Top 7 Best Solar Companies in California (2024 Reviews)

Tesla offers some impressive solar technology. Its panels have an above-average efficiency rating and outstanding performance specifications. Tesla also offers price matching, which means its panels are some of the most affordable.

Tesla sometimes struggles to provide good customer service, but we feel its technology still makes it a good option for Californians.

Why We Chose Tesla for the Best Technology

Tesla panels’ efficiency rating is above average and somewhere around 21.5%. The high expected production rate of its panels makes it a great option for taking full advantage of the abundant sunlight in California. That also means they should be able to offset a good portion of the average monthly energy consumption of 572 kWh. Combined with batteries, you could potentially eliminate your electric bill, an average savings of $169.20 per month or over $2,000 annually.

Tesla also installs its own solar roof. You can also get the Tesla Powerwall from Tesla, which is the most sought-after solar battery in the industry, thanks to its performance specifications and features that make using the battery in conjunction with your panels and the Tesla app streamlined and convenient.

Tesla also makes going solar accessible by offering all four primary financing options for solar panels, as well as price matching. This is a great way for Californians to save, especially since the per-watt price for PV equipment in the state is above the national average, and batteries are all but necessary now.

Lastly, Tesla installs EV chargers alongside its other products. Since EVs are massively popular in California, this is an add-on many customers will choose.

What We Don’t Like

The biggest downside to going solar with Tesla, in our opinion, is the customer service. Since the company is very large, it outsources all installations to certified third-party installers rather than using an in-house installation team. The issue with this is that some installers provide poor customer service, which can include installation delays, slow response times to warranty claims and a lack of professionalism.

The experience you have will depend heavily on the company that’s assigned to your solar project.

Another minor downside to working with Tesla is that it only installs its own products.

Read our full review of Tesla for more information.

Solar Products

In terms of solar panels, Tesla only installs its own Tesla-branded modules, which are now manufactured by Q Cells. These are tier-one panels that have a great efficiency rating and an impressive datasheet, but it would be nice to see other panel options. With that being said, the Tesla panels are all black and don’t have visible gridlines, so they are quite sleek and appealing to most homeowners.

Given the performance and below-average price tag of around $3.25 per watt, we feel these panels are some of the best for California residents looking for good performance and energy savings on a budget.

Tesla installs a slew of other products as well, which we’ll list below:

• Tesla solar roof
• Tesla Powerwall
• Tesla EV chargers
• Tesla solar monitoring mobile app

The Powerwall from Tesla is the most popular solar battery in the industry, and since batteries are increasing in popularity, we love to see this option available from any installer.

Financing Options

Tesla accepts cash purchases, loans, leases and PPAs, just like SunPower. This is great news for homeowners throughout California, including those who can’t justify spending tens of thousands upfront on their system and those who don’t have the credit to qualify for a loan.

As we mentioned before, we strongly recommend a cash purchase if you can swing it because this option will provide you with the shortest panel payback period and the highest savings over time. A loan would be our next most recommended option, followed by a lease and, finally, a PPA if none of the other options work for you.

Warranty Information

Tesla has less impressive warranty coverage than some of its competitors, overall.

The warranty that covers manufacturer defects lasts for 25 years, which is the industry average. The same applies to the performance of the panels, which is slightly above the industry average.

The workmanship warranty, though, only lasts for ten years. This is also in line with the industry average, but it pales in comparison to the 25-year coverage you’d get from SunPower or ADT. With that being said, Californians see well below-average amounts of rainfall, so the risk of roof leaks resulting from poor installation technique is low.

Click here for a free quote from Tesla.

Elevation Solar offers a more customized and customer-focused experience than most, plus outstanding customer service that’s unmatched in the area.

Elevation Solar is younger than many of its direct competitors, although it has already established a positive reputation of reliability for itself.

Why We Chose Elevation Solar for the Best Customer Service

Elevation Solar is a large regional company, but its individual branches offer the kind of customer service and care that you’d expect from a mom-and-pop shop. Its 4.0 rating on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a good indication of just how great the customer service is, as many competitors have scores closer to 2.0 and 3.0.

Perhaps most importantly, the team is familiar with state and local incentives, which are some of the best ways to save money on your solar project. The representatives are always willing to help you file for rebates and tax credits offered by your state, city or utility company. This type of one-on-one service can end up saving you hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Elevation also has outstanding warranty coverage and is known for fast response times to warranty claims.

