Top solar companies in California

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Solar installers in California

There are more than 1,000 solar installersin California, and finding the right one can feel overwhelming. SaveOnEnergy.com® is here to help you find the best California solar installers and make your search easier. Some of the companies on this list operate at the national level, while others are local to the Golden State. Before signing a contract with a solar installer — including any on this list — we recommend doing your own research, reading customer reviews, and receiving at least five quotes from various solar companies.

 Best solar installers in California

• ADT Solar
• Palmetto
• Mega Power
• Solar Optimum
• Sunrun

Due to testing limitations, our team does not have firsthand experience with every solar company. However, the facts and reviews explained on SaveOnEnergy.com come from proprietary data, solar pricing from Berkeley Lab, and extensive research by our in-house team. We are confident in our product reviews and guidelines for our valued readers through analysis from these sources.

Compare California solar installers

Solar company	Local or nationwide?	Year founded	Warranty	Best for
	Nationwide	SunPro Solar in 2007; ADT Solar in 2021	25-year warranties for manufacturer, production, and labor	Name-brand solar equipment
	Nationwide	2010	Minimum 12-year product and 25-year performance	Customer support after installation
Mega Power	Local	2006	25-year warranties for power and production	Local installer
Solar Optimum	Local	2008	25-year warranties for equipment, quality, and performance	Competitive warranty terms
	Nationwide	2007	10-year warranty for quality of work and maintenance	Solar leases

Get a solar quote in California

SaveOnEnergy partners with top-tier solar installers in California to offer customized residential solar options. If you are interested in learning more about how much a solar system costs in California and the potential savings you could experience with solar, fill out the form on this page.

ADT Solar

• Warranty: 25-year manufacturer warranty, 25-year production guarantee, and 25-year quality-of-work warranty
• Year founded: Sunpro Solar was founded in 2007 and acquired by ADT Solar in 2021
• Service area: 23 states and plans to expand in six more
• Services provided: Residential solar panels, solar monitoring systems, solar batteries, home security systems

ADT Solar, formerly Sunpro Solar, is a national solar installation company operating in 23 states, including California, with plans to expand into six additional states. This installer offers residential solar panel systems, battery storage solutions, monitoring systems, and more. ADT Solar extends 25-year labor, production, and manufacturer warranties on its products, as well as a price-match guarantee for installation costs.

Currently, ADT Solar offers various financing options to consider depending on your budget While ADT Solar is newer to the solar industry, it has carried over many of Sunpro Solar’s warranties and practices. Through ADT Solar, you can purchase solar products from well-known manufacturers like Tesla, Enphase, and more. With top-tier warranty options, a price-match guarantee, and an extensive list of solar services, ADT Solar is one of the best solar installers operating in California.

What we like: Top-of-the-line warranties and a strong lineup of solar products from national manufacturers.

What to consider: ADT Solar’s parent company, ADT Security Services, is newer to the solar industry. ADT acquired Sunpro Solar in 2021 and rebranded it as ADT Solar.

Palmetto

• Warranty: 12-year product warranty and 25-year production warranty
• Year founded: 2010
• Service area: 24 states, including California
• Services provided: Residential solar panels, system monitoring, solar batteries

Palmetto is one of the nation’s largest solar installers and offers services in California and 19 other states. With this installer, you can purchase a solar system outright or sign a solar lease or PPA. According to its website, Palmetto maintains a commitment to installing premium solar panels with an efficiency rating greater than 19.8%. 

Palmetto offers a 25-year production warranty and a minimum 12-year product warranty, which is a shorter product warranty than you’ll find with other installers. With Palmetto, customers can subscribe to Palmetto Protect, a monitoring service that tracks the performance of solar panels. Through this service, you can access tiered levels of customer support if your panels fail, underperform, or are damaged.

What we like: High-quality products and a tiered level of support after purchase.

What to consider: Shorter product warranty compared to competitors.

Mega Power

• Warranty: 25-year warranties for products and production
• Year founded: 2006
• Service area: California, including Los Angeles, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Ventura, and other regions
• Services provided: Residential and commercial solar systems, solar battery installation, EV chargers, solar panel maintenance and repair

Mega Power is a solar installation company local to California, operating in cities including Los Angeles, Sacramento, Palo Alto, and more. Since 2006, Mega Power has provided residential and commercial solar installations, including solar batteries and EV chargers. This solar installer partners with manufacturers like Enphase, Panasonic, REC, Sonnen, Q-cells, and more. Mega Power also works with financial institutions to help customers with a variety of solar loans and financing options.

Mega Power handles solar installations entirely in-house, meaning it does not hire third-party contractors for any part of the process. On its website, Mega Power states this allows it to maintain quality and price control. This installer extends 25-year product and performance warranties and offers repair and maintenance services on existing solar systems. 

What we like: 16 years operating in California, 100% in-house installation, and great warranty terms.

What to consider: Mega Power may not operate in your city if you live outside of the areas listed above.

