Orange County spans two utility territories — most of the county is SCE; southern OC (Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano) is SDG&E. Both are under CPUC NEM 3.0. Irvine, Newport Beach, and Mission Viejo have high solar adoption rates driven by wealth, large homes, and high utility bills. Battery + solar is the recommended configuration under NEM 3.0. SGIP available through SCE and SDG&E.
Orange County spans two utility territories — most of the county is SCE; southern OC (Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano) is SDG&E. Both are under CPUC NEM 3.0. Irvine, Newport Beach, and Mission Viejo have high solar adoption rates driven by wealth, large homes, and high utility bills. Battery + solar is the recommended configuration under NEM 3.0. SGIP available through SCE and SDG&E.
Utility: SCE / SDG&E. Average monthly bill: $155–$245/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 SCE / SDG&E on your behalf.