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California solar decisions
Solar Companies in Riverside, CA: Installer Counts and License Checks
Riverside's main electric utility, Riverside Public Utilities, is not in the state's solar interconnection data, which covers PG&E, SCE and SDG&E customers only. On the SCE-served addresses listed as Riverside, utility records show 828 home solar systems connected in 2025, led by Sunrun (257), Sunpower Corporation Systems (59) and Bright Ops (45). 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
- Home solar systems connected, 2025
- 828
- SCE-served Riverside addresses
- CPUC DG Statschecked Sep 24, 2026
Installers who connected the most home solar systems on SCE-served Riverside addresses in 2025
| Installer (name as reported) | Systems in 2025 | Jan 2024 to May 2026 | CSLB license |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrun | 257 | 549 | 750184 check |
| Sunpower Corporation Systems | 59 | 336 | 890895 check |
| Bright Ops | 45 | 125 | 1020761 check |
| Sunnova Energy Corporation | 44 | 172 | 1003498 check |
| Complete Solar Inc | 39 | 46 | 961988 check |
| Freedom Forever | 32 | 87 | 1124448 check |
| Tesla Energy Operations Inc | 32 | 87 | 888104 check |
| G A F Energy LLC | 32 | 75 | 1062345 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). These are SCE customers whose service address the utility lists under Riverside; Riverside Public Utilities customers 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 on SCE-served Riverside addresses by the numbers
SCE approved 828 home solar systems at SCE-served addresses listed as Riverside in 2025, from 98 installers; the top three were named on 44% of them. The busiest year since 2021 was 2023, with 1,378 (2025: -40%). Another 331 were approved from January through May 2026.
2025 mix: 59% leased or on a power purchase agreement, 41% owned by the household; 89% with a battery; median size 6.52 kW DC.
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems connected | 791 | 1,237 | 1,378 | 1,105 | 828 |
Start with your Riverside electricity bill
Start with the provider printed on the current bill. Check the current RPU service-area map and the bill before a bidder applies RPU assumptions. If the provider remains uncertain, use SCE’s official lookup rather than inferring a provider from the city name. For an RPU account, RPU explains that grid-connected solar customers continue to receive utility bills.
What a Riverside quote needs to explain
| Check | Ask each bidder |
|---|---|
| Serving utility | Match the proposal to the provider and rate schedule on the current bill. Use the official RPU map or SCE lookup when the provider is uncertain; do not infer it from the city name. |
| Project type and handoffs | State whether the bid covers new solar, solar plus storage, roof-first work, an existing-system expansion or a commercial project. Identify the permit, inspection, interconnection and meter responsibilities for that scope. |
| Comparable design | Use the same requested DC system size, equipment class, roof planes, shade information and backup-load scope in each bid. Require each bidder to show its own monthly production estimate and explain material differences. |
| Itemized price and finance | Separate the cash prices for solar, battery, roof, panel work, permits and interconnection. Compare financing only after the underlying cash scope matches. |
| Installer and service | Name the legal contracting business, CSLB license, installation crew and company responsible for roof penetrations, equipment service and warranty claims. Confirm address coverage in writing. |
Related Riverside project questions
Use these guides to prepare the specific questions a written bid needs to answer.
A comparison to ask for
Give every bidder the same twelve months of usage, serving utility, requested system size, roof layout, shade information and backup-load scope. Require each bidder to show its monthly production estimate and explain material differences. Get a separate cash price for solar, storage, roof and electrical work before comparing a loan, lease or PPA. Then compare total obligations, exclusions, service responsibility and the modeled remaining bill.
Verify the company behind the Riverside quote
Match the business name and license number on each Riverside 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 Riverside rates and bills page.
Permit fees and the filing route are on the Riverside solar cost and permit page.
Riverside solar quote questions
Does every Riverside address use RPU?
Do not assume that from the city name. Check the provider on the current bill and use the official RPU map or SCE lookup before applying a utility-specific rate or interconnection rule.
Will Riverside solar eliminate every utility bill?
For an RPU account, RPU says grid-connected solar customers continue to receive utility bills. Ask the bidder to model remaining charges using the actual provider, usage and rate schedule.
Does every Riverside project have the same interconnection process?
No. The utility and project scope control. The bidder should identify the permit, inspection, interconnection, equipment scope and responsible parties for the specific address.
Before you sign anything in Riverside
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
Before you send anything
- What this is
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- What happens after the form
- Your project details are recorded for referral to a solar provider. The provider decides whether it can help and what it can offer; availability, design and price are determined after its own review.
- How you are contacted
- Read the consent wording before submitting. Your inquiry includes contact details for follow-up about the project; a provider decides whether it can serve it.
- Using the site without submitting
- The calculators, bill comparisons and checklists on this site work without contact details, and nothing on this page requires a submission.