Solar Panel Cost in Concord, CA (2026): $4.63/W Reported

Concord homeowners who bought their own solar systems reported a median of $4.63 per watt between January 2025 and May 2026, across 162 systems. The middle half paid $3.37 to $6.32 per watt.

A 6.58 kW system, the median size connected in Concord in 2025, comes to about $30,500 at that median, or $22,200 to $41,600 across the middle half.

Those are reported costs, not a quote, and no federal credit comes off a Concord system finished in 2026: 26 U.S.C. §25D does not cover one whose installation is completed after December 31, 2025 (state and federal rules).

Median reported cost: $4.63/W; Concord addresses, 162 systems
Middle half: $3.37 to $6.32/W; 25th to 75th percentile
Typical 6.58 kW system: $30,500; 6.58 kW × $4.63/W, before any incentive
Same system, middle half: $22,200 to $41,600; size: Concord addresses, 2025 median

Source: California Distributed Generation Statistics (CPUC), Interconnected Project Sites data set, data through May 31, 2026, checked September 24, 2026. Homeowner-owned, solar-only systems of 1 to 25 kW; leases, PPAs and battery systems are left out (method). The CPUC notes these costs are not verified by the government.

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What a solar permit costs in Concord

Concord's published permit fee for a home rooftop system is $450 ($70 administrative fee, residential solar + $380 inspection, SolarAPP+ permit up to 15 kW). The plan-review path also totals $450; a main panel upgrade inspection adds $192.

That is exactly the $450 limit that Government Code §66015 sets for a home system up to 15 kW.

What Concord publishes: Concord's Building Division fee schedule (Resolution 26.6042.1, last adopted April 28, 2026) prices a residential SolarAPP+ permit, up to 38.4 kW, at a $70 administrative fee plus a $380 inspection fee, and a residential permit reviewed from drawings at $70 plus $115 for plan review and $265 for inspection; both come to $450 for a system up to 15 kW and rise per kW above that. Inspecting a main service panel upgrade adds $192. The schedule says the City's administrative, technology and General Plan fees do not apply to solar permits. SolarAPP+ charges its own processing fee.
How to file: Yes. All residential rooftop applications go through the City's Permit Portal. Contractors can use SolarAPP+ and apply under the "Solar PV (Solar APP)" permit type; otherwise the design comes from a design professional or from the City's standardized central-inverter and micro-inverter plans, filed under "Solar PV".
Automated permit platform: SolarAPP+

Sources: City of Concord, Solar PV Projects, checked September 23, 2026; City of Concord, Building Division and Building Permit Fees (Exhibit A, Resolution 78 6042; Res. No. 26.6042.1, last adopted April 28, 2026), section 6, Solar Energy System Permits, checked September 23, 2026; Gov. Code §66015, checked September 24, 2026. Concord in the California Solar Cost Index sets this fee beside every other city's.

Solar in Concord: installs, leases and batteries

Home solar systems connected at Concord addresses: 589 in 2021, 936 in 2022, 857 in 2023, 450 in 2024 and 557 in 2025. So connections peaked in 2022 and 2025 ran 40% below that peak. Another 177 were connected from January to May 2026.

Of the 557 systems connected in Concord in 2025, 48% were leased or on a PPA, so a solar company owns them, and 52% belonged to the homeowner. 60% had a battery, about as often as the 55% statewide. The median Concord system was 6.58 kW, and 86 companies connected at least one.

Concord beside Contra Costa County and Statewide, 2025
	Concord	Contra Costa County	Statewide
Systems connected in 2025	557	6,343	145,404
Leased or on a PPA	48%	43%	45%
With a battery	60%	58%	55%
Median system size	6.58 kW	6.48 kW	6.15 kW
Median reported cost	$4.63/W (162)	$4.09/W (2,573)	$4.14/W (58,628)
Companies connecting systems	86	310	2,475

Source: CPUC DG Stats, data through May 31, 2026. Counts are home systems given permission to operate each year; a city means the service city on the application.

Your utility: PG&E

Concord is billed by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). PG&E's average residential rate is 33.7¢/kWh (June 2026 (unchanged since March 2026); rate tracker).

MCE supplies generation for many Concord addresses while PG&E delivers and bills; your bill shows which. Source: MCE, About Us (member communities).

Before you compare proposals

The Concord project checks that change the decision

Concord charges the same $450 for a home system up to 15 kW whether it goes through SolarAPP+ or through plan review, and it leaves its usual add-on fees off solar permits, so two Concord bids should not differ on the permit line.

Ask the same three questions

Which design route does the quote use: SolarAPP+, drawings from a design professional, or the City's standardized plans?
Does the job include a main service panel upgrade? Concord charges $192 to inspect one, on top of the solar permit.
Does the bill estimate use MCE's generation charges and export credits alongside PG&E's delivery charges, or PG&E's alone?

