Every criterion in this guide, expanded into a working checklist.
2026 Buyer's Guide · Los Angeles
Best Solar Companies in
Los Angeles
Every 'best solar companies' ranking on the internet was written by someone with a stake in the answer. This one too — we're on it. The difference: we say so first, every claim about us is checkable, and the LADWP-vs-SCE checklist below works whether you hire us or anyone else on this page.
Disclosed bias
OC Solar is a Southern California contractor with an office in Hollywood. Yes, a solar company ranking solar companies is a conflict of interest.
- Every claim we make about ourselves is independently verifiable — license numbers, review profiles, and certifications you can check in minutes.
- We never quote competitors' star ratings, review counts, or prices. Those numbers drift, and a stale stat is a false one — we link you to their sites and tell you to check current Google and Yelp profiles yourself.
- We publish the judging criteria before the list, so you can apply the same standard to us that we apply to everyone else.
The judging criteria
What actually separates LA solar companies
Star ratings are a starting point, not a verdict. In Los Angeles specifically, these six factors decide whether your project goes smoothly — or stalls in plan check.
An active, clean CSLB license
California requires solar contractors to hold a CSLB license (typically C-46 or C-10). Look the number up yourself, confirm bonding and workers' comp, and make sure the entity on the license is the entity on your contract — not a sales brand that subs the work out.
Fluency in your utility — LADWP or SCE
Los Angeles is split between LADWP, a municipal utility with its own solar rules, and SCE territory under NEM 3.0. A quote modeled on the wrong rate structure is fiction. Ask how many interconnections the company has completed with your specific utility.
LADBS permitting experience
Inside city limits, every solar permit runs through the LA Department of Building and Safety, which has its own plan-check process and quirks. Outside city limits, each of LA County's dozens of cities has its own building department. Crews that permit here weekly move faster.
In-house crews, not a subcontractor chain
When the company that sold the job also employs the people on your roof, accountability has nowhere to hide. Ask directly: who pulls the permit, who installs, and who answers the phone if something fails in year six?
Financial staying power
California has watched a wave of solar companies fold since 2023, stranding warranties and half-finished projects. Years in business, install volume, and a physical local office are imperfect proxies — but they're the proxies you can actually check.
2026-honest pricing
The residential federal tax credit expired at the end of 2025. Any cash or loan quote still built around a 30% homeowner credit is a red flag for everything else in the proposal. Honest companies updated their math; the rest hope you didn't notice.
Los Angeles, actually
LADWP or SCE — the quote has to know which.
Every install on this page is a real Southern California roof — not stock photography.
The 2026 list
Los Angeles's best solar companies, ranked
One disclosed-bias pick at #1 with receipts, then five real alternatives described neutrally. Every company here is worth a quote — get more than one.
1
OC Solar
That's us — judge accordinglyHollywood office at 1800 N Vine St, founded 2016, crews working both LADWP and SCE territories every week — which means the rate modeling, the LADBS paperwork, and inspection scheduling are routine, not a learning experience on your roof.
4.9★
Google rating
400+ reviews
4.7★
Yelp rating
451 reviews
A+
BBB rating
Accredited profile
5,000+
Projects & service calls
Since 2016
30 days
Median sign-to-install
60-day median to PTO
#1023627
CSLB license
Verify at cslb.ca.gov
Tesla Powerwall Premier Certified · Tesla Solar Roof installer
Owens Corning Roofing Preferred Contractor — re-roof and solar under one license
ConsumerAffairs #1 solar company in California · Angi Super Service 2024 & 2025
Verify our license at cslb.ca.gov (CSLB #1023627) — and yes, check our live Google and Yelp profiles too.
2
Solar Optimum
Glendale-headquartered installer with a strong presence across greater Los Angeles, offering solar, battery storage, and roofing.
Best for: Homeowners who want a large, established regional installer based in the LA area.
We don't publish other companies' ratings or review counts — they change, and stale numbers mislead. Check their live Google and Yelp profiles before deciding, and visit solaroptimum.com directly.
3
LA Solar Group
Los Angeles–based installer handling residential and commercial solar and storage projects across the region.
Best for: Buyers who want a company headquartered inside LA County itself.
We don't publish other companies' ratings or review counts — they change, and stale numbers mislead. Check their live Google and Yelp profiles before deciding, and visit la-solargroup.com directly.
4
NRG Clean Power
Los Angeles–area company offering solar and roofing services to homeowners in Southern California.
Best for: Buyers who want a California company with decades of operating history on both home and business projects.
We don't publish other companies' ratings or review counts — they change, and stale numbers mislead. Check their live Google and Yelp profiles before deciding, and visit nrgcleanpower.com directly.
5
Semper Solaris
Veteran-owned California company offering solar, battery storage, roofing, and HVAC across the state.
Best for: Households that value veteran ownership and want roofing or HVAC bundled with solar.
We don't publish other companies' ratings or review counts — they change, and stale numbers mislead. Check their live Google and Yelp profiles before deciding, and visit sempersolaris.com directly.
6
Sunrun
National residential solar and battery company, widely known for lease and PPA agreements.
Best for: Homeowners who specifically want a lease or PPA from a large national provider.
