Solar Companies in the High Desert: Who Installed the Most Systems in 2025

Installers who connected the most home solar systems in the High Desert in 2025

Counts from utility records, not a ranking or endorsement. Check each license's status and complaint history on the CSLB's Check a License page (checked Sept. 24, 2026). The counts cover the SCE customers the records list under Victorville, Apple Valley, Hesperia, Adelanto, Barstow, Helendale, Phelan, Oak Hills, Lucerne Valley, Lancaster, Palmdale, Quartz Hill, Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley; customers of other utilities are not in the data.

Source: California Distributed Generation Statistics (CPUC), Interconnected Project Sites data set, data through May 31, 2026 (checked Sept. 24, 2026).

Home solar in the High Desert by the numbers

SCE approved 6,112 home solar systems in the High Desert in 2025, from 257 installers; the top three were named on 46% of them. The busiest year since 2021 was 2022, with 11,001 (2025: -44%). Another 2,541 were approved from January through May 2026.

2025 mix: 59% leased or on a power purchase agreement, 41% owned by the household; 82% with a battery; median size 6.48 kW DC.

Providers and permit offices across the High Desert

On the California Energy Commission's utility map, SCE delivers power across the Victor Valley, the Barstow area, the Morongo Basin and the Antelope Valley. The Victorville Municipal Utilities Services area covers about 2% of Victorville. The Commission's community choice layer shows Apple Valley Choice Energy over Apple Valley, Lancaster Energy over Lancaster and Energy for Palmdale's Independent Choice over Palmdale, and a point check places Quartz Hill in Clean Power Alliance's area.

The permit column is each jurisdiction's own report to the Energy Commission under SB 379: residential solar permits issued, the share with battery storage, and the share issued online, for 2024 unless another year is named.

"High Desert" has no official boundary; this table covers the Victor Valley, the Barstow area, the Morongo Basin and the Antelope Valley. Utility and CCA rows are from the Energy Commission's map, queried September 23, 2026; permit counts are the jurisdictions' own SB 379 reports in the Commission's data file dated May 2026.

For what each of these utilities charges today, see Inland Empire electric rates and bills by utility.

Hiring a solar company in the High Desert

Solar companies in the High Desert work almost entirely on SCE's grid, but the generation provider and the permit office change from town to town: Apple Valley, Palmdale and Lancaster have their own community choice programs, San Bernardino County permits unincorporated places like Helendale through SolarAPP+ and its online portal, and manufactured homes need a state HCD permit. Compare at least three written bids built on your own SCE bill.

Start with your High Desert electricity bill

Almost the whole High Desert is Southern California Edison territory, from Barstow and Hesperia to Lancaster and Twentynine Palms. What changes is the generation provider: Apple Valley, Palmdale and Lancaster each have a community choice program on the SCE bill, unincorporated Antelope Valley areas such as Quartz Hill are served by Clean Power Alliance, and Victorville's own utility serves a small part of that city. Start every quote from the names on your bill.

Community choice programs in the High Desert

Apple Valley Choice Energy is the default generation provider for service addresses in the Town of Apple Valley. SCE keeps delivering the power, maintaining the lines and sending one bill with AVCE's generation charges on it. Solar customers on AVCE's net energy metering program get a bill credit in months when they produce more than they use, and can receive cash back for excess energy. Customers can opt out within the first 60 days; AVCE says those who leave later may be barred by SCE from returning for a year.

Energy for Palmdale's Independent Choice, Palmdale EPIC Energy, covers everyone within Palmdale city limits and starts customers on EPIC Power. Its EPIC Empowerment solar program credits surplus months and mails a check to customers with a credit of $100 or more in the October billing cycle. In unincorporated Antelope Valley areas such as Quartz Hill, Clean Power Alliance supplies generation: its Solar Billing Plan credits exports at hourly avoided-cost values, trues up in April and pays net surplus 10% above SCE's rate. Lancaster Energy covers Lancaster on the Commission's map; ask the bidder to use its current solar terms from your bill.

San Bernardino County's SolarAPP+ route for unincorporated homes

Helendale, Phelan, Oak Hills, Lucerne Valley and other unincorporated High Desert communities are permitted by San Bernardino County. Its SolarAPP+ path is limited to permitted residential structures, excludes building-integrated and ballasted systems, and is open only to contractors holding C-10 or C-46 licenses. The contractor submits the design to SolarAPP+ and pays its processing fee, then applies in the County's EZ Online Permitting portal under Solar with SolarApp+, uploading the SolarAPP+ approval document and specification sheet; a smoke and carbon monoxide certification is due before the final inspection. Inspections can be on-site, virtual or self-inspections, scheduled in the County's EZ Inspect app.

The cities report very different permit practices to the Energy Commission. In 2024, Victorville issued all 1,000 of its residential solar permits online and 77% included storage; Apple Valley issued 95% of 1,117 online; Hesperia issued 16% of 920 online; and Barstow issued none of 162 online. Ask each bidder how long its recent permits in your city took.

What a High Desert quote needs to explain

A comparison to ask for

In the High Desert, the permit office and the generation provider can change within a few miles. Ask each bidder to write both at the top of the proposal, then compare how much of the output your home uses directly, since SCE says its export credits are worth less than the power you buy. For a manufactured home, the bid should name the HCD permit.

Verify the company behind the High Desert quote

Match the business name and license number on each High Desert proposal to the CSLB record, then use our contractor verification steps, the quote comparison guide and the PPA, loan, lease and cash comparison.

High Desert solar quote questions