California is going solar

153,871 tracked installs in the trailing twelve months vs 153,309 before

Tracked installations by year
Battery attach rate
Installations by month · trailing 36 months through March 2026
Adoption rate
30.92%
of owner-occupied homes · from utility-reported residential systems
TAM penetration
52.3%
of 27.75 GW addressable rooftop capacity
Installers

Top installers in California

Ranked by installations in this state

Export CSVFull league table →
#InstallerInstalls12-moAvg kW$/W
1SUNRUN352,73939,0046.78$4.37
2TESLA259,2077,2747.48$5.10
3SUNPOWER130,6542,4517.46$4.42
4FREEDOM FOREVER40,0134,1417.56$4.32
5BRIGHT OPS38,7107,9376.92$4.48
6SEMPER SOLARIS34,9609176.51$4.16
7SUNGEVITY30,15406.72$3.92
8PETERSENDEAN25,48106.22$3.82
9INFINITY ENERGY24,9771366.98$4.31
10VERENGO24,00705.07$3.85
11BAKER ELECTRIC SOLAR23,81109.84$4.18
12CITADEL ROOFING AND SOLAR19,8604,9514.99$2.85
13V3 ELECTRIC17,5081,8216.9$4.09
14LEONARD ROOFING16,3902223.44$2.63
15COMPLETE SOLAR14,8421,5176.16$4.25
Zip markets

Top zip markets in California

Ranked by installations · click for the zip market

Export CSVOpen on map →
ZipInstalls$/WGrowthScore
95648 Lincoln14,853$4.24▼ 3.3%47.6 B
93727 Fresno13,055$4.19▼ 24.9%42.4 C
93619 Clovis12,555$3.92▼ 24.9%43.7 C
92584 Menifee12,519$4.25▼ 11.7%45.4 C
95762 El Dorado Hills12,317$3.80▼ 26.1%44 C
92336 Fontana12,279$4.22▼ 2.9%47.8 B
93312 Bakersfield11,496$4.19▲ 5.2%50 B
94513 Brentwood11,478$4.25▼ 1.4%48 B
93311 Bakersfield11,090$3.81▼ 13.3%47.1 B
93313 Bakersfield10,474$3.95▼ 13.1%46.5 B
95337 Manteca9,645$4.25▼ 5.0%47.1 B
92223 Beaumont9,502$4.51▼ 29.6%39.7 C
93722 Fresno9,480$4.22▼ 5.4%47.2 B
93611 Clovis9,448$4.00▲ 20.6%54.7 A
92028 Fallbrook9,347$4.32▼ 29.5%40.7 C
Counties

Counties in California

Zip markets grouped by county · click for the county market

CountyZip marketsInstalls
San Diego County123329,223
Los Angeles County350234,689
Riverside County91209,270
San Bernardino County112149,777
Orange County114136,572
Kern County58103,246
Santa Clara County69101,376
Fresno County70101,357
Contra Costa County47101,002
Alameda County5386,492
San Joaquin County3770,056
Tulare County4056,601
Utilities & incentives

Utilities and retail rates

Implied residential rate per utility

UtilityTypeRes. customers¢/kWhNet metering
Southern California Edison CoInvestor Owned3,219,52028.3✓
Pacific Gas & Electric Co.Investor Owned3,190,68131.7✓
Los Angeles Department of Water & PowerMunicipal1,410,19123.8✓
San Diego Gas & Electric CoInvestor Owned1,056,37932.5✓
San Diego Community PowerCommunity Choice Aggregator852,72015.6—
Clean Power Alliance of Southern CaliforCommunity Choice Aggregator753,63316.0—
Sacramento Municipal Util DistPolitical Subdivision592,55717.9✓
Ava Community EnergyCommunity Choice Aggregator581,80414.6—
Solar permits, 12 mo
13,155
2,942 in the last 90 days
Covers Los Angeles, Corona, Marin County. Not a statewide total.
Planned utility-scale
7,931 MW
29,400 MW in the interconnection queue
SREC market
—
no SREC market
Explore more markets

Other solar markets in California

Lincoln 95648 Fresno 93727 Clovis 93619 Menifee 92584 El Dorado Hills 95762
Install mix

Three ways to slice California's 2.3M installations

See how the market splits by sector, by battery attach and by installer, updated with every refresh.

See all breakdowns
2.3MINSTALLATIONSBy sectorWith batteryBy installer
▤
Seasonality

When demand peaks in California

Peak month
June · 10.2% of a year's installs
Slowest month
November · 6.9%
Average of 3 complete years (2023, 2024, 2025)
See the monthly trend
Frequently asked

Quick answers about California's market

🛡 Why trust SolarDNA data?
SolarDNA is built from millions of verified installation records and continuously refreshed market signals, de-duplicated so the same system is never counted twice. Every market page shows the date its data runs through, and every score is recomputed after each refresh.
How many solar installations are there in California?
California has about 2,337,728 solar systems totalling 21.08 GW, based on what its utilities reported through July 2026. SolarDNA holds an individual record for 2,260,501 of them, of which 2,207,373 (98%) are residential.
How much does solar cost in California?
The median residential system in California cost $4.26 per watt over the trailing twelve months, with the middle half of systems between $3.45 and $5.13 per watt. The median system is 5.82 kW.
Is the California solar market growing?
Residential solar added in California is up 1.1%: 1,089 MW in the twelve months through July 2026 versus 1,077 MW in the twelve months before, roughly 145,146 new systems.
What is the solar adoption rate in California?
30.92% of owner-occupied homes in California have a residential solar system. Residential capacity is 52.3% of the estimated addressable rooftop capacity of 27.75 GW.
Is California a good market for solar sales?
California scores 53 out of 100 on SolarDNA's Market Score and 40 on the Opportunity Score, which rewards under-served markets with high utility rates and strong sun.
How many solar installers work in California?
12,530 installers completed at least one system in California in SolarDNA's installation records. The top installers are ranked in the league table above.
How many solar permits were filed in California?
13,155 solar permits were recorded in the last twelve months in the California jurisdictions SolarDNA covers (Los Angeles, Corona, Marin County), including 2,942 in the last ninety days. It is not a statewide total.
How current is California's solar data?
Market totals, growth and battery share reflect what utilities reported through July 2026. Individual installation records (pricing, installers, equipment and zip codes) run through April 28, 2026. SolarDNA refreshes markets continuously and recomputes every score after each refresh.
Get more in the app

There's a lot more inside the SolarDNA app.

  • ◇Zip and city market pages
  • ◇Installer league tables
  • ◇Territory builder
  • ◇Solarizer deal estimates
  • ◇Permit activity where reported
  • ◇Export the data
Explore California in the app Start for Free