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Bay Area Solar, Battery, EV & Panel Incentives — 2026
Every rebate, discount, and credit a Bay Area homeowner can actually use this year, organized by who pays it, with amounts, who qualifies, and whether it is open today. No rate-scare hype: the 30% federal residential credit is gone, SGIP is waitlisted, and the real 2026 levers are local rebates, NEM 3.0 self-consumption, and the right rate plan.
Program status verified September 17, 2026 against each program’s own site or dashboard. Last updated: September 2026
Often paired with: SGIP eligibility estimator · Solar cost estimator · Pricing · Battery storage
We claim them for you
Every applicable incentive is itemized in your fixed-price quote, and we file the paperwork.
Get a Free QuoteAt a glance: what is open right now
| Incentive | Worth | Who | Status (Sept 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SGIP battery rebate (equity tier) | $1.10/Wh ($14,850 on 13.5 kWh) + $3.10/W new solar | Income ≤ 80% AMI or CARE/FERA/ESA | Waitlist |
| SGIP general market / Equity Resiliency | $0.15/Wh · $1.00/Wh | Any PG&E customer · fire-threat + medical/income | Closed Dec 31, 2025 |
| Federal residential credit (25D) | Was 30% | Homeowner-owned systems | Ended after 2025 |
| Federal commercial credit (48E) | 30% (claimed by the system owner) | Leased / PPA home systems, businesses, non-profits | Open — placed in service by end of 2027 |
| Ava SmartHome Battery (Alameda County) | $90/kWh; $500/kWh CARE/FERA + monthly credits | Ava customers sharing battery capacity | Open (launched Apr 2026) |
| Silicon Valley Power battery rebate (Santa Clara) | $0.15/Wh up to $2,700, + up to $4,000 income adders | SVP customers, battery paired with solar | Verify — we confirm at quote |
| Panel-upgrade rebates (SVCE, WestLight, SJCE, CPAU) | $1,000–$2,000 | With a heat-pump / electrification project | Open |
| PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate | $1,000; $4,000 income-qualified | PG&E customers buying a used EV | Open — standard tier apply by Sept 30, 2026 |
| PG&E CARE / FERA | 30–35% / 18% off electric | Income-qualified households | Open |
| TECH / HEEHRA heat-pump & panel | Varied | Statewide, income-qualified | Fully reserved (waitlist since Feb 2026) |
1. State: SGIP battery rebate
The Self-Generation Incentive Program is the only large state rebate for home batteries. In 2026 its equity tier — Residential Solar & Storage Equity — pays $1.10 per Wh of storage and $3.10 per W of new solar to households at or below 80% of area median income or enrolled in CARE, FERA, or ESA, capped at 70% of project cost for state-funded projects. Every residential budget is closed or waitlisted as of September 2026, but applications are still accepted onto the waitlist in order received, and budgets have been refilled before.
Check SGIP eligibility & estimate →
2. Federal: what survived 2025
- Residential clean energy credit (25D): ended. No 30% credit for homeowner-owned solar or batteries placed in service after December 31, 2025.
- Commercial credit (48E): still open for third-party-owned systems (solar leases and PPAs) placed in service by the end of 2027, and for commercial and non-profit projects. The owner claims it and can pass savings through in the lease rate. This is also why SGIP assumes a 30% credit on equity projects.
- California property-tax exclusion: a solar system does not raise your assessed value (active new-construction exclusion).
3. PG&E: bill programs, EV rebates & the Base Services Charge
| Program | What you get | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| CARE | 30–35% off electric, 20% off gas; Base Services Charge cut to ~$6/mo | Household income (June 2026–May 2027): 1–2 people $43,280; 3 $54,640; 4 $66,000; 5 $77,360; or enrollment in Medi-Cal, CalFresh, etc. |
| FERA | 18% off electric; Base Services Charge ~$12/mo | 3 people $68,300; 4 $82,500; 5 $96,700 |
| Medical Baseline | Extra ~500 kWh/mo at the lowest price (or 12% discount on E-ELEC / E-TOU-D / EV2-A); priority PSPS notices | Anyone in the home relying on electric medical equipment or with a qualifying condition; doctor signs the form |
| Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) | Free weatherization and appliances, including heat-pump water heaters | Income at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines (through May 31, 2027) |
| Pre-Owned EV Rebate | $1,000 standard (apply by Sept 30, 2026); $4,000 income-qualified continues from Oct 1, 2026 | PG&E residential customers buying or leasing a used EV |
| Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) pilot | $2,500 up front ($3,000 in disadvantaged communities), plus early-adopter and state grant add-ons | Bidirectional EV + approved charger; enrollment through June 30, 2027 |
| Power Saver Rewards | Bill credits for cutting use during 4–9 pm summer events; a battery does this automatically | Most residential customers; automatic enrollment for many |
| Empower EV (free charger + panel help) | — | Closed since December 31, 2024 |
Not a rebate, but it changes the math: since March 1, 2026 every PG&E residential bill carries a Base Services Charge of about $24.15 per month that solar credits cannot offset, while per-kWh prices dropped about 5–7¢. Solar still removes the energy charges; a battery removes the expensive 4–9 pm ones. Under the Solar Billing Plan (NEM 3.0), exports earn roughly $0.05–$0.08 per kWh, so self-consumption, not export, is where savings come from. Run the solar cost estimator to see it on your bill.
