Best Solar Companies in Sunnyvale, CA

A relatively slanted roof with plenty of unshaded space is best. The worst place to install would be on north-facing roofs, especially if those roofs have a high pitch (very steep). Here are a couple of other questions to ask yourself:

• How much sunlight do I get? Sunnyvale gets a good amount of sunlight. The state averages 5 to 7.5 peak sun hours every day. However, if you have a lot of shading around your house, whether from trees or tall buildings, the panels might not get enough sun to power your home.
• How old are my appliances? Getting your electrical loads as small as possible before going solar means you’ll need a smaller system, which will be cheaper overall. If you have older electrical appliances, upgrade those before investing in solar panels.

As long as your house is a good candidate for solar, it’s at least worth considering. We suggest using NREL’s PVWatts Calculator to estimate how much electricity a solar panel can produce over a year on your house. Project Sunroof is a reliable online solar savings estimator.

The federal solar investment tax credit (ITC) is a significant incentive for most homeowners going solar. It reduces your federal tax liability by 30% of how much it costs to install solar panels.

For example, if you spend $10,000 installing a solar panel system, the ITC is worth $3,000. If you owe $5,000 in taxes, the $3,000 credit reduces what you owe to $2,000.

Don’t get confused: The ITC is a credit, meaning it directly decreases the amount of taxes you owe. This is different from a deduction, which lowers your taxable income. Any unused portion rolls over to the next tax year. However, it’s possible to get a refund check if the ITC credit reduces your taxes to the point where you overpaid during the year.

Residents can also take advantage of statewide solar incentives in California, including Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) rebates for homeowners who install battery storage systems with their solar panels.

Additionally, the California Energy Commission (CEC) offers various incentives and rebates, including incentives for solar water heating systems and energy efficiency upgrades, which can be combined with solar installations to maximize overall savings​.

» GREENEST STATES: California ranked 17th in 2024

If your solar panels generate more electricity than you use, the extra is sent back to the Southern California Edison (SCE) grid through a system called net energy metering. Currently, SCE credits you based on the "avoided cost" of energy, which is typically lower than the retail rate. This value changes with the time of day and year.

No. Under California law, solar installations are exempt from property tax reassessments, meaning the value added to your home by solar panels won’t increase your property taxes.

California’s Solar Rights Act prevents homeowners associations (HOAs) from restricting residential solar panel installations. HOAs can, however, impose minor restrictions as long as they don’t reduce the system’s efficiency.

Monocrystalline and polycrystalline are the most common types of solar panels used in residential installations. In general, monocrystalline panels are considered the best bang for your buck. Cheaper solar panels are typically polycrystalline. The key difference is in materials and efficiency: Monocrystalline panels use pure, single silicon crystals, while polycrystalline panels are made from melted silicon fragments, resulting in different efficiency levels.

Solar panel efficiency is a measure of how well a panel makes electricity. Standard efficiency rates range from 19% to 23%, which means 19% to 23% of the sunlight that hits the panels gets converted into electricity. The more efficient the solar panels you buy are, the fewer panels you need. While more efficient panels cost a little more, you save by buying fewer panels.