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California solar decisions
Solar Companies in Huntington Beach, CA: Who Installed the Most Systems in 2025
Utility records show 472 home solar systems connected in Huntington Beach in 2025. Sunrun was the installer of record on 133 of them, followed by Tesla Energy Operations Inc (46) and Orange County Contracting Services (32). The table lists each company's CSLB license number. It is a count from public records, not a ranking or endorsement: check each license and get at least three quotes.
California Rate Relief is a private solar referral service.
Key facts
- SolarAPP+ fee
- $35
- City permit fees paid separately in HB ACA
- City of Huntington Beachchecked Sep 23, 2026
- Electric provider
- SCE
- Back from OCPA in 2024; solar accounts moved in April
- Orange County Power Authoritychecked Sep 23, 2026
- Manufactured homes
- HCD permit required
- State permit, not the City's SolarAPP+
- California HCDchecked Sep 23, 2026
Installers who connected the most home solar systems in Huntington Beach in 2025
| Installer (name as reported) | Systems in 2025 | Jan 2024 to May 2026 | CSLB license |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrun | 133 | 319 | 750184 check |
| Tesla Energy Operations Inc | 46 | 121 | 888104 check |
| Orange County Contracting Services | 32 | 64 | 1023627 check |
| Freedom Forever Southern California LLC | 13 | 15 | 1124448 check |
| Bright Ops | 13 | 18 | 1020761 check |
| G C Electric Solar | 11 | 11 | 995108 check |
| Ecosolar USA Electrical LLC | 9 | 14 | 1045300 check |
| Solar Optimum Design & Electrical | 8 | 12 | 972228 check |
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).
Source: California Distributed Generation Statistics (CPUC), Interconnected Project Sites data set, data through May 31, 2026 (checked Sept. 24, 2026).
Home solar in Huntington Beach by the numbers
SCE approved 472 home solar systems in Huntington Beach in 2025, from 110 installers; the top three were named on 45% of them. The busiest year since 2021 was 2023, with 1,125 (2025: -58%). Another 277 were approved from January through May 2026.
2025 mix: 39% leased or on a power purchase agreement, 61% owned by the household; 85% with a battery; median size 7.36 kW DC. Orange County: 40% leased or PPA, 65% with a battery, median 6.75 kW.
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems connected | 493 | 845 | 1,125 | 670 | 472 |
Hiring a solar company in Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach issues rooftop solar permits instantly through SolarAPP+: a licensed contractor pays SolarAPP+'s $35 fee, then files and pays in the City's HB ACA portal. SCE supplies both generation and delivery; the city left Orange County Power Authority, and OCPA returned its customers to SCE in 2024. Solar on a mobile or manufactured home needs a state HCD permit instead. Compare at least three written bids built on your own SCE bill.
What SolarAPP+ checks in Huntington Beach
The City explains that SolarAPP+ replaces the plan set with a design questionnaire: the software checks the contractor's inputs against the model building, electrical and fire codes and either approves the design for an instant permit after payment or says right away why it cannot. The City notes that traditional review of a site plan and electrical plan averages 5 to 10 business days. Workmanship and whether the installation matches the approved design are then checked at inspection.
SolarAPP+ has no overall wattage cap, but it enforces equipment limits: the home's main service can be rated up to 400 amps, and service disconnects and busbars up to 225 amps; within those limits it can approve systems up to 38.4 kW. Contractors must complete IREC's training once to use it, and a separate solar-and-storage training to submit projects with batteries.
Solar on a mobile or manufactured home
A manufactured home follows a different permit path from a house. The California Department of Housing and Community Development says an HCD permit is required for any solar system installed on a manufactured home, and that a permit is needed before any alteration to a mobilehome or manufactured home begins. HCD's advisory warns owners that manufactured home roofs are not accessible, so damage from poor installation practices is not visible, and tells them to confirm the solar company is licensed by the Contractors State License Board and has obtained a permit from HCD before signing.
HCD's permit guidelines (form HCD MH 604) say when a job also needs form HCD MH 415, engineered plans, electrical load calculations or manufacturer specifications. Its Southern Area Office is in Riverside. Ask each bidder whether its design needs engineered plans for your roof, and who files with HCD.
What a Huntington Beach quote needs to explain
| Check | Ask each bidder |
|---|---|
| SolarAPP+ limits | Confirm the main service is 400 A or less and disconnects and busbars 225 A or less, and the system is 38.4 kW or smaller. |
| Storage training | If a battery is included, confirm the contractor has SolarAPP+'s solar-and-storage training certificate. |
| City record | Say who creates the HB ACA record, uploads the Permit and Asbestos Disclosure Form and requests the inspection. |
| SCE billing | Model SCE's Solar Billing Plan from your own bill, with the nine-year export credit lock and the settlement month. |
| Manufactured home | On a mobile or manufactured home, show the HCD permit and a CSLB license before any work starts. |
Related Huntington Beach project questions
Use these guides to prepare the specific questions a written bid needs to answer.
A comparison to ask for
For a Huntington Beach home with a 400-amp or smaller main service, ask each bidder whether its design stays within SolarAPP+'s equipment limits and whether it has completed the solar-plus-storage training if a battery is included. A bid that cannot use SolarAPP+ should say which route it will take instead. For a manufactured home, the bid should name the state HCD permit instead.
Verify the company behind the Huntington Beach quote
Match the business name and license number on each Huntington Beach proposal to the CSLB record, then use our contractor verification steps, the quote comparison guide and the PPA, loan, lease and cash comparison. What you pay the utility today is on the Huntington Beach rates and bills page.
Permit fees and the filing route are on the Huntington Beach solar cost and permit page.
Huntington Beach solar quote questions
How do I get a solar permit in Huntington Beach?
A licensed contractor submits the design in SolarAPP+, pays its $35 processing fee, then creates a Residential Photovoltaic System record in the City's HB ACA portal, uploads the SolarAPP+ approval and the Permit and Asbestos Disclosure Form, pays the City's fees and gets the permit.
Can a homeowner use SolarAPP+ in Huntington Beach?
Not unless the homeowner is a licensed contractor with the appropriate licenses. Owner-installed systems use the City's regular permit process.
Is Huntington Beach still served by Orange County Power Authority?
No. OCPA says the City Council voted to leave in May 2023. Solar customers were switched to SCE bundled service beginning in April 2024 and all other customers in June 2024, automatically and without fees. OCPA's current member cities are Buena Park, Fullerton and Irvine, with Fountain Valley joining.
I went solar under OCPA. What happened to my plan?
OCPA says the return to SCE did not change a customer's net metering type, whether NEM 1.0, NEM 2.0 or the Solar Billing Plan. OCPA trued up its solar accounts as of the April 2024 meter read, and generation charges and credits went back onto the SCE bill.
Can I put solar on a mobile home in Huntington Beach?
Yes, but the permit comes from the state. The California Department of Housing and Community Development says an HCD permit is required for any solar system installed on a manufactured home, and warns that roof damage from poor installation is not visible. Check the company's CSLB license and ask for the HCD permit before signing.
Before you sign anything in Huntington Beach
Two of the contract terms that most often change what a quote really costs.
Ask for a competing quote
Start with the utility on your bill and what you pay in a typical month. Contact details come after that. Submitting does not guarantee that a provider will quote your project.
California Rate Relief is a referral service. We are not a licensed contractor. California Rate Relief is compensated by a solar provider when a homeowner we refer signs an agreement. How we make money
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