In short: San Diego has the most expensive power of California’s big utilities: SDG&E’s full-service homes paid about 43.6¢ per kWh in 2024. That makes every kWh of solar you use yourself valuable, even under NEM 3.0. Ordinary outages are short (71 minutes in 2024), but wildfire shutoffs hit the backcountry.
This page covers the City of San Diego and Carlsbad: what SDG&E’s numbers mean for solar, batteries, backup power and EV charging, and how the city’s fast solar permits work. For statewide rules (NEM 3.0, SGIP, CSLB licensing, plug-in solar), see our California energy guide.
San Diego at a glance
- SDG&E, full service: about 43.6¢ per kWh for homes in 2024, against about 39.6¢ for PG&E and 32.4¢ for SCE (EIA-861).
- Community choice customers: most SDG&E homes buy their power from a community choice provider such as San Diego Community Power and pay SDG&E for delivery, which averaged about 28.1¢ per kWh on its own in 2024.
- Outages: SDG&E customers lost 157 minutes of power in 2024 including major events and 71 without them; about 0.6 interruptions per customer (EIA-861).
- Sun: about 4.9 kWh per square meter per day at the coast (NASA POWER, 2001–2020), held down by the cloudy “June gloom” months; inland areas are usually sunnier. Our rough estimate: about 1,430 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates San Diego County “very high” for earthquake, inland flooding and wildfire, and “relatively high” for heat waves and landslides.
- Public charging: San Diego had 3,225 public charging ports and Carlsbad 247 (AFDC Station Locator data, October 3, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
In San Diego and Carlsbad, SDG&E owns the wires and meters. Your bill also shows whether your power is supplied by SDG&E or by a community choice provider; EIA lists San Diego Community Power and Clean Energy Alliance in the region. Either way, solar rules come from the state:
- Solar credits: new systems go on the CPUC’s Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3.0). Power you use yourself saves the full rate; exports earn hourly “avoided cost” values that are usually far below retail. Homes that connected under NEM 1 or NEM 2 keep those terms for 20 years.
- Battery incentive: in SDG&E territory, the state’s SGIP program is run by the Center for Sustainable Energy (CPUC), not by SDG&E.
- Rates: SDG&E offers time-of-use and EV rate plans; compare them on SDG&E’s site, because the gap between overnight and evening prices drives what solar, batteries and EV charging save.
Backup power in San Diego
On a normal day SDG&E’s grid is reliable: 71 minutes without power per customer in 2024. The exception is the wildfire season. When Santa Ana winds and dry weather combine, SDG&E can de-energize lines in high fire-threat areas; the CPUC lists SDG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff reports for November and December 2024 and January 2025. Check the CPUC’s fire-threat map to see whether your address is in one.
If you are in a high fire-threat area, plan for a shutoff of a day or more: a home battery with solar can recharge during the day, and a generator gives the most runtime per dollar. SDG&E lists backup power assistance for some customers in high fire-threat areas; check its site for current eligibility. A portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, lights and a CPAP. Compare options in our backup power guide, size them with the battery backup calculator or generator sizing calculator, and keep generators outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house (CPSC). See generator installation.
Solar in San Diego
San Diego’s coast is less sunny than you might expect, about 1,430 kWh a year per kW of panels by our rough estimate, but the price makes up for it. At SDG&E’s 2024 full-service average of 43.6¢, each kW of panels whose output you use at home is worth roughly $625 a year. Exports earn far less under NEM 3.0, so the winning setup is sized to your own use, with laundry, pool pumps and EV charging moved into sunny hours, and a battery for the evening peak.
If you buy power from a community choice provider, your savings per kWh depend on its generation rate plus SDG&E’s delivery charges; your bill shows both. These are estimates, not promises. Check your roof with the solar potential tool and the solar savings calculator, and read how solar installation works and our net metering guide.
Batteries
With NEM 3.0 and a big gap between midday and evening prices, a battery does two jobs in San Diego: it moves cheap solar into the expensive evening hours, and it keeps the house running through a shutoff. SGIP, administered here by the Center for Sustainable Energy, now funds mainly income-qualified and vulnerable households; check the program page. San Diego’s simple solar permit can include a battery (see below). More in home battery installation and battery costs.
EV charging
At SDG&E’s 2024 full-service average, charging at home with a car that uses about 30 kWh per 100 miles costs roughly $13 per 100 miles (our estimate), the most of any area in our California guides. That is why the rate plan matters: charging overnight on a time-of-use or EV plan is far cheaper than charging in the evening. Solar plus daytime charging is another route if your car is home in the day. See EV charger installation, charging an EV with solar and the EV charging cost calculator.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in San Diego: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- City of San Diego: Development Services issues the electrical permit for solar and batteries. If the design follows the template in Information Bulletin 301, a rooftop home system up to 38.4 kW AC is self-issued with no plan review, and it can include a panel upgrade up to 320 amps, a battery system up to 38.4 kWh (no unit over 20 kWh) and an inverter-integrated EV charger (rooftop solar permit page).
- Carlsbad: licensed contractors can use SolarAPP+ for eligible rooftop systems, then get the permit through the city’s online portal; other projects follow the standard checklist.
- Interconnection and contractors: SDG&E must approve the system before it is switched on. Use a CSLB-licensed C-10 or C-46 contractor, and check HOA rules.
Cities in this guide
- San Diego
- Carlsbad
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San Diego energy questions
Is solar worth it in San Diego under NEM 3.0?
Often, because power is so expensive. At SDG&E’s 2024 full-service average of 43.6¢ per kWh, a kW of panels whose output you use at home is worth about $625 a year by our rough estimate. Exports earn much less, so size to your use and consider a battery. Get quotes based on your own bills.
Do I need plan review for solar in the City of San Diego?
Not for typical homes. A rooftop system up to 38.4 kW AC built to the Information Bulletin 301 template is self-issued without plan review, and the same permit can cover a panel upgrade, a battery system up to 38.4 kWh and an inverter-integrated EV charger. Structural changes need a combination building permit.
Will SDG&E shut off my power for wildfire risk?
Only if your home is served by lines in an area SDG&E de-energizes during extreme fire weather in high fire-threat areas. Sign up for SDG&E’s outage alerts and check the CPUC’s fire-threat map for your address. If you are in a high fire-threat area, plan backup power for a day or more.
Who runs the battery rebate in San Diego?
The state’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) is administered in SDG&E territory by the Center for Sustainable Energy. Most remaining funds go to income-qualified and vulnerable households. Check the program page for current eligibility, because budgets change.
Sources
Utility prices, service areas and outage minutes: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 2024 data (prices are 2024 averages; “full service” means SDG&E supplies and delivers the power). CPUC SGIP administrators and PSPS post-event reports. City of San Diego Development Services rooftop solar permit page and Information Bulletin 301 (May 2026); City of Carlsbad SolarAPP+ page. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001–2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Charging ports: AFDC, October 3, 2026. Generator safety: CPSC. Checked October 3, 2026. Estimates are ours and labelled as such.