Finally, we’re happy to report that Elevation provides a wide range of services beyond solar panel installation for system customization.

What We Don’t Like

Elevation Solar was founded in 2014, so it has less than a decade of experience. This may seem like a pretty substantial amount of time, but it’s not long enough for the company to have seen a full lifespan of even a single solar array.

Younger companies like Elevation are less established, and if they end up going out of business, you could be left with voided warranty coverage.

The company only accepts cash purchases and loans. These are our preferred options, but we like to see companies accepting leases and PPAs, as cash payments and loans are out of the question for many homeowners. Again, more affordable financing is going to be a necessity for many California solar customers, especially now that batteries are less of an option and more of a necessity.

Solar Products

Elevation Solar installs panels from REC and Tesla, both of which are tier-one panel manufacturers and offer modules with above-average efficiency ratings.

As we’ve already mentioned, high efficiency ratings are important in California, as they help insulate you from the above-average energy rates. This is especially true now, as the state has done away with net energy metering (NEM) 2.0 and has adopted the less appealing NEM 3.0. Higher efficiency panels will save you more with this reduced credit rate for excess energy, and you’ll experience fewer instances of usage outpacing production.

Elevation also offers the following products and services:

• Tesla Powerwalls
• Generac PWRCells
• Energy efficiency home improvements, including installing new insulation and home sealing
• Smart home energy solutions, including smart thermostats, Energy Star-certified products and curb energy monitoring

The multiple options for batteries are great to see, especially since NEM 3.0 now makes batteries significantly more worthwhile.

Financing Options

Elevation Solar is another provider that only entertains cash purchases and solar loans. We do recommend these options over leases and PPAs, but we rank companies higher that accept these alternatives, as they make going solar more affordable and accessible, especially in an area like California, where the per-watt price for PV equipment can climb slightly above-average and batteries are usually required to save over time.

Warranty Information

Elevation Solar offers outstanding warranty coverage that rivals many of the best national providers. You get 25 years of coverage for the equipment and the performance, plus a 30-year warranty for the workmanship.

Both the performance and workmanship warranties are above-average. The risk of roof leaks in CA is relatively low due to the minimal rainfall every year, but it’s still nice to know that you’re getting a safe and professional installation that’s covered for decades and won’t cause damage to your solar PV panels or your home.

Generally speaking, the panels installed by Elevation should last for a minimum of 25 years.

Click here for a free quote from Elevation Solar.

Green Home Systems (GHS) offers affordability and unrivaled customer service. The company takes amazing care of all of its customers and offers a truly personalized solar conversion experience.

GHS doesn’t have a workmanship warranty, which is a pretty significant downside, and it also doesn’t accept leases or power purchase agreements.

Why We Chose Green Home Systems as the Best Value

Green Home Systems installs high-quality equipment and provides stellar customer service, but the company still manages to charge prices that are below the average in the area. You could save $1,000 or more on your system just by choosing a more affordable company like GHS.

GHS provides access to a wide range of panel brands, ranging from low-cost and moderate-efficiency options to moderate-cost and high-efficiency options for customization. This is great news for California, especially since customers in northern regions are usually going to need higher efficiency ratings than those in southern parts of the state. If you have a high solar irradiance in your area, you could save on your system by choosing a more affordable panel through GHS.

Most importantly, GHS is known to be a reliable and trustworthy installer that provides excellent customer service and customer support. The company has a near-perfect 4.76 rating on BBB and a 4.4-star rating on Google Reviews.

This means you get the kind of care and attention you deserve, which also comes along with the peace of mind that your installer stands behind its work and its products. It also means that your installer is willing and able to help you apply for solar incentives and rebates. This is especially helpful in California, where solar incentives abound and can quickly get confusing.

What We Don’t Like

The company doesn’t offer a workmanship warranty, so any issues that come about due to improper installation technique won’t be covered. Thankfully, these are few and far between because the company uses in-house installations only and employs true professionals.

Second, GHS doesn’t accept leases or PPAs. While its low pricing makes its products and services more accessible than most companies, some Californians who can’t make a cash purchase or solar loan work will need to choose a different provider entirely. Given the high cost of living in the Golden State and the high demand for solar batteries to push savings higher with NEM 3.0, the chance of needing a PPA or lease is higher than normal.

