Contra Costa County — served by PG&E — is a strong suburban solar market. Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, and Lamorinda (Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda) have high household incomes and large homes with ideal roof planes. PG&E tiered rates and NEM 3.0 make battery + solar the right configuration. Diablo Valley communities have above-average solar adoption.
Contra Costa County — served by PG&E — is a strong suburban solar market. Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, and Lamorinda (Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda) have high household incomes and large homes with ideal roof planes. PG&E tiered rates and NEM 3.0 make battery + solar the right configuration. Diablo Valley communities have above-average solar adoption.
Utility: PG&E. Average monthly bill: $162–$255/month.
Note: California has no state solar income tax credit. The federal 30% ITC is the primary tax incentive.
No — California does not have a state income tax credit for residential solar. The federal 30% ITC is the primary tax incentive, plus CA's permanent property tax exclusion and SGIP battery incentive.
Under NEM 3.0 (effective April 2023 for new installations), exported solar earns ~$0.02–$0.08/kWh instead of the full retail rate. Battery storage is now essential — store excess production and use it at night during peak rate hours instead of exporting at low rates.
The Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) provides per-kWh incentives for battery storage in California — up to $1,000/kWh for qualifying low-income or high fire risk customers. Your installer applies through PG&E on your behalf.