Hidden Hills, CA · December 2024 – August 2026 · Southern California Edison / City of Hidden Hills
On a new Hidden Hills house, the association approved it first, then the city
Eighteen modules on a new house. The city asked for the association's approval before it reviewed the solar, the association approved it with conditions, and SCE granted permission to operate once the house had permanent service.
This Hidden Hills system is 7.29 kW DC, 6.57 kW CEC-AC: 18 Q Cells Q.PEAK DUO BLK ML-G10+ 405 W modules, each with an Enphase IQ8M microinverter, on a new house. Cali Energy applied to the City of Hidden Hills in December 2024, the Hidden Hills Community Association approved the solar on 16 December 2024, the modules were installed on 6 January 2025, and SCE granted permission to operate under its Solar Billing Plan on 6 August 2026.
At a glance
- System
- 7.29 kW DC / 6.57 kW CEC-AC
- Modules
- 18 × Q Cells Q.PEAK DUO BLK ML-G10+ 405
- Microinverters
- Enphase IQ8M, one per module
- Association approval
- 16 December 2024, with conditions
- Modules installed
- 6 January 2025
- SCE permission to operate
- 6 August 2026, Solar Billing Plan
The story
The house was new, and the design was set in December 2024: 18 Q Cells 405 W modules with an Enphase IQ8M microinverter under each, 7.29 kW DC, with three feet of clear roof kept on both sides of the ridge.
The application went into the City of Hidden Hills permit portal on 10 December 2024. Building and Safety reviews solar here once the homeowners' association has approved the plans, and it asked for those plans the same afternoon.
In Hidden Hills that association is the Hidden Hills Community Association, and its architectural committee approved the solar on 16 December 2024 with conditions: four full-size sets of plans for stamping and the owner's signature, no construction work on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, project vehicles parked only on the building site or the parkway in front of it, and the association's own final inspection once the project was complete.
Because the house was still being built, the mount points went in while the roof was at the underlayment stage: each flashed into the underlayment, with the conduit penetrations alongside, so the roof covering could be laid around them. Over the finished shingle, the conduit comes up through a sealed boot beside the rails. Those layers are the standard way of flashing a solar mount.
The modules were installed on Monday 6 January 2025: rails, microinverters and all 18 in one day, and the crew checked the distance from the array to the ridge with a tape. The Enphase combiner and the AC disconnect went on the wall in March.
The solar was finished in the first months of 2025, while the house itself was still being built. The interconnection application went to SCE on 15 July 2026 under the Solar Billing Plan and was deemed valid on 17 July, and SCE noted that a new home cannot receive permission to operate until permanent service is set up in its billing system. Once it was, SCE granted permission to operate on 6 August 2026, at 6.57 kW CEC-AC. Exports are credited under the Solar Billing Plan, the rate also known as NEM 3.
How it ran
| 10 December 2024 | City application; association-approved plans requested |
|---|---|
| 16 December 2024 | Association's architectural committee approves with conditions |
| 6 January 2025 | 18 modules installed in one day |
| March 2025 | Combiner and AC disconnect on the wall |
| 15–17 July 2026 | SCE application filed and deemed valid |
| 6 August 2026 | SCE grants permission to operate |
Association approval six days after the city asked for it.
What we did
- Applied to the City of Hidden Hills through its permit portal.
- Flashed the mounts into the underlayment while the house was being built.
- Installed 18 modules and microinverters in one day.
- Filed the SCE application and saw it through to permission to operate.
System specifications
| Modules | 18 × Q Cells Q.PEAK DUO BLK ML-G10+ 405 |
|---|---|
| System size | 7.29 kW DC / 6.57 kW CEC-AC |
| Microinverters | Enphase IQ8M, one per module |
| Mounts | Flashed at the underlayment stage, under the shingle |
| Setback | Three feet from the ridge on both sides |
| Utility / AHJ | Southern California Edison / City of Hidden Hills |
Is your project like this one?
- You live in Hidden Hills or another community with an association.
- You are building a new house and want solar in the plans.
- You are planning a system of around seven kilowatts.
- You want to know what SCE needs before a new home's PTO.
Cali Energy in Hidden Hills
Hidden Hills is its own gated city in Los Angeles County: solar needs the community association's architectural approval and a City of Hidden Hills permit, and interconnection runs through Southern California Edison.
Hidden Hills is a gated city with its own community association. On this project the city's Building and Safety asked for the association's approval before it would review the solar, and the grid connection belongs to Southern California Edison.
- License and classifications: CSLB #1032379
- Official reference for this process: City of Hidden Hills — Solar Energy Installations
- Official reference for this process: Southern California Edison — generating your own power
Frequently asked questions
Why did the Hidden Hills permit need the association's approval first?
Because the city asked for it. On 10 December 2024 Building and Safety sent the application back with a request to upload plans approved by the association. The Hidden Hills Community Association's architectural committee approved the solar on 16 December 2024.
What conditions did the association set?
Four full-size sets of plans for stamping and the owner's signature, no construction work on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, project vehicles parked only on the building site or the parkway in front of it, and a final inspection by the association once the project was complete.
Why did SCE hold permission to operate on this new house?
Because SCE cannot grant permission to operate to a new home until it has permanent service in SCE's billing system. The application was filed on 15 July 2026 and deemed valid on 17 July, and permission to operate followed on 6 August 2026.
Does Cali Energy install solar in Hidden Hills?
Yes. On this new Hidden Hills house Cali Energy applied to the city, worked to the association's conditions, installed 18 Q Cells modules on Enphase IQ8M microinverters and saw the SCE application through to permission to operate. License CSLB #1032379.
What this would look like on your roof
Planning solar in Hidden Hills? Tell us your utility, your roof and what your bill looks like now, and we will model what a system like this would do on your house before you commit to anything.
Or call +1 (323) 844-7777 · Cali Energy, Northridge · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39) — design, permits, install and electrical under one licensed contractor.
Related
Updated October 2026.