Solar Panel Cost in Vacaville, CA (2026): $3.07/W Reported

Vacaville homeowners who bought their own solar systems reported a median of $3.07 per watt between January 2025 and May 2026, across 575 systems. The middle half paid $2.65 to $4.58 per watt.

A 5.67 kW system, the median size connected in Vacaville in 2025, comes to about $17,400 at that median, or $15,000 to $26,000 across the middle half.

Those are reported costs, not a quote, and no federal credit comes off a Vacaville 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: $3.07/W; Vacaville addresses, 575 systems
Middle half: $2.65 to $4.58/W; 25th to 75th percentile
Typical 5.67 kW system: $17,400; 5.67 kW × $3.07/W, before any incentive
Same system, middle half: $15,000 to $26,000; size: Vacaville 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 Vacaville

Vacaville's fee schedule could not be read when it was checked on September 23, 2026. 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.

What Vacaville publishes: Vacaville's solar page does not state the permit fee. The City's fiscal year 2026-27 fee schedule includes a solar panels line, but the posted copy could not be read in a form that ties an amount to it, so no figure is quoted here. The City says refunds are generally not available for photovoltaic permits issued online.
How to file: Yes. Residential rooftop solar permits of any size are available online, and a solar permit includes a main panel change-out if one is wanted. The City's Symbium portal gives instantaneous plan review for qualifying solar and storage; other residential solar and battery applications go through eTRAKiT with plan review, which the City estimates at 1-3 business days.
Automated permit platform: Symbium

Sources: City of Vacaville, Apply for Residential Solar Permits, checked September 23, 2026; City of Vacaville, Service & Facility Fees FY 2026-27 (Building Plan Check & Inspection Fees), checked September 23, 2026; Gov. Code §66015, checked September 24, 2026. Vacaville in the California Solar Cost Index sets this fee beside every other city's.

Solar in Vacaville: installs, leases and batteries

Home solar systems connected at Vacaville addresses: 1,151 in 2021, 1,565 in 2022, 1,383 in 2023, 743 in 2024 and 1,027 in 2025. So connections peaked in 2022 and 2025 ran 34% below that peak. Another 429 were connected from January to May 2026.

Of the 1,027 systems connected in Vacaville in 2025, 38% were leased or on a PPA, so a solar company owns them, and 62% belonged to the homeowner. 40% had a battery, less often than the 55% statewide. The median Vacaville system was 5.67 kW, and 83 companies connected at least one.

Vacaville beside Solano County and Statewide, 2025
	Vacaville	Solano County	Statewide
Systems connected in 2025	1,027	3,181	145,404
Leased or on a PPA	38%	49%	45%
With a battery	40%	50%	55%
Median system size	5.67 kW	5.64 kW	6.15 kW
Median reported cost	$3.07/W (575)	$3.07/W (1,372)	$4.14/W (58,628)
Companies connecting systems	83	153	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

Vacaville 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).

Before you compare proposals

The Vacaville project checks that change the decision

Vacaville permits residential rooftop solar of any size online, with instant review through Symbium, and a solar permit already covers a main panel change-out. No community choice provider serves Vacaville, so the bill is PG&E's alone.

Ask the same three questions

Will the permit go through Symbium for instant review, or through eTRAKiT plan review of about 1-3 business days?
If the main panel is being replaced, is that written into the solar permit description with the service amperage, as the City asks?
Is the savings estimate built on PG&E's rates for both generation and delivery?

Local checks

Panel change included

A Vacaville solar permit automatically includes a main panel change-out if one is wanted; the City asks for the panel replacement and service amperage to be stated in the permit description.

Symbium or eTRAKiT

Qualifying solar and storage gets instantaneous plan review through Symbium. Other residential solar, solar-with-storage and storage-only applications go through eTRAKiT with plan review, estimated at 1-3 business days.

No refunds online

The City says refunds are generally not available for photovoltaic permits issued online, so confirm the design before the permit is pulled.

PG&E with no CCA

MCE serves several Solano County cities, but its own list of member communities does not include Vacaville, so PG&E supplies generation and delivery.

Related decisions

Local sources and limits

City of Vacaville — Apply for Residential Solar Permits — verified 2026-09-23. Symbium portal for instantaneous plan review under SB 379; residential rooftop solar of any kW size online; a solar permit includes a main panel change-out if wanted; other applications through eTRAKiT as Solar Residential OL, Solar with ESS Residential OL or ESS Only Residential OL, processed in about 1-3 business days; refunds generally not available for PV permits issued online.
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.
PG&E — Community Choice Aggregation — verified 2026-09-23. Lists the CCAs in PG&E territory and the areas each serves, and says PG&E continues to provide meter reading, billing, maintenance and outage response for CCA customers. A city missing from the list has no CCA named there; the bill is still the check for a given account.
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 Vacaville the middle half of reported costs spans $2.65 to $4.58 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 Vacaville contract follows.

Frequently asked questions

How much does solar cost in Vacaville?

About $17,400 for a 5.67 kW system, at the $3.07 per watt median that Vacaville owners reported (575 systems, January 2025 to May 2026; middle half $2.65 to $4.58). Source: CPUC DG Stats. No federal credit applies to a Vacaville system finished in 2026.

What does a solar permit cost in Vacaville?

Vacaville states no single current figure (fee schedule not published in readable form, 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 Vacaville?

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
Vacaville solar permitting — City of Vacaville, Apply for Residential Solar Permits — checked September 23, 2026
City of Vacaville, Service & Facility Fees FY 2026-27 (Building Plan Check & Inspection Fees) — checked September 23, 2026
California Government Code §66015(a), residential solar permit fees — checked September 24, 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.