Solar Optimum

• Warranty: 25-year warranties on products, quality, and performance
• Year founded: 2008
• Service area: Los Angeles and Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona
• Services provided: Residential and commercial solar systems, solar batteries, roof repair or replacement

Solar Optimum is a solar installer operating in regions of Southern California, including Los Angeles, as well as Arizona and Nevada. This installer has excelled in the solar industry since 2008 and earned the Panasonic National Installer of the Year award in 2022 for the third year in a row. Solar Optimum offers a variety of solar services, including roof maintenance or replacement before installing solar panels.

Solar Optimum offers a 25-year product warranty on its panels, inverters, and all mounting and racking equipment. It also extends a 25-year warranty on the quality and performance of its products. Even better, the warranties are transferable, so if you decide to sell your home, the new homeowner can still benefit from them. Solar Optimum also sells solar batteries, including the Tesla Powerwall and the Enphase IQ battery.

What we like: Outstanding warranty terms that are transferable if you sell your home.

What to consider: A smaller service area compared to national solar installers.

Sunrun

• Warranty: 10-year warranty for quality of work and maintenance
• Year founded: 2007
• Service area: 21 states, including California
• Services provided: Residential solar systems, battery storage, EV charging

Sunrun is the largest solar installation company in the U.S. with a focus on solar leases. While solar leases come with some drawbacks (including lower energy savings in the long run), they can be a good option for customers who can’t or don’t want to pay the upfront cost to purchase solar panels. Most of Sunrun’s customers lease their solar systems for a monthly fee, although Sunrun also has solar systems available for purchase.

Sunrun’s warranties are shorter and less extensive than some of its competitors. The company offers a 10-year warranty on their quality of work and maintenance, which does not cover the solar products themselves or the products’ performance. Sunrun sources its solar equipment from a variety of manufacturers, most of which offer their own warranties on products. Customers should read the manufacturer’s warranty terms for each product. Customers who lease their system from Sunrun will receive “bumper-to-bumper” coverage on maintenance and system monitoring.

What we like: Strong solar lease terms and full maintenance coverage for solar leases.

What to consider: Shorter warranty terms that do not cover the products themselves.

Other California solar companies to consider:

• Elevation Solar: This solar installer operates in five states, including California, and has been in business since 2014. Elevation Solar is unique because it offers whole-home energy solutions, which incorporate solar panels, improved energy efficiency, and energy monitoring. This installer warranties its products and quality of work for 25 years.
• SunPower Solar: SunPower has operated in the solar industry since 1985, making it one of the most long-standing solar companies in the nation. It offers strong warranties and does not use third-party contractors. SunPower uses Maxeon solar panels and Enphase microinverters, which are considered top-of-the-line in the industry.
• Tesla Solar: Tesla is a big brand name in the solar industry, making it worth considering if you want to go solar. In 2016, Tesla purchased SolarCity, which significantly expanded the company’s installation capacity. Through Tesla, you can purchase Tesla solar panels (which are a cheaper option) or the Tesla Solar Roof (which is more expensive).
• Your Energy Solutions: This solar installer only operates in the Bay Area and Central Valley regions of California but is a good option if you live in its service area. It offers a 25-year production guarantee and a 25-year quality-of-work warranty. Your Energy Solutions also has three showroom locations where customers can see what a solar system would look like in person before signing a contract.

What to consider when choosing a solar company

When searching for the right solar installation company, there are a few important factors to consider before you sign a contract.

• Price, including the price per watt. Be sure to get quotes from several companies to compare the prices.
• Location. Some companies operate at the national level, while others are local with a smaller service area. Check each company’s service area early in your research to avoid choosing an installer that does not work in your location.
• Customer reviews. Reading customer reviews and testimonials from several sources can help you narrow down your options. Look out for red flags, including misleading promises, issues with the quality of work, and complaints about delayed installations. You can check the Better Business Bureau for customer complaints. 
• Experience. Check the years of experience an installer has in the solar industry. A new installer isn’t automatically a bad option, but an installer with years of experience may be able to navigate the installation process more quickly.
• Financing options. Investing in a solar system is a big financial decision. Some installers offer more financing options than others. The most common options include solar loans, leases, or power purchase agreements. 
• Warranty terms. Warranties are extremely important when looking for the right solar installer. Pay attention to the terms and conditions of each warranty to make sure your system will be covered after installation is complete.
• Average install time. Before signing a contract, you should discuss the average installation timeline with a solar installer to make sure you are both on the same page.

Difference between a solar installer, manufacturer, and broker

There are a few different types of solar companies, the most common being installers and manufacturers. A solar manufacturer’s role is to produce solar equipment, like solar panels, batteries, inverters, and more. Manufacturers sell their products to solar installers. Some of the most common solar manufacturers in the industry include Panasonic, LG, Q CELLS, and REC.

A solar installer, on the other hand, creates and sells solar systems to customers. Installers also handle the installation process. You will have the most direct contact with solar installers. The companies listed on this page (ADT Solar, Palmetto, Mega Power, Solar Optimum, and Sunrun) are all solar installers.

Another type of solar company to know about is a solar broker. Brokers partner with other solar companies and handle the sales, offering customers multiple bids and quotes from solar companies. Brokers rarely offer installation services in-house, and contact with a broker will normally end once the contract is signed as the work is turned over to the installer.