Solar companies in San Diego, CA: who installs the most
Solar quotes in San Diego average $2.56/W. Check what a system would cost and save for your home:
Your solar estimate
How I calculate this
I went through utility interconnection records: 25,912 home solar systems were installed within 10.2 miles of central San Diego in 2022–2023, by 97 companies with 30 or more systems each. The five most active still in business: Rec Commercial (3,538), Baker Electric Solar (1,925), Semper Solaris (1,559), Tesla Energy (1,382), Bright Ops (1,136). Today, quotes average $2.56/W in San Diego (EnergySage, updated 2026-09-04) — about $17,920 for a 7 kW system before incentives.
Counts from public records, not rankings; quote requests go to a referral network. How I calculate.
Solar installers in San Diego by number of systems
| Company (as recorded) | Systems 2022–2023 | Earliest record here | Leased / PPA | With battery | Typical size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec Commercial | 3,538 | 2007 | 74% | 0% | 4.5 kW |
| Baker Electric Solar | 1,925 | 2007 | 0% | 2% | 6.2 kW |
| Semper Solaris | 1,559 | 2013 | 0% | 12% | 5.3 kW |
| Sunpower Filed for Chapter 11 in August 2024 and stopped installing (source) | 1,552 | 2007 | 9% | 1% | 4.7 kW |
| Tesla Energy | 1,382 | 2008 | 0% | 0% | 6.8 kW |
| Bright Ops | 1,136 | 2017 | 93% | 0% | 4.6 kW |
| Owner-installed (no company) | 836 | 2001 | 4% | 1% | 6.0 kW |
| Stellar Solar | 822 | 2005 | 0% | 0% | 5.7 kW |
| Sunline Energy | 683 | 2012 | 0% | 10% | 5.9 kW |
| Solartech Energy Systems | 647 | 2012 | 0% | 1% | 5.6 kW |
| Home Energy Systems | 511 | 2001 | 0% | 5% | 5.2 kW |
| Infinity Energy | 427 | 2010 | 3% | 4% | 5.2 kW |
| Freedom Solar | 384 | 2015 | 62% | 2% | 4.8 kW |
| Lennar Homes | 349 | 2015 | 21% | 0% | 3.2 kW |
| Blalock Electric | 340 | 2015 | 1% | 0% | 5.6 kW |
| West Coast Solar Norcal | 317 | 2010 | 0% | 0% | 5.9 kW |
| Powur Home Construction | 272 | 2020 | 6% | 1% | 6.4 kW |
| Aloha Solar | 265 | 2020 | 0% | 0% | 6.4 kW |
| Solar Optimum Design Electrical | 263 | 2017 | 0% | 4% | 6.0 kW |
| Titan Solar Filed for Chapter 7 in June 2024 and closed (source) | 244 | 2020 | 4% | 0% | 4.8 kW |
Counts of systems in utility interconnection records for ZIP codes within 10.2 miles of central San Diego — not reviews, rankings or recommendations; I have no partnership with these companies. The table shows the 20 most active of 97. Company names are as reported and can include older brand names.
Get solar quotes in San Diego
Enter your ZIP to request quotes from installers who work in your area.
How to check a solar quote in San Diego
- Divide your quote by system size in watts. San Diego quotes on EnergySage average $2.56/W; a typical 6.7 kW system there is quoted $14,464–$19,568 before incentives.
- Ask whether the offer is a purchase, loan, lease or PPA. In these records Rec Commercial, Bright Ops, Freedom Solar leased or signed PPAs on 30% or more of systems.
- Look up the company's contractor license with the California Contractors State License Board before signing.
- Paste the price and size into the quote checker or follow the six-step quote check.
Compare quotes for a home in San Diego
Tell me about the home and installers who serve San Diego will send prices for it. No obligation to buy.
San Diego Gas & Electric: rates and export credits
| Utility | Typical energy charge | Credit for power sent to the grid | Export rate period |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Gas & Electric | $0.465/kWh DR - Coastal Baseline Region, DR - Desert Baseline Region, DR - Inland Baseline Region | no single rate Net Billing Tariff (Avoided Cost Calculator export values) | hourly values by year of permission to operate |
Is solar worth it in San Diego at today's prices?
San Diego utilities credit exports at hourly values with no single rate, so here is a lower bound: a 7 kW system at today's average quote of $2.56/W, counting only the half of production used at home and giving exports a value of $0.
| Utility | Typical energy charge | Net cost, 7 kW | Savings/yr (self-use only) | Payback, at most |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Gas & Electric | $0.465/kWh | $17,920 | $2,792 | 6.4 years |
Export credits shorten this; how much depends on your hourly export profile. No federal credit, no rate increases or degradation — full method.
How much a system produces in San Diego
Each 1 kW of panels produces about 1,716 kWh a year here — most in July (170 kWh), least in December (113 kWh).
Permits and inspections in San Diego
Installers reported a median of 0 business days for the city permit in 2024 (US median 7), 0 days for the utility's pre-install review, 3 days from installation to the last passed inspection and 2 days for permission to operate from San Diego Gas & Electric Co (SDGE); 40 projects in the data that year. Across the US the whole project took 93 business days median from contract to permission to operate (NREL SolarTRACE, how long installation takes).
San Diego against nearby cities
Among San Diego and its 4 nearest neighbours I cover, it is number 1 by systems in the records and number 2 by sunshine per kW.
| City | Systems in records | Companies with 30+ | Average quote | kWh a year per kW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 25,912 | 97 | $2.56/W | 1,716 |
| Chula Vista | 6,392 | 35 | $2.57/W | 1,728 |
| Bakersfield | 5,025 | 28 | $2.56/W | 1,684 |
| Oceanside | 3,819 | 23 | $2.56/W | 1,698 |
| Carlsbad | 3,305 | 21 | $2.56/W | 1,669 |
Incentives and rules for San Diego homeowners
- Federal tax credit: the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 (IRS).
- San Diego Gas & Electric: No single export rate. Details on the California page.
- California rules: property tax — full text and sources on the California page.
California rules and utility credits checked on 2026-09-13; price benchmark checked on 2026-09-15.
Nearby cities
- Solar companies in Chula Vista, CA
- Solar companies in Carlsbad, CA
- Solar companies in Oceanside, CA
- Solar companies in Bakersfield, CA
- Solar companies in Surprise, AZ
- All California cities
Ready for solar quotes in San Diego?
About a minute, no obligation to buy.
Sources for San Diego
- https://data.openei.org/submissions/3
- https://developer.nlr.gov/docs/electricity/utility-rates-v3/
- https://developer.nlr.gov/docs/solar/pvwatts/v8/
- https://openei.org/services/doc/rest/util_rates/?version=7
- https://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/pdf/lta24031.pdf
- https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/demand-side-management/customer-generation/net-energy-metering-and-net-billing
- https://www.energysage.com/local-data/solar-panel-cost/ca/san-diego-county/san-diego/
- https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/residential-clean-energy-credit
- https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2025_Gazetteer/
Data collected on 2026-09-14.