Solar Products

Green Home Systems installs panels from Panasonic, QCells, LONGi and United Renewable Energy Company (URE).

These are all excellent options and have efficiency ratings that reach above 20%. The URE panels are likely going to be the most affordable, but they do have the highest degradation rate — 2% in year one and 0.63% each year thereafter. Therefore, they’ll likely provide sufficient energy initially but are less likely to offset your energy bills over time. This is especially true compared to average degradation rates in the industry, which are 2.5% in the first year but a lower 0.4% in subsequent years.

We’ll include a brief list of the other equipment options from GHS below.

• Solar roofing, including PV roof shingles from Apollo
• Enphase, SolarEdge and Solar Ark inverters and microinverters
• Enphase IQ batteries
• LG Chem Prime batteries
• HomeGrid Energy batteries
• SolarEdge optimizers, which can boost production in shade
• Backup generators
• Span Smart Electrical Panels

Since most Californians will need batteries to save with their solar arrays, the myriad of options available from GHS are outstanding.

Financing Options

As mentioned above, Green Home Systems only accepts cash purchases and solar loans. These are our preferred and recommended options, but we do prefer companies that also accept leases and PPAs to keep their products and services as accessible as possible.

With that being said, GHS does have below-average pricing, so, even though it doesn’t accept leases or PPAs, it is more likely to fit into your budget than most competitors. If the need for batteries is pushing your installation costs too high for a cash purchase or loan, then GHS might not be ideal for you.

Warranty Information

The warranty coverage is another area where GHS falls a bit short. It offers a 25-year warranty for the equipment and the panel performance. We believe these are the most crucial coverages to have in California, as you want to keep efficiency as high as possible to offset your above-average energy rates.

However, there is no workmanship warranty. This doesn’t necessarily suggest that the installation services won’t be as professional or high-quality as they will be from other companies, but it will be a bit concerning for many homeowners.

Click here for a free quote from Green Home Systems.

SunLux accepts all four major solar system payment options, and its financing program is especially desirable due to the low interest rates and no down payment requirements.

SunLux is a bit on the expensive side, but we believe it’s well worth the investment.

Why We Chose SunLux as the Best for Financing Options

SunLux accepts cash purchases, loans, leases and “pre-paid solar” agreements, which is what the company calls a PPA. This leaves its services and products accessible to most residents, even though you’ll likely need batteries to make your system worthwhile.

Additionally, the loan options are quite appealing. SunLux’s financing partners all offer only secured loans, so they generally have lower credit score requirements and lower interest rates. The company also has $0-down loans available, so most customers should be able to go solar with this provider. This is great to see in a high-cost area like California, where panel prices are a little high and batteries make for a much higher installation cost.

SunLux has an A+ rating and close to a 4-star review score on the BBB’s website, which is well above average. It’s also known to provide excellent customer service.

Finally, SunLux offers above-average warranty coverage, including 25 years of protection for the equipment, the panel performance and the workmanship. The workmanship warranty, in particular, is superior to what you’d get from most of the competition, and the coverage, in general, provides peace of mind that your system will be installed properly the first time around.

What We Don’t Like

The primary downside to choosing SunLux to handle your solar project is that its prices are above average—close to $4.00 per watt as opposed to the state average of $3.33. While most residents will pay around $13,986 for their system after the tax credit, the average cost for a system from SunLux is closer to $16,800.

SunLux is a small local company, so its service area doesn’t span the entire state. It has offices in Los Angeles, Bakersfield, San Diego, Rancho Cucamonga, Valencia, Irvine and Rancho Santa Margarita, so it really only services Southern California.

Solar Products

SunLux installs panels from Panasonic and QCells, both of which should provide sufficient efficiency ratings for Californians.

Panasonic panels are going to be the better option, in our opinion. They have a higher efficiency rating and an industry-leading temperature coefficient, so they will lose the least efficiency in the hotter climates of Southern California.

SunLux also installs quite a few other solar products, including the following:

• Tesla Powerwalls
• LG Chem solar batteries
• Enphase IQ solar batteries
• SolarEdge and Enphase inverters
• Enphase and Tesla solar monitoring apps
• Siemens VersiCharge and SolarEdge EV chargers. These are super popular in California, where EVs take up around a fifth of the automobile market share and help residents combat some of the highest gas prices in the nation
• Smart Home Systems
• Roofing products from Timberline and Grand Sequoia

Once again, the wide range of battery options in an area where net metering makes batteries mostly necessary is great to see.

