Solar Companies in Modesto, CA: Installer Counts and License Checks

Installers who connected the most home solar systems in Stanislaus County 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 data set covers PG&E, SCE and SDG&E customers only, so in Stanislaus County it counts the areas PG&E serves.

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

Home solar in Stanislaus County by the numbers

PG&E approved 519 home solar systems in Stanislaus County in 2025, from 61 installers; the top three were named on 59% of them. The busiest year since 2021 was 2023, with 697 (2025: -26%). Another 167 were approved from January through May 2026.

2025 mix: 48% leased or on a power purchase agreement, 52% owned by the household; 49% with a battery; median size 6.8 kW DC.

Hiring a solar company in Modesto

Solar companies in Modesto answer to the electric district that serves the meter, not to PG&E. Most of the city is Modesto Irrigation District territory, where MID must approve the design before installation and caps system size at 115% of your demonstrated load; part of the city is Turlock Irrigation District territory, with its own rules. Get three written bids that name your district, then compare them on the checks below.

MID's steps come before the panels go up

MID lays out the order itself. The contractor submits a completed interconnection package to MID, in hard copy, and MID approves it or asks for corrections. Only then does the contractor pull the city or county permit and install. The contractor sends MID the final permit, MID performs its own inspection, and if that is clear MID installs the solar meter; after that the contractor can switch the system on. MID says an interconnection not completed within a year of its acknowledgment is cancelled, with one six-month extension available on request.

MID offers NEM 2.0 today and does not offer solar rebates. Its sizing rule is the one most likely to separate two Modesto quotes: a system may not exceed 115% of the meter's annual demonstrated load, anticipated load is not considered, and oversized applications are mailed back to the contractor. MID's solar line is (209) 526-7582. A bidder that sized your system for an EV you have not bought yet should show you how the design fits that cap.

If your meter is on TID

The Energy Commission's map places roughly a fifth of Modesto's land area in Turlock Irrigation District territory. TID tells customers that installing solar moves them to a self-generation rate schedule, and that each of those schedules carries customer, demand and time-of-use energy charges, with a monthly TID bill continuing after the system is on. TID asks its customers to call (209) 883-8254 or email solar@tid.org to go over those charges before signing a contract.

A proposal written for an MID or PG&E account will not model a demand charge, so if your bill comes from TID, ask each bidder to rebuild its savings figure on TID's self-generation rate.

Modesto's expedited permit has limits

The City of Modesto's expedited solar checklist, filed through eTRAKiT, applies to roof-mounted systems of 10 kW AC or less on one- or two-family homes that are utility-interactive and have no battery storage. The roof needs a single covering with no reroof overlay, the array may cover no more than half of the total roof area, and the plans must show three-foot fire access pathways and panels at least 18 inches from any hip or valley. If a home has a pool or other large load and a main service under 200 amps, the City requires electrical load calculations, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms must be verified during the job.

Any system with a battery, or any item on the checklist answered no, goes through the City's standard permit review instead. Ask each bidder which route its design uses; a battery quote that assumes expedited timing is assuming something the checklist rules out.

What a Modesto quote needs to explain

A comparison to ask for

A bidder may add panels for an electric vehicle you intend to buy. For an MID meter, ask whether that design meets MID’s demonstrated-load rule before comparing the larger system’s price. Have the quote identify metering equipment and utility inspection work. Approval comes before installation.

Verify the company behind the Modesto quote

Match the business name and license number on each Modesto 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 Modesto rates and bills page.

Permit fees and the filing route are on the Modesto solar cost and permit page.

Modesto solar quote questions