Solar energy provides many environmental benefits besides saving money and energy independence. It emits no pollution, produces no greenhouse gases, and uses no finite fossil fuel resources.
Solar panel prices are at a record low, while electricity prices continue to rise in California. A payback period for residential solar investment is often seven years or less. Every day without solar is another day of high electric charges.
Solar panels, also called photovoltaic (PV) panels, capture sunlight and turn it into direct current (DC) electricity. Since homes use alternating current (AC) electricity, an inverter changes the DC into AC so it can power your lights, appliances, and other devices.
If your system makes more electricity than your home needs, the extra is sent to the electric grid. Your utility meter tracks this and spins “backward” when you’re producing more than you’re using. That helps offset the cost of the electricity you use later from the electrical grid — like at night, when your system isn’t generating power.
Solar panels don’t produce electricity at night because they need sunlight to work. When the sun goes down, your home still needs power—so it pulls electricity from the grid. The grid uses a mix of energy sources: some are clean (like solar and wind), but some come from fossil fuels (like coal or natural gas), which are considered “dirty” because they pollute the air.
If you want to avoid using grid energy at night, you can add a battery to your solar system. The battery stores extra solar power made during the day, so your home can keep using clean energy even after the sun sets.
Solar panels are most effective in direct sunlight but still work in indirect sunlight.
Rain can actually help your panels work more efficiently by washing away dust or dirt.
Solar panels generate power for a very long time with little maintenance. While the inverter and some wiring may need upgrading in future years, the panels should remain useful for over 40 years.
Prices vary based on a few key factors: your electricity needs, the efficiency of the selected solar panels, capacity, and the location of your house.
When you have solar panels on your house, they generate electricity from sunlight. But you won’t always use all that power right away. When your system makes more electricity than you need, the extra gets sent back to the power grid. Net Energy Metering (NEM) is the set of rules that tells the utility company how to pay you back for the extra electricity your panels send to the grid.
SCE NEM FAQ page: https://www.sce.com/customer-service-center/help-center/solar/net-energy-metering/faq
Over the years, California has had three versions of these rules: NEM 1.0, NEM 2.0, and NEM 3.0. Here’s how each one works:
NEM 1.0 (1996–2016)
NEM 2.0 (2016–2023)
NEM 3.0 (Started April 15, 2023)
This is an energy storage system that saves excess electricity produced by solar panels for later use. Storage refers to a technology, such as lithium-ion batteries, that can capture electricity, store it, and then release it for use later when needed.
When solar panels start producing electricity that exceeds home usage, the excess electricity is sent and stored in the battery. The energy stored in the battery can be used to power the home when there isn’t sunlight to produce electricity. If you don’t have a battery, the excess electricity will instead be sent back to the power grid.
No — it’s not required to have a battery alongside solar panels. Your panels can work just fine without one. However, having a battery can help you save money and use more of your own solar energy.
Since California’s new Net Energy Metering policy (NEM 3.0) went into effect in 2023, the power company now gives you very little financial credit when you send extra solar energy back to the grid. But, if you have a battery, you can store that extra solar energy and use it later—like in the afternoon or evening when electricity is more expensive. That way, you buy less electricity from the grid and keep more of your own clean power.
Therefore, even though a battery isn’t required, it helps lower your electric bill and makes your house more independent from the grid.
Solar batteries can be installed either inside your home—like in a garage or utility room—or outside, such as on a wall near your house. Which option works best depends on the type of battery and how your home is set up. In California, there are special safety rules for putting batteries indoors to make sure they’re installed properly and won’t cause any hazards, so professionals follow those rules carefully when setting them up.
A battery backup is like a big rechargeable battery for your house. It stores extra electricity — usually from solar panels — so that if the power goes out, your house can still use power from the battery.
You might think your solar panels would keep working during a blackout—but they don’t! When the power goes out, solar panels shut off too (to keep utility workers safe while they fix the grid). That’s why a battery backup is helpful—it takes over when both the grid and your solar panels stop working.
Not exactly. A regular solar battery just stores extra energy from your panels so you can use it later—like at night or when electricity is expensive. But it might not be set up to power your home during a blackout.
To have backup power, the battery has to be specially set up to keep your home running when the grid goes down. That’s called a backup system.
Full Home Backup:
Partial Home Backup
An EV stands for electric vehicle. It’s a car or truck that runs on electricity instead of gas or diesel. Instead of filling it up with fuel at a gas station, you plug it in to charge the battery—kind of like how you charge your phone.
Because it uses electricity, an EV doesn’t make smoke or pollution like gas cars do. It’s a cleaner way to get around!
EVs help car owners save a lot of money on fuel — especially in states like California where gas is expensive —, and they greatly reduce carbon emissions.
No, EVs don’t run out of charge quickly. Most electric cars can go a long way—sometimes as far as 200 to 300 miles—before needing to be charged again.
EVs are also very reliable. They don’t have as many moving parts as gas cars, so there’s less that can break or need fixing. Plus, charging them is easy—you can charge at home or at special charging stations.
You can charge an electric vehicle at home using two main types of outlets:
Most EV owners install Level 2 chargers at home for faster, more convenient charging.
Charging your electric vehicle (EV) at home uses electricity—so your bill will go up if you’re using electricity from the regular power grid and not solar.
However, charging is usually still cheaper than paying for gas, especially in California where gas is expensive.
