Solar Panel Cost in Santa Ana, CA (2026): $3.80/W Reported
By Chad SimpsonUpdated 7 sources citedSanta Ana, Orange County
Santa Ana homeowners who bought their own solar systems reported a median of $3.80 per watt between January 2025 and May 2026, across 158 systems. The middle half paid $3.12 to $4.25 per watt.
A 6.96 kW system, the median size connected in Santa Ana in 2025, comes to about $26,400 at that median, or $21,700 to $29,600 across the middle half.
Those are reported costs, not a quote, and no federal credit comes off a Santa Ana 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
- $3.80/W
- Santa Ana addresses, 158 systems
- Middle half
- $3.12 to $4.25/W
- 25th to 75th percentile
- Typical 6.96 kW system
- $26,400
- 6.96 kW × $3.80/W, before any incentive
- Same system, middle half
- $21,700 to $29,600
- size: Santa Ana 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.
California Rate Relief is a referral service. We are not a licensed contractor.
What a solar permit costs in Santa Ana
Santa Ana does not publish a dollar figure for a residential solar permit. Whatever it charges, Government Code §66015 limits a city to $450 for a home system up to 15 kW, plus $15 per kW above that, unless it adopts a written finding that its cost is higher. SolarAPP+ collects a one-time $35.00 fee.
- What Santa Ana publishes: Santa Ana says SolarAPP+ collects a one-time fee of $35.00, and that the City's application fee is separate and the same as for a regular solar permit. The City's solar pages do not state that amount.
- How to file: Yes. Since June 1, 2026, Santa Ana issues residential solar permits only after SolarAPP+ approval, and projects without it are not processed.
- Automated permit platform: SolarAPP+
Sources: City of Santa Ana, Upcoming Changes to the Residential Solar Permit Requirement (June 1, 2026), checked September 23, 2026; City of Santa Ana, Does SolarAPP+ collect fees and will the City be charging fees?, checked September 23, 2026; Gov. Code §66015, checked September 24, 2026. Santa Ana in the California Solar Cost Index sets this fee beside every other city's.
Solar in Santa Ana: installs, leases and batteries
Home solar systems connected at Santa Ana addresses: 527 in 2021, 925 in 2022, 1,042 in 2023, 490 in 2024 and 518 in 2025. So connections peaked in 2023 and 2025 ran 50% below that peak. Another 225 were connected from January to May 2026.
Of the 518 systems connected in Santa Ana in 2025, 44% were leased or on a PPA, so a solar company owns them, and 56% belonged to the homeowner. 74% had a battery, more often than the 55% statewide. The median Santa Ana system was 6.96 kW, and 114 companies connected at least one.
| Santa Ana | Orange County | Statewide | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systems connected in 2025 | 518 | 8,375 | 145,404 |
| Leased or on a PPA | 44% | 40% | 45% |
| With a battery | 74% | 65% | 55% |
| Median system size | 6.96 kW | 6.75 kW | 6.15 kW |
| Median reported cost | $3.80/W (158) | $4.02/W (2,990) | $4.14/W (58,628) |
| Companies connecting systems | 114 | 504 | 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: SCE
Santa Ana is billed by Southern California Edison (SCE). SCE's average residential rate is 34.4¢/kWh (June 1, 2026; rate tracker).
Before you compare proposals
The Santa Ana project checks that change the decision
Santa Ana now issues home solar permits only through SolarAPP+, and wants the owner’s signed authorization with every application.
Ask the same three questions
- Has the design been approved in SolarAPP+? Since June 1, 2026 Santa Ana does not process residential solar permits without it.
- Does the application include your signed letter authorizing the installation, which the City requires?
- Does the savings estimate use SCE's generation and delivery rates from your own bill?
Local checks
SolarAPP+ only, since June 2026
From June 1, 2026, Santa Ana issues residential solar permits only after SolarAPP+ approval, and says projects without it will not be processed.
Two fees, one of them unstated
The City says SolarAPP+ collects a one-time $35.00 fee and that its own application fee is separate and the same as for a regular solar permit, but its solar pages do not state that amount.
Owner authorization is required
The City's streamlined solar page requires a homeowner letter of authorization for the installation with every solar application.
SCE supplies generation
Santa Ana is not on SCE's list of community choice aggregator cities, and Orange County Power Authority's member list names Buena Park, Fullerton, Irvine and Fountain Valley, so SCE normally supplies generation as well as delivery.
Related decisions
Local sources and limits
- City of Santa Ana — Upcoming Changes to the Residential Solar Permit Requirement (effective June 1, 2026) — verified 2026-09-23. From June 1, 2026 all residential solar projects are permitted only on SolarAPP+ approval; projects without it are not processed.
- City of Santa Ana — Does SolarAPP+ collect fees and will the City be charging fees? — verified 2026-09-23. SolarAPP+ collects a one-time fee of $35.00; the City application fee is separate and the same as a regular solar permit.
- City of Santa Ana — Streamlined Residential Solar Plan Check and Permitting — verified 2026-09-23. All solar applications require a homeowner letter of authorization (signed property owner approval per SB 1222 and AB 2188).
- SCE — Community Choice Aggregation — verified 2026-09-23. Lists the CCAs in SCE territory and the cities each serves, and says SCE continues meter reading, billing, maintenance and outage response for CCA customers. A city missing from the list has no CCA named there.
- Orange County Power Authority — home page (member communities) — verified 2026-09-23. Lists Buena Park, Fullerton, Irvine and Fountain Valley as member communities.
Before you sign
In Santa Ana the middle half of reported costs spans $3.12 to $4.25 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 Santa Ana contract follows.
Frequently asked questions
How much does solar cost in Santa Ana?
About $26,400 for a 6.96 kW system, at the $3.80 per watt median that Santa Ana owners reported (158 systems, January 2025 to May 2026; middle half $3.12 to $4.25). Source: CPUC DG Stats. No federal credit applies to a Santa Ana system finished in 2026.
What does a solar permit cost in Santa Ana?
Santa Ana states no single current figure (no figure published, checked September 23, 2026); Gov. Code §66015 caps it at $450 up to 15 kW unless the city adopts a written finding.
Which utility serves Santa Ana?
Southern California Edison (SCE). Its average residential rate is 34.4¢/kWh, as of June 1, 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
- Santa Ana solar permitting — City of Santa Ana, Upcoming Changes to the Residential Solar Permit Requirement (June 1, 2026) — checked September 23, 2026
- City of Santa Ana, Does SolarAPP+ collect fees and will the City be charging fees? — checked September 23, 2026
- California Government Code §66015(a), residential solar permit fees — checked September 24, 2026
- SCE average residential rate — CPUC Public Advocates Office, Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report, p.8, 22 — 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.
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