We don't publish other companies' ratings or review counts — they change, and stale numbers mislead. Check their live Google and Yelp profiles before deciding, and visit sunrun.com directly.
Powerwall Premier Certified InstallerTesla · OngoingTesla Pro Council — 1 of 12 installersTesla · Ongoing
Solar Roof Premier Certified InstallerTesla · OngoingResidential Installer of the Year — Southern CaliforniaPanasonic · 2024Residential Installer of the Year — Southern CaliforniaPanasonic · 2023Top Residential Installer of the Year — Southern CaliforniaPanasonic · 2022Best of HouzzHouzz · 2022
Top Solar ContractorSolar Power World · 2024Top Solar Contractor — #203 nationallySolar Power World · 2025Entrepreneur Of The Year — Pacific Southwest FinalistEY (Ernst & Young) · 2025Excellence in Entrepreneurship AwardOrange County Business Journal · 2026Super Service AwardAngi · 2024 & 2025
Angi Pro Council — memberAngi · Since 2023
#1 Solar Company in CaliforniaConsumerAffairs · 2026Buyer's Choice Award — Best Equipment & Best InstallationConsumerAffairs (national) · 2026A+ Accredited BusinessBetter Business Bureau · Since 2017Official Solar Partner of the Anaheim DucksAnaheim Ducks (NHL) — partnership · OngoingCertified & recognized by
6,373+
Projects & service calls
by in-house crews
10
Years serving SoCal
Founded 2016
30+
MW installed
across Southern California
4.9★
Google rating
400+ reviews · BBB A+
Manufacturer certifications
1 of 12 installers- EnphaseInstaller NetworkStorage-certified · IQ Battery
- QcellsQ.PARTNERAuthorized installer
- RECCertified Solar ProfessionalProTrust warranty program
- SolarEdgeCertified Installer
- Owens CorningRoofing Preferred Contractor
Awards & recognition
2024- Solar Power WorldTop Solar Contractor2025#203 nationally
- PanasonicTop Residential Installer of the Year2023Southern California
- EY (Ernst & Young)Entrepreneur Of The Year — Finalist2025Pacific Southwest
- Orange County Business JournalExcellence in Entrepreneurship Award2026
- HouzzBest of Houzz2022
- AngiSuper Service Award2024
#1 in California2026- Best Equipment2026
- Best Installation2026
Ratings, license & partnership
Since 2017- Yelp4.7★ rating451 reviews
- Google4.9★ rating400+ reviews
- CSLBLicense #1023627Licensed · Bonded · Insured
Team partnership
CSLB License #1023627 · Licensed, bonded & insured · Orange County Solar, Contracting Services Inc.
Why LA is different
Two utilities, one county
The single most LA-specific question in solar shopping: who's your utility? The answer changes the economics of the same exact system.
LADWP — the city's own rules
If you live inside Los Angeles city limits, your utility is LADWP — a municipal utility that isn't governed by the CPUC. It sets its own rates, solar compensation, and interconnection process, separate from NEM 3.0. An installer who only knows SCE's playbook will model your savings wrong.
SCE — NEM 3.0 territory
Much of LA County outside the city — and pockets within it — is SCE territory, where NEM 3.0 export rates make battery storage the difference between a system that pencils and one that doesn't. See our guide for SCE customers.
LADBS — permitting inside city limits
Every solar permit in the City of LA runs through the Department of Building and Safety. Outside city limits, each city runs its own building department. Ask any installer how recently they pulled a permit in your jurisdiction.
The 2026 pricing reality
The homeowner tax credit is gone. Honest quotes say so.
The federal residential solar credit (Section 25D) expired December 31, 2025. If you buy with cash or a loan in 2026, there is no federal tax credit for you to claim. On lease, PPA, and prepaid plans, the financier can still claim the commercial Section 48E credit and pass roughly 30% of that value through as a lower price or payment, through about 2027. That's a price benefit baked into the plan — not a credit on your tax return. Any LA proposal still showing you a 30% homeowner credit is your cue to keep shopping.
Los Angeles solar FAQ
Straight answers before you sign anything
There's no single answer that fits every home — the right company depends on your utility (LADWP customers play by different rules than SCE customers), your roof, and how you want to pay. Instead of trusting any list, including this one, verify four things: an active CSLB license with no disciplinary actions, real installation history in your specific utility territory, current Google and Yelp profiles you check yourself, and a quote that doesn't lean on the expired residential federal tax credit. OC Solar's own verifiable marks: 4.9 stars on Google across 400+ reviews, a BBB A+ rating, 6,373 projects & service calls since 2016, and CSLB license #1023627 you can look up in about a minute.
More 2026 buyer's guides: Best Solar Companies in California · Best Solar Companies in Orange County · Best Solar Companies in San Diego
Research like a pro
The guides behind this ranking
The vetting framework, the cost picture, and the local-vs-national question — in depth.
2026 statewide cost benchmarks for comparing LA quotes.
What actually differs after install day.
Compare us against anyone on this list
Get a free, no-pressure estimate from our Hollywood office — modeled on your real roof and your actual utility, LADWP or SCE. If another company is a better fit, we'll tell you.
Already a customer? Refer a friend & get $500 · See all OC Solar reviews
Licensed, Bonded & Insured · CSLB #1023627