Community Solar in California: For Renters & Shaded Roofs
Straight answer: Los Angeles has no open, subscribe-anywhere community solar market in 2026; what you can use depends on your utility and income. Households on CARE or FERA in state-designated disadvantaged communities get 20% off their bill through SCE’s Green Saver or Clean Power Alliance’s Power Share, usually automatically. LADWP apartment and condo residents can lock 50 or 100 kWh a month at 29.6¢ for 10 years — above the Tier 1 price it replaces in 2026. The statewide program for all incomes is still waiting on utility tariffs, and from January 1, 2027 any home can plug in up to 1,200 watts of certified solar without utility approval.
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- Community solar means subscribing to a share of an off-site project and getting credits on your bill. Nothing goes on your roof and you own nothing.
- In Los Angeles the real savings in 2026 are income-qualified: 20% off for CARE or FERA customers in disadvantaged census tracts through SCE’s Green Saver or Clean Power Alliance’s Power Share — about 35–45% together with CARE or FERA, CPA says.
- LADWP Shared Solar (apartments, condos and duplexes only) is a 10-year price lock at 29.6¢. At 2026 prices a 100 kWh subscription costs about $47 a year more than the Tier 1 power it replaces.
- The statewide program for all incomes under AB 2316 isn’t open: utilities’ tariffs were due in September 2026, and a utility may close it if no project signs a contract within two years.
- From January 1, 2027, SB 868 lets any household use up to 1,200 W of certified plug-in solar with no interconnection agreement, approval or fee. Your lease or HOA rules still apply.
What community solar is — and what California calls it
A subscription to someone else’s solar, paid back as credits on your own bill.
Community solar lets you subscribe to part of a solar project built somewhere else and receive credits on your electric bill for your share. Nothing goes on your roof and you own nothing, so it can work for renters, condo owners and homes whose roofs are too shaded for panels. California runs it through named programs rather than an open market: the Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff (sold by SCE as Green Saver and by Clean Power Alliance as Power Share), the Green Tariff, and the coming Community Renewable Energy program; city utilities such as LADWP set their own. The state counts about 1,200 community solar projects, 560 MW in all, in operation (CPUC).
What’s open to you in Los Angeles in 2026
Find your utility and household. The answer is different for each.
| If you are… | You can use | What it’s worth | How you get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| An SCE customer on CARE or FERA in a disadvantaged census tract | Green Saver (SCE’s Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff) | 20% off your bill; 100% renewable power | Usually automatic; SCE’s online enrollment is paused until about November 2026 |
| A Clean Power Alliance customer on CARE or FERA in a disadvantaged census tract | Power Share (CPA’s version of the same tariff) | 20% on top of CARE or FERA — about 35–45% off in total | Automatic enrollment; CPA can check your status |
| A tenant in affordable multifamily housing in SCE, PG&E or SDG&E territory | SOMAH solar on your own building | Bill credits; SOMAH estimates over $80 a month on average | The building owner applies; no cost or rent increase for tenants |
| An LADWP customer in an apartment, condo or duplex (R-1A, R-1D or R-1E) | LADWP Shared Solar | 50 or 100 kWh a month at a fixed 29.6¢ for 10 years — above Tier 1 in 2026 | Apply online or by mail; no fees; moves with you to another LADWP multifamily home |
| Any income, SCE customer | Green Tariff | 50–100% renewable power at a premium — you pay the difference, not a discount | Opt in with your provider |
| Any income, SCE, PG&E or SDG&E territory | Community Renewable Energy program (AB 2316) | Credits tied to wholesale avoided cost | Not open yet; waiting on approved utility tariffs |
| Any household, any utility, from January 1, 2027 | Plug-in solar up to 1,200 W (SB 868) | Offsets your own use; no utility approval or fee | A UL-certified plug-in kit; your lease or HOA may still need to agree |
| An LADWP single-family home with a shaded roof | No subscription program: Shared Solar is multifamily-only | — | See the shaded-roof options below |
| A Burbank, Glendale or Pasadena city-utility customer | The CPUC programs above don’t apply | — | Ask your city utility what it offers |
Sources: CPUC, SCE, Clean Power Alliance, SOMAH, LADWP, SB 868. A disadvantaged community here is a census tract in the top 25% statewide on CalEnviroScreen, or among the tracts in its highest 5% for pollution burden (CPUC). CARE and FERA income limits are in our free and low-income solar guide.
LADWP Shared Solar: a 10-year price lock, not a discount at 2026 prices
The one subscription open to any income in the City of Los Angeles — if you live in a multifamily home.
You subscribe to 50 or 100 kWh a month from new solar plants in or near the Los Angeles basin, billed at a fixed Shared Solar rate for 10 years, with no enrollment fee and no cancellation fee. It’s open to City of Los Angeles customers on the R-1A, R-1D or R-1E rate whose account is tied to an apartment, condo or duplex and who haven’t taken LADWP’s solar incentive (LADWP). The program rules say the subscription offsets Tier 1 energy (LADWP guidelines).