Yes! You can charge your electric car using electricity from your solar panels or from your home battery.
During the day, your solar panels make electricity from sunlight. You can use that electricity right away to charge your car—that’s great because it’s clean and free!
If you have a battery, it stores extra solar electricity you didn’t use during the day. Then, you can use the battery’s stored power to charge your car later—like at night when the sun isn’t out. However, charging your car at night does use a lot of energy from your battery since it has to power the car instead of just small devices, which can drain the battery quickly.
Electrifying your home means switching from gas-powered appliances—like heaters, stoves, and water heaters—to ones that run entirely on electricity.
Unlike gas appliances, electric ones don’t burn fuel indoors, so they avoid harmful indoor air pollution that can cause respiratory health problems like asthma.
Electric appliances are often more energy-efficient and safer, and if you have solar panels, you can power your entire home with clean energy you generate yourself—saving money while protecting both your health and the environment.
A heat pump is a machine that can both heat and cool your home using electricity. In winter, it pulls heat from outside (even if it’s cold) and brings it inside to warm your house. In summer, it does the opposite—it takes heat from inside your house and moves it outside to cool things down.
A heat pump water heater uses the same idea to heat the water in your home. Instead of using gas or traditional electric heating elements, it pulls heat from the air around it to warm your water.
Heat pumps use significantly less energy than regular heaters, air conditioners, and water heaters, helping you save on energy bills and reducing your carbon footprint. Because they use electricity, heat pumps can work in tandem with a solar system in your home.
Additionally, heat pumps are ideal for California’s dry, temperate climate. They offer superior comfort and control compared to conventional systems.
Induction cooktops use electromagnetic energy to heat pots and pans directly, instead of heating the cooktop surface first. This allows for fast, efficient heat transfer and precise temperature control.
Compared to gas stoves, induction cooking can offer improved indoor air quality and safety, strong cooking performance, energy savings, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Induction cooktops use electricity to create a magnetic field beneath the cooking surface. When compatible cookware is placed on the cooktop, that magnetic field heats the pot or pan directly.
Because the heat is created in the cookware itself, induction cooking is fast, responsive, and efficient. It also does not rely on an open flame or exposed heating element.
Induction cooktops require magnetic cookware. Many common pots and pans already work with induction, including cast iron and many stainless steel pans.
A simple way to check is to see if a magnet sticks to the bottom of the pan. Pure copper or pure aluminum pans will not work unless they have a magnetic base.
Yes. Induction cooktops run on electricity and do not burn gas inside the home, which helps reduce indoor air pollutants associated with gas cooking.
Research has found that children living in homes with gas cooking had a 42% greater risk of developing asthma compared to children in homes without gas cooking.
Indoor air pollution from gas appliances can have a bigger impact in smaller homes, where pollutants are more concentrated, and in multifamily buildings, where residents may also be exposed to pollution from neighboring units. For children, people with asthma or respiratory concerns, and residents in smaller homes or apartments, switching to induction can help create a cleaner, safer cooking environment.
A Solarize program is a community-based initiative that encourages and supports residents and businesses in going solar by providing group discounts and collective learning opportunities.
No, this program is open to everyone in Orange County and beyond. Some of our installers service homeowners throughout the state of California.
No, OC Goes Solar is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to making solar energy and home electrification simple, accessible and affordable for everyone.
Yes, this program is intended for homeowners. However, if you’re a renter living in designated affordable housing and interested in solar, you can reach out to us. We may be able to help your building get started with solar through our Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program. If you would like to make other renter-friendly clean energy upgrades to your home, please visit our Home Electrification page.
Yes, our solar contractors can work with you and your HOA to determine if you can get rooftop solar panels for your home.
Every year, we assemble a Community Evaluation Panel consisting of local volunteers who review the proposals of solar companies applying to be in the program. They take into account a variety of factors, such as financial history, customer service, products being offered, business models, length of time in business, and more. The Community Evaluation panel selects which companies to invite to interview and then ultimately decides who will participate in the program. This process starts over again each year, and typically 2-3 companies are chosen. OC Goes Solar does not endorse any company and is not party to any contracts between the homeowners and solar installers.
These educational workshops, hosted by OC Goes Solar and the City of Irvine, are free and open to everyone.
Yes, OC Goes Solar and our participating installers are very familiar with working with HOAs to get solar panels and other clean energy upgrades approved.
When you go solar through OC Goes Solar, you are able to access our exclusive group discounts as well as one year of free technical support from us.
Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) is a local, nonprofit organization made up of elected officials from each of the communities they serve. It operates a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program, which means that instead of a single large utility company deciding where your electricity comes from, this local group purchases power on behalf of the community.
This setup allows OCPA to choose cleaner and more renewable energy sources, like solar and wind, giving residents and businesses more control over the environmental impact of their electricity.
However, the physical delivery of electricity—the power lines, poles, and infrastructure—remains managed by the existing utility company. So, while OCPA decides the energy mix, the utility still handles maintaining the grid and ensuring electricity reaches your home safely.
OCPA serves residents of Buena Park, Fullerton, and Irvine. Starting in October 2026, OCPA will serve Fountain Valley as well.
Yes, if you live in Irvine, Buena Park, or Fullerton, you are automatically enrolled in the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) as your default electricity provider. This means your electricity is sourced through OCPA unless you choose to opt out.
Yes, and OCPA’s Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) rate is set at 10% above the local for-profit utility’s prevailing NSC rate.
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