Local checks

One price, two routes

Under the fee schedule last adopted April 28, 2026, a SolarAPP+ permit is a $70 administrative fee plus a $380 inspection fee, and a permit reviewed from drawings is $70 plus $115 for plan review and $265 for inspection. Both total $450 up to 15 kW; above that, each extra kW adds $15.

No add-on fees

Concord's schedule says its administrative, technology and General Plan fees, charged on most other permits, do not apply to solar energy system permits.

Standard plans on file

Instead of custom drawings, an installer can prepare the plan set from the City's standardized central-inverter and micro-inverter configurations and file it under the "Solar PV" permit type in the Permit Portal.

MCE's solar credits

MCE adds a Solar Bonus Credit worth 10 percent of the export credits earned each month, pays income-qualified customers $0.05 per kWh, and mails a check for balances over $200, up to $5,000, after the spring cash-out.

Related decisions

Local sources and limits

City of Concord — Solar PV Projects — verified 2026-09-23. Residential rooftop PV applications go through the Permit Portal. Three design routes are accepted: SolarAPP+ (permit type "Solar PV (Solar APP)"), design-professional drawings, or the City's standardized central-inverter and micro-inverter plans (both "Solar PV").
City of Concord — Building Division fee schedule (Res. No. 26.6042.1, last adopted April 28, 2026) — verified 2026-09-23. Section 6: residential SolarAPP (38.4 kW maximum) $70 administrative plus $380 inspection, plus $15 per kW above 15 kW; residential with drawing plan review $70 plus $115 plan review and $265 inspection, plus $5 and $10 per kW above 15 kW; main service panel upgrade inspection $192; administrative, technology and General Plan fees do not apply to solar permits.
MCE — About Us (member communities) — verified 2026-09-23. MCE serves 38 member communities in Contra Costa, Marin, Napa and Solano counties; the communities named include Concord, Richmond, San Ramon and Napa. Vacaville is not among them.
MCE — Solar Billing Plan — verified 2026-09-23. Exports credited at the Energy Export Credit value plus an MCE Solar Bonus Credit of 10% of those credits; CARE/FERA solar credit of $0.05 per kWh; Solar Storage Credit of $10 to $20 a month for enrolled batteries; annual April-to-March cash-out at Net Surplus Compensation for balances over $200, up to $5,000.
California Energy Commission — Residential Solar Permitting Program data (SB 379) — verified 2026-09-23. Self-reported platform status per jurisdiction, data last updated August 3, 2026; the CEC says it does not certify compliance. Rows used for the Tier 3 cities: Santa Clara, Clovis, Berkeley, Concord, Richmond, San Clemente, Encinitas, San Marcos, Lakewood, Elk Grove, Mission Viejo, Victorville, Tulare, Yucaipa, Rocklin and Grass Valley (SolarAPP+); Glendale and Santa Barbara (custom platform); Saratoga and Vacaville (Symbium); Napa (without a platform); Gilroy, San Ramon, Redding and Yuba City (SolarAPP+); Windsor and Ventura (Symbium); Redwood City and Cupertino (SolarAPP+); Hollister (without a platform, deadline Sept 2024).

Before you sign

In Concord the middle half of reported costs spans $3.37 to $6.32 per watt, and roof, panel work, equipment and contract terms explain most of that gap. California Solar Tax and Permit Rules for 2026 covers them, and the tax, lease and disclosure rules a Concord contract follows.

Frequently asked questions

How much does solar cost in Concord?

About $30,500 for a 6.58 kW system, at the $4.63 per watt median that Concord owners reported (162 systems, January 2025 to May 2026; middle half $3.37 to $6.32). Source: CPUC DG Stats. No federal credit applies to a Concord system finished in 2026.

What does a solar permit cost in Concord?

$450 for a home rooftop system on Concord's published schedule (checked September 23, 2026); the state limit is $450 up to 15 kW under Gov. Code §66015.

Which utility serves Concord?

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Its average residential rate is 33.7¢/kWh, as of June 2026 (unchanged since March 2026).

Sources

California Distributed Generation Statistics (CPUC), Interconnected Project Sites data set, data through May 31, 2026 — checked September 24, 2026
CPUC, California Solar Consumer Protection Guide — checked September 24, 2026
26 U.S.C. §25D(h) and (e)(8)(A), residential clean energy credit — checked September 24, 2026
Concord solar permitting — City of Concord, Solar PV Projects — checked September 23, 2026
City of Concord, Building Division and Building Permit Fees (Exhibit A, Resolution 78 6042; Res. No. 26.6042.1, last adopted April 28, 2026), section 6, Solar Energy System Permits — checked September 23, 2026
California Government Code §66015(a), residential solar permit fees — checked September 24, 2026
MCE, About Us (member communities) — checked September 23, 2026
PG&E average residential rate — CPUC Public Advocates Office, Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report, p.8, 20 — checked September 24, 2026

The tax, contract and permit rules every California city shares, with their statutes: California Solar Tax and Permit Rules for 2026.