That makes the comparison simple. LADWP lists the 2026 Shared Solar rate at 29.624¢ per kWh, with a 28.124¢ discounted rate for eligible subscribers, while Tier 1 in 2026 runs from 24.36¢ to 27.29¢ with adjustment factors (LADWP). A 100 kWh subscription costs $355 a year against $308 of Tier 1 power — about $47 more ($23.50 for 50 kWh). What you buy is insurance: starting from the 2026 average Tier 1 price, it would take increases of about 3% a year for the 10-year lock to break even; faster increases favor it, slower ones don’t. More on LADWP pricing in LADWP net metering in 2026.
The 20% programs: who qualifies and how to get in
The only community solar in Los Angeles that cuts a bill by a fixed share in 2026.
The Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff gives income-qualified residential customers 100% renewable power and 20% off their otherwise applicable electric rate. You qualify if you are eligible for CARE or FERA and live in a disadvantaged census tract, and in most cases eligible customers are enrolled automatically (CPUC). The program is capped at 233 MW and has about 30,000 customers (CPUC).
SCE customers know it as Green Saver. SCE says its online enrollment tool is unavailable until about November 2026 and takes questions by email in the meantime; its local-project version, Local Green Saver, is closed (SCE).
If Clean Power Alliance supplies your power — its charges appear on your SCE bill — the same discount is called Power Share. CPA enrolls qualified customers automatically, starting with those at highest risk of disconnection, and applies the 20% on top of CARE or FERA for about 35–45% off in total (CPA). Its Community Solar projects serve Bassett, Avocado Heights and Carson from local solar sites (CPA).
Solar on your own building, through the owner
For tenants, the building is sometimes the better route than a subscription.
In affordable multifamily housing, the Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing program (SOMAH) pays owners to install solar and passes the benefit to tenants: direct credits on their bills, no rent increase because of the system and no maintenance costs. SOMAH estimates average savings of over $80 a month (SOMAH). It runs in SCE, PG&E, SDG&E, Liberty and Pacific Power territory — not LADWP. In other buildings in those territories, an owner can share one on-site system’s credits with tenants and common areas under virtual net billing (CPUC). Either way, the owner has to start it.
The statewide program for everyone isn’t open yet
The law exists; the subscriptions don’t.
SB 43, signed in September 2013, created the Green Tariff Shared Renewables program. AB 2316, signed September 16, 2022, required a community renewable energy program. In May 2024 the CPUC ended the Community Solar Green Tariff and Enhanced Community Renewables programs, kept and improved the 20% Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff and the Green Tariff, and created the Community Renewable Energy program (CPUC).
Its June 11, 2026 decision set the details: the program is built on the utilities’ ReMAT avoided-cost contracts; at least 51% of its capacity goes to low-income customers, who are enrolled automatically; and credits for everyone else depend on outside funding. There is none for now — the U.S. EPA ended California’s $249 million Solar for All award in 2025, which the state is challenging in court. SCE, PG&E and SDG&E had 90 days to file their tariffs, and a utility may close the program if no developer signs a contract within two years of approval (CPUC decision 26-06-006, CPUC). Until a tariff is approved and projects are built, there is nothing to subscribe to through it.
Plug-in solar from January 1, 2027
Signed September 30, 2026 (Chapter 985), SB 868 exempts a “portable solar generation device” from every interconnection requirement — state, CPUC, investor-owned or city utility, LADWP included. To qualify, a device must have no more than 1,200 watts of AC output per dwelling, plug into a receptacle, be meant to offset the home’s own use, meet the National and California Electrical Codes, be certified as a plug-in PV system by UL or an equivalent lab, and include a certified feature that stops it feeding the grid in an outage. A utility can’t require approval, fees or extra equipment, but may ask you to register the address, make, model and size online. The exemptions run until January 1, 2030; from then, plug-in devices without those certifications can’t be sold in California (SB 868). As a regular statute it takes effect January 1, 2027.
1,200 W is about three 400-watt panels, roughly a fifth of the 6.4 kW system our sizing guide works out for a house using 900 kWh a month, and the law sets up no credit for power that flows out. It doesn’t mention landlords or HOAs, so your lease or association rules still apply.
Shaded roof? Check these before you rule out your own panels
A shaded roof is not always a no-solar roof.
Part of the roof
An east or west face, or the unshaded part of a south face, may still carry enough panels. See solar panels and shade and which way panels should face.
Off the roof
A carport, patio cover or ground mount can put panels where the sun is — see solar carports and patio covers and ground-mount solar.
A sunny corner
From 2027, a certified plug-in kit of up to 1,200 W can go wherever part of the yard or a balcony gets sun.
The income programs
On CARE or FERA in a disadvantaged tract, the 20% discount needs no roof at all.
- The benefit, in writing: a percentage off the bill, a fixed rate, or a per-kWh credit.