4. Your electricity provider: CCA & municipal rebates
Most Bay Area homes buy generation from a community choice aggregator (CCA) on PG&E wires, and each CCA has its own rebate menu. Palo Alto and Santa Clara run their own utilities.
| Provider (cities) | Battery / solar | Panel & wiring | Heat pumps & EV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Valley Clean Energy Los Gatos, Campbell, Saratoga, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Los Altos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill | None | Panel $1,000 add-on; wiring $500 per device up to $2,000 ($750 / $3,000 income-qualified); EV circuit $500; gas-meter removal $500 | Heat-pump water heater $2,500 ($3,500 IQ, +$500 Sept–Oct 2026); heat-pump HVAC $2,000 ($3,000 IQ) |
| WestLight Energy (formerly Peninsula Clean Energy) San Mateo County | None | Panel $1,000 (up to 200 A, within 6 months of a heat-pump install); smart circuit controllers $500 | HPWH $3,500 (replacing gas); HVAC $1,500; CARE/FERA +$1,000; 0% loans to $10,000 |
| San José Clean Energy San Jose | Battery $125/kWh (max $3,250; $400/kWh, max $10,400 equity) — no longer accepting applications | Panel $1,000 ($2,000 IQ); circuits $500 ($750 IQ) | HPWH $3,000 ($4,000 IQ, +$500 Sept–Oct 2026); HVAC $1,500 ($2,500 IQ) |
| CleanPowerSF San Francisco | None | None | Appliance rebates; SuperGreen Saver 20% discount for income-qualified |
| Ava Community Energy Oakland, Alameda County | SmartHome Battery: $90/kWh, or $500/kWh for CARE/FERA, on the 40/60/80% of capacity you share, + $3/kWh per month for 5 years | — | See Ava’s current menu |
| City of Palo Alto Utilities | None (SGIP via PG&E gas / AB 209) | Panel $1,000 ($2,000 IQ) add-on; gas-meter removal $2,500; permit reimbursement up to $638 | HVAC $2,500 ($5,000 IQ); HPWH $3,500 |
| Silicon Valley Power Santa Clara | Battery $0.15/Wh up to $2,700, + $2,000 fire-resiliency and $2,000 low-income adders (paired with solar, 3 kWh+) — we verify current status | — | See SVP’s current menu |
Amounts from each provider’s program page as of September 17, 2026; “IQ” = income-qualified tier. Rebates change mid-year and stack differently; we confirm the live amounts for your address in your quote.
5. Stacking examples
Income-qualified Los Gatos household
Powerwall 3 + 5 kW new solar, ~$30,000–$40,000 project.
- SGIP RSSE: up to $30,350 gross, capped at 70% of cost (waitlist)
- CARE: 30–35% off remaining electric charges, ~$6 Base Services Charge
- SVCE panel $1,000 if a heat pump is part of the job
Oakland hills home, above income limits
Two-battery whole-home backup, PSPS-prone street.
- Ava SmartHome Battery: $90/kWh on shared capacity + $3/kWh monthly for 5 years
- NEM 3.0: store midday solar for the 4–9 pm peak (~55¢/kWh on E-ELEC in summer)
- Equity Resiliency ($13,500) would have applied — closed; we notify if refunded
Frequently asked questions
What solar and battery incentives are available in the Bay Area in 2026?
For homeowners: the SGIP battery rebate (equity tiers pay $1.10 per Wh, but every residential budget is closed or waitlisted as of September 2026); local battery rebates from Ava Community Energy ($90–$500 per kWh in Alameda County) and Silicon Valley Power (Santa Clara); panel-upgrade rebates of $1,000–$2,000 from SVCE, WestLight Energy, San José Clean Energy, and Palo Alto Utilities when paired with electrification; heat-pump rebates of $1,500–$5,000 from the same providers; PG&E's $1,000 pre-owned EV rebate ($4,000 income-qualified); and California's property-tax exclusion for solar. The 30% federal residential credit ended after 2025.
Did the federal solar tax credit end?
For homeowners, yes. The residential clean energy credit (Section 25D) expired for expenditures after December 31, 2025. The commercial credit (Section 48E) still applies to third-party-owned residential systems (leases and PPAs) placed in service by the end of 2027, and to commercial and non-profit projects, which is why some lease offers can still pass through a credit. Confirm specifics with your tax advisor.
Is there a PG&E rebate for solar panels?
No. PG&E does not pay a rebate for installing solar. What PG&E offers is the Solar Billing Plan (NEM 3.0), which credits exported power at roughly $0.05–$0.08 per kWh, plus bill programs: CARE (30–35% off electric), FERA (18% off), Medical Baseline, and the Energy Savings Assistance program. Since March 2026 every residential bill also carries a Base Services Charge of about $24.15 per month (about $6 for CARE, $12 for FERA) that solar credits cannot offset.
Is there a rebate for an electrical panel upgrade?
Yes, through community choice and municipal providers, usually as an add-on to a heat-pump or EV project: Silicon Valley Clean Energy $1,000, WestLight Energy (formerly Peninsula Clean Energy) $1,000 within six months of a heat-pump install, San José Clean Energy $1,000 ($2,000 income-qualified), and City of Palo Alto Utilities $1,000 ($2,000 income-qualified). The statewide TECH/HEEHRA panel rebate has been fully reserved since February 2026.
Do you handle the rebate paperwork?
Yes. We check eligibility for every program that applies to your address and utility, prepare the SGIP reservation, submit CCA and municipal rebate applications after installation, and itemize each incentive in your fixed-price quote so the net cost is clear before work begins.
Sources
- SGIP program metrics · CPUC RSSE fact sheet · Resolution E-5373 (70% cap)
- CPUC CARE/FERA · PG&E Medical Baseline · PG&E EV rebates
- SVCE home rebates · San José Clean Energy · Ava Community Energy · City of Palo Alto Utilities · Silicon Valley Power · TECH Clean California
- HCD 2026 income limits · IRS residential clean energy credit
Further reading: What solar costs in the Bay Area (2026) · Solar payback period under NEM 3.0 · Powerwall 3 vs FranklinWH vs Enphase
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