$280 Million Program to Expand Battery Storage and Solar Access for Low-Income Households
SAN FRANCISCO – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is launching a new $280 million statewide initiative to help California’s low-income utility customers install battery storage and solar panel systems. When combined with a federal tax credit, the program’s financial incentives are designed to cover the full cost of installation.
The CPUC’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) provides incentives to support existing, new, and emerging distributed energy resources. Under SGIP, the Residential Storage and Solar Equity program will accept applications statewide starting June 2, 2025. Eligible customers who install storage and solar systems through the program can benefit from lower energy bills, backup power during outages, and provide enhanced support for grid reliability.
How it Works
- California low-income residential customers of the following can apply for incentives:
- Investor-owned utilities (e.g., Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Gas Company)
- Publicly-owned utilities (e.g., Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Sacramento Municipal Utility District)
- Community choice aggregators (CCAs)
- To apply:
- A customer should verify they meet the program’s low-income criteria of at or below 80 percent Area Median Income (more information below).
- A customer should contact an SGIP-approved developer (see Approved SGIP Developer List on this page).
- Questions should be directed to a customer’s Program Administrator:
- After a customer reserves funds, the customer has up to one year to comply with all program requirements before they can receive the incentive.
- This one-year period give customers time to enroll in a qualified Demand Response program that will assist in shifting a customer’s electricity consumption in response to economic or reliability signals.
- The CPUC continually reviews Demand Response programs to make them available to customers statewide.
Available Incentives
- Customers who are at or below 80 percent Area Median Income (use the Query Tool) or have completed income verification in the Single-Family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) program, the Disadvantaged Communities – Single-Family Solar Homes (DAC-SASH) program, the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program, the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) program, or the Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) program can receive up to $1,100 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of storage and $3,100 per kilowatt (kW) of solar. The actual incentive may be reduced to account for the federal tax credit.
- A single-family household can receive incentives for a 15-kWh battery and a 5-kW solar system (additional incentives for more solar and up to 30-kWh of storage requires load justification).
More Information
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About the California Public Utilities Commission
The CPUC regulates services and utilities, protects consumers, safeguards the environment, and assures
Californians access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure and services. Visit www.cpuc.ca.gov for
more information.