Financing Options

SunLux accepts all of the standard payment options, including cash purchases, solar loans, leases and PPAs, which the company calls “pre-paid solar.”

As is the case with any installer, we recommend choosing a cash purchase if you can to maximize your long-term savings. We’d recommend a loan next, then a lease and finally a PPA if the other options don’t work for you. However, the no-money-down, low-interest solar loans from SunLux should be accessible to most customers, especially since they are secured loans that have fewer credit score restrictions. This company should be affordable even if you couple your panels with batteries, as most Californians now are.

Warranty Information

SunLux includes a comprehensive 25-year warranty with all of its installations. That warranty covers manufacturer defects, the workmanship involved with installing your equipment and the panel performance. This is the same warranty coverage you’ll see from many of our top picks, but it’s better than the industry average.

The panels installed by SunLux should last for 25 to 30 years before needing to be replaced.

Click here for a free quote from SunLux.

Stellar Solar is based in and services Southern California, and its team is knowledgeable about the area and equipped to install the ideal solar array.

Stellar Solar is rather expensive, and it has a small service area. However, we think the investment is worthwhile.

Why We Chose Stellar Solar as the Best for Local Expertise

Stellar Solar is our top pick for residents looking for professionalism and knowledgeable technicians. The company was founded in 1998, and since then, its installers have been exceeding expectations and providing localized knowledge and experience to install customized solar arrays.

As a small, local company, Stellar is able to focus on customer experience and satisfaction, which is a big reason why the company has an unheard-of 4.96 rating with the BBB and a 4.8 rating on Google Reviews. Just about every customer is overjoyed with the service and attention they receive.

Plus, the company takes a no-pressure, educational approach to solar sales, which is refreshing in a highly competitive market like California, where many companies just push for maximum sales.

Stellar Solar’s representatives are experienced with the local solar perks and benefits and are always happy to help you file for them and save.

Finally, Stellar provides above-average warranty coverage.

What We Don’t Like

Stellar is a small company, and while that means it has the opportunity to offer great customer service, it also means the number of customers that have access to its products and services is limited. Stellar Solar is only available to customers in Southern California.

Stellar Solar is comparable in price to SunLux, so you can expect to pay an additional $1,200 to $1,800 or so for your solar array, which is around 10% higher than what you’d pay with most competitors.

We do feel the investment is worth it, especially since the company can sometimes save you money by filing for incentives for you.

Solar Products

Stellar Solar only installs SunPower panels, including the newer Maxeon line. These panels are considered the best in the industry for residential solar systems, and although they’re quite expensive, we feel they’re worth it. This is especially true of the Maxeon panels, which now come with an industry-defining 40-year warranty.

One thing Stellar Solar offers that most other companies don’t is the option for ground-mount solar systems. If you’re concerned about roof penetrations leaking over time, don’t like the look of rooftop solar panels or just have extra land you want to make use of, ground-mounted panels can be a great option.

Below is a list of other products Stellar installs:

• Tesla Powerwalls
• Enphase IQ solar batteries
• LG Chem solar batteries
• EV chargers

Having access to three different kinds of batteries is stellar, especially since you’ll likely need batteries to make your system worth it with the new net metering program in California.

Financing Options

Stellar Solar accepts cash purchases, loans and leases. It discusses PPAs on its website and explicitly lets customers know that they’re not advisable, so it doesn’t offer them. We’d normally deduct points in our ratings for this, but since the company accepts leases — which are basically accessible to everyone — we still think Stellar shines here. Leases can still cover panels and batteries, so Stellar should remain accessible to most residents.

We’d still recommend a cash purchase or a loan, though. Stellar has super accessible and affordable loans, which include no-money-down options and no interest paid for 18 months.

Warranty Information

Stellar Solar offers a 25-year warranty with all of its installations, and that covers the equipment and the panel performance. The workmanship warranty comes directly from SunPower and lasts for 25 years as well, making this a great option all around for protection and peace of mind.

Generally speaking, the SunPower panels from Stellar should last for between 25 and 40 years, as they are some of the most durable options available.

Click here for a free quote from Stellar Solar.