Solar Companies in San Francisco, CA: Who Installed the Most Systems in 2025

Installers who connected the most home solar systems in San Francisco 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).

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

Home solar in San Francisco by the numbers

PG&E approved 462 home solar systems in San Francisco in 2025, from 89 installers; the top three were named on 41% of them. The busiest year since 2021 was 2023, with 1,206 (2025: -62%). Another 300 were approved from January through May 2026.

2025 mix: 7% leased or on a power purchase agreement, 93% owned by the household; 42% with a battery; median size 5.27 kW DC. San Francisco County: 7% leased or PPA, 42% with a battery, median 5.27 kW.

Hiring a solar company in San Francisco

Solar companies working in San Francisco file for the City's digital S Permit through the Department of Building Inspection's registered electrical contractor portal, then connect the system to PG&E. For most homes, CleanPowerSF supplies the generation and credits surplus solar at its own rate. Compare written bids from at least three companies that can file that permit, using your own CleanPowerSF and PG&E bill.

Start with your San Francisco electricity bill

Check the generation provider and enrolled program on the PG&E bill before comparing proposals. CleanPowerSF supplies generation for enrolled customers, while PG&E delivers the electricity and sends the bill. Have each bidder use both portions and the account's actual solar-billing enrollment.

Who can file a San Francisco solar permit

On September 2, 2025 the Department of Building Inspection introduced a digital solar permit, the S Permit, for R3 occupancies: single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses. The application is submitted only online, through DBI's registered electrical contractor portal, and the City departments involved review it at the same time in Bluebeam. Once it is approved and the remaining fees are paid, the contractor receives the permit by email, downloads the job card from the portal, and tracks plan review and schedules inspections there.

That puts one practical question at the top of your list: is the company quoting your roof registered in that portal, or will it hand the filing to someone else? Ask who files the S Permit, who answers plan-review comments, and who meets the inspector. DBI raised some of its fees on the same date, so ask the bidder to show the permit charges as a separate line rather than folding them into the system price.

How CleanPowerSF credits a solar home

Your PG&E statement carries two charges: PG&E's delivery charges and CleanPowerSF's generation charges, with a credit for the generation PG&E did not supply. CleanPowerSF says its customers apply for net metering through PG&E and are then served automatically by CleanPowerSF's own program.

CleanPowerSF bills any generation not covered by credits every month, which avoids one large generation bill at year end, and reviews each solar account at the end of the April billing cycle. A customer who produced more than it used over the year receives Net Surplus Compensation, which CleanPowerSF currently pays at $0.0893 per excess kWh and describes as more than PG&E's rate. By default the credit is transferred to PG&E in January to cover PG&E charges; a customer can instead request a check with the online cash-out form, which for this cycle must reach CleanPowerSF by August 31, 2026.

A proposal that promises a large annual surplus should therefore say what that surplus is worth at CleanPowerSF's rate, and should show the PG&E delivery charges you still pay. Ask for both numbers in writing.

What a San Francisco quote needs to explain

A comparison to ask for

Put the same roof layout, shade model and monthly production in both proposals. Then separate solar, storage, roof and electrical work. The remaining bill should use the same CleanPowerSF or PG&E generation enrollment and show imports and export credits instead of promising that the bill disappears.

Verify the company behind the San Francisco quote

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

San Francisco solar quote questions