- What it replaces: LADWP’s Shared Solar replaces Tier 1, so compare it with your Tier 1 price, not your average bill.
- Fees, term and exit: enrollment fees, contract length, rate escalation and what leaving costs.
- A bill credit, not a green-power upgrade: the Green Tariff adds renewable content at a premium; it doesn’t lower the bill.
Community solar or your own rooftop solar?
If you own a home with a sunny roof, owning the panels usually beats any subscription available in Los Angeles: the savings are larger and the system is yours. Whether it pays depends on your roof, bill and utility — see is solar still worth it in California? and cash vs loan vs lease vs PPA. No federal tax credit applies to a subscription, and the residential credit is gone for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 (IRS).
Where Cali Energy fits. We install rooftop solar for owners. If you rent, the programs above are your route, and they run through your utility, not an installer. If you own and the roof is only partly shaded, or a carport or patio could carry panels, we’ll look at what your property can do and give you a straight estimate — call +1-323-844-7777 or get a free estimate.
Frequently asked
What is community solar?
A subscription to a share of a solar project built off-site. You receive credits on your electric bill for your share; nothing goes on your roof and you own nothing. In California it runs through named programs such as the Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff, and city utilities such as LADWP run their own.
Can renters get community solar in Los Angeles?
Some can. In SCE territory, CARE or FERA customers in disadvantaged census tracts get 20% off through SCE’s Green Saver or Clean Power Alliance’s Power Share. LADWP customers in apartments, condos or duplexes can join Shared Solar, a 10-year price lock. Tenants in affordable housing outside LADWP can benefit if their building joins SOMAH, and from January 1, 2027 plug-in solar of up to 1,200 W is legal without utility approval.
How much does community solar save in California?
For income-qualified customers in disadvantaged communities, 20% off the bill — about 35–45% together with CARE or FERA, Clean Power Alliance says. LADWP Shared Solar costs more than the Tier 1 power it replaces at 2026 prices, about $47 a year more for 100 kWh a month, and the Green Tariff costs extra. The statewide program for all incomes isn’t open yet.
Is there a statewide community solar program in California in 2026?
Not one you can join yet. The CPUC finalized the Community Renewable Energy program under AB 2316 on June 11, 2026, and SCE, PG&E and SDG&E had 90 days to file tariffs. At least 51% of capacity goes to low-income customers, enrolled automatically; credits for others depend on outside funding that doesn’t exist today.
Is plug-in or balcony solar legal in California?
From January 1, 2027, yes, within limits. SB 868, signed September 30, 2026, exempts certified plug-in solar of up to 1,200 W AC per home from interconnection rules: no utility approval, fee or extra equipment, though a utility may ask for a simple online registration. It doesn’t override a lease or HOA rules.
My roof is too shaded for solar. What are my options?
Check whether part of the roof, a carport, a patio cover or the ground gets enough sun — see solar panels and shade. If you’re on CARE or FERA in a disadvantaged tract, the 20% programs need no roof. From 2027, a plug-in kit can use a sunny corner. LADWP’s Shared Solar is for multifamily homes only.
Is there a tax credit for community solar?
No. No federal credit applies to a subscription, and the residential clean energy credit is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. The benefit of community solar is the bill credit itself.
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page come from the primary sources below and, where noted, from Cali Energy calculations using the stated assumptions. Rates, incentives, and program terms change; each was verified October 1, 2026.
- CPUC — Community Solar in California (programs, DAC-GT enrollment and cap, Green Tariff, virtual net billing)
- CPUC — Updates to community solar programs and the Community Renewable Energy Program (June 11, 2026)
- CPUC — Decision 26-06-006, Implementing California Shared Renewables Portfolio (June 11, 2026)
- CPUC — The Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff (DAC-GT) program
- SCE — Green Saver program and enrollment
- Clean Power Alliance — Power Share
- Clean Power Alliance — Community Solar (Bassett, Avocado Heights, Carson)
- SOMAH — Tenant benefits
- LADWP — Shared Solar (eligibility and 2026 rates)
- LADWP — Shared Solar Program Guidelines
- LADWP — Residential electric rates
- California Legislature — SB 868 (Wiener), portable solar generation devices, Chapter 985, Statutes of 2026
- California Legislature — AB 2316 (Ward, 2022), community renewable energy
- California Legislature — SB 43 (Wolk, 2013), Green Tariff Shared Renewables Program
- IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit
Own your home? See what your property can do
Community solar fits renters and fully shaded roofs. If part of your roof, a carport or a patio gets sun in Los Angeles or the Valley, we’ll check it and give you a straight, itemized estimate — no pressure.
Get a free estimatePrepared by Cali Energy, October 1, 2026. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, engineering, or utility advice. Rates, incentives, codes, permit requirements, equipment specifications, prices, and program terms may change; figures and timelines are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm current requirements with the applicable utility, AHJ, program administrator, manufacturer, or a licensed professional. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Unit E, Northridge, CA 91324 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)