Solar Energy in the Central Valley

Who bills which Central Valley city

• •PG&E bills Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton, Manteca and Chico. PG&E's average residential rate was 33.7¢ per kWh as of June 2026, a bundled average across the whole residential class (CPUC Public Advocates Office, Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report).
• •SCE serves Visalia. SCE's average residential rate was 34.4¢ per kWh as of June 1, 2026, a bundled average across the whole residential class (CPUC Public Advocates Office, Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report).
• •SMUD serves Sacramento and Rancho Cordova.
• •Two utilities, one city: Modesto addresses are served by either the Modesto Irrigation District or the Turlock Irrigation District, and Merced addresses by either the Merced Irrigation District or PG&E.
• •Lodi Electric Utility serves Lodi.

How SMUD prices power

SMUD's default residential plan is its Time-of-Day (5–8 p.m.) Rate, with peak pricing on weekdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. An optional Fixed Rate charges one price at every hour and, according to SMUD, is on average 4% higher than the Time-of-Day rate. Standard residential accounts also pay a System Infrastructure Fixed Charge of $27.00 a month (SMUD, Residential Rates, checked September 23, 2026).

SMUD posts a separate Solar and Storage Rate as well. Ask which SMUD plan a proposal assumes before and after the system goes in, because the peak window decides how much of your evening use the panels can offset.

District and city utilities set their own terms

The Modesto Irrigation District posts its own residential schedules and its own solar schedules, listed as NEM1, NEM2 and a feed-in tariff. The Turlock Irrigation District says it serves more than 240,000 people across 662 square miles. Merced Irrigation District calls itself a local public power utility serving customers in Livingston, Atwater, Winton and Merced.

Lodi Electric Utility was founded in 1910 and is community-owned, with about 27,400 electric accounts in a 14-square-mile territory. For any of these utilities, get the current schedule from the utility itself; a PG&E-based estimate does not describe the bill.

One more split to know: Ava Community Energy, which serves most of Alameda County, is also the default provider in Stockton, Tracy, Lathrop and unincorporated San Joaquin County. A Stockton bill can show Ava generation charges next to PG&E delivery. Manteca is not on Ava's list.

Sources, each checked September 23, 2026: SMUD, Residential Rates; MID, Electric Rates; TID, About TID; Merced Irrigation District; Lodi Electric Utility; Ava, Who We Serve.

Comparing solar companies across the Central Valley

No list ranks Central California solar companies in a way that fits one roof, and this site does not either. What differs from city to city is the permit office and how it works, which each city now reports to the California Energy Commission. For 2024, Fresno reported 3,771 residential solar permits, 40% of them issued online; Stockton 4,362, 52% online; Merced 2,188, 32% online; and Bakersfield 1,160, none online. In 2023, Clovis issued 95% of its 935 permits online and Modesto 53% of 635. Batteries are common: 47% of Stockton's 2024 permits and 79% of Bakersfield's included storage.

Ask each bidder which office will permit your address and how long its recent permits there took, then compare the same system on your own bill. The city pages cover each permit office and utility: Fresno, Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Visalia, Sacramento and Bakersfield, and Kern County, where PG&E and SCE split the county.

Source, checked September 23, 2026: California Energy Commission, SB 379 solar permit annual reports (data file dated May 2026).