California solar · Concord
Concord solar is a portal job before it is a panel job
Written by the Solar Learning Lab research deskUpdated August 24, 20269 min read
Concord's cleanest residential route runs through the Accela Virtual Permit Center, where a SolarAPP+-approved project can issue immediately once the online fee is paid. The city's fee schedule is tiered instead of flat, and its published components land below the statewide $450 baseline cap for a typical 15 kW-or-less SolarAPP+ permit.
There is also a useful paper trail: the CEC marks Concord's SB 379 status as SolarAPP+ Platform and its CalAPP grant as Awarded. That says the city has put a system in place. It does not tell you whether the proposed array is economically sized for an MCE and PG&E bill.
Start with the application type
Ask whether the design is already SolarAPP+ approved before treating an instant permit as part of the deal.
See Concord's permit path
Photo: colmkay, via Pixabay
Accela is the door. SolarAPP+ is the eligibility test.
Concord's Solar PV (Solar APP) application type is only for residential photovoltaic installations pre-approved by SolarAPP+. The city's sequence is specific: register in the Virtual Permit Center, select the Solar PV application, add project and contractor information, upload the SolarAPP+ Approved Checklist and required declaration, certify, then pay online. The permit issues immediately upon payment. The city's application guide is worth reading before a contract locks the design.
Concord requires the contractor to hold a city business license in that workflow. SolarAPP+-approved projects may include electrical panel replacement and energy storage systems, according to the city guide. That does not mean every version of those scopes is eligible. It means the application route is broader than a bare-panel assumption.
The state tracking workbook lists Concord as SolarAPP+ Platform, annual report submitted as 2023 Data, and CalAPP grant Awarded at $80,000. The CEC says it does not certify platform compliance, so the city's own current rules stay in front. CEC tracking workbook.
The fee schedule has parts. Do not erase them.
For the SolarAPP+ auto-permit, Concord lists a $311.50 base inspection fee through 15 kW AC. The schedule also lists a $67.50 administrative fee plus 0.000789 times valuation, capped at $550, and a technology surcharge of 10.5 percent of administrative, plan-review, and inspection fees. The research record does not independently confirm one all-in dollar figure, but these stated components put the typical 15 kW-or-less SolarAPP+ permit below the statewide $450 fee cap baseline. Concord's fee schedule and Government Code 66015 give the governing numbers.
For a standard Solar PV permit, the city lists $89.50 base plan review plus $222 base inspection through 15 kW AC. The relevant question is not which number looks cheaper in a sales proposal. It is which actual application type and scope the contractor plans to submit.
MCE joined the Concord story in 2018. PG&E did not leave it.
MCE has served Concord since 2018. The community-choice provider supplies generation for enrolled accounts, while PG&E remains the delivery utility. A new system whose Permission to Operate is completed after April 14, 2023 falls under MCE's Solar Billing Plan, which places customers on PG&E E-ELEC and credits exports using MCE's published structure. MCE's Concord listing and its solar rules are the useful primary references.
| Energy source | Type | Average price | What that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| PG&E E-1 | tiered reference | 33¢ to 41¢ per kWh | The price steps up above baseline use. |
| PG&E E-TOU-C | time-of-use reference | 29¢ to 52¢ per kWh | Season and time period change the price. |
| MCE Solar Bonus | export add-on | 10% of energy export credits | MCE says this applies each billing period for Solar Billing Plan customers. |
| Onsite generation | self-consumption | retail avoided cost varies by hour | The highest-value solar kWh is often the one that stays in the home. |
MCE lists a 2026 Energy Export Bonus Credit of $0.009 per kWh for standard residential systems added that year and $0.036 per kWh for low-income customers. It also lists a $10 monthly storage credit below 20 kWh and $20 monthly at 20 kWh or above. Those can matter. They are not a substitute for an hour-by-hour load assumption.
Concord's model has a late-summer high point
At the standardized downtown coordinate, each installed kW produces an estimated 1,690.2 kWh per year. July reaches 181.4 kWh per kW, August is close behind at 180.6, and December falls to 86.7. The chart is a comparison tool, not a roof guarantee.
July is the model's strongest month. A home that uses energy during daylight can make more of that production valuable.
PVGIS. PVGIS v5.2 model run by Solar Learning Lab on August 24, 2026, NSRDB radiation database. Fixed south facing mount, 30 degree tilt, 14 percent losses, downtown Concord coordinates. Your roof will differ.
The core questions keep the process honest
Is the submitted design actually SolarAPP+ approved? Does the fee allowance show the auto-permit components rather than one unexplained lump? What fraction of modeled output is assumed to be used immediately in the house? The portal answers the first question quickly. It cannot answer the other two for you.
The homeowner 25D credit ended after 2025. A 2026 purchase should not carry a homeowner federal-credit line unless it is referring to a preserved pre-2026 carryforward amount. The CRS note describes the cutoff.
Use local ratings as a shortlist, not a verdict
Ask every bidder to provide the submitted application type, a copy of the SolarAPP+ approval when applicable, and a production model that says what happens to exports. A good score on a map does not answer those project questions.
solarXperts
Concord, CA
4.3(102 Google reviews)
KOTA Energy Group
Concord, CA
4.0(93 Google reviews)
Ratings snapshot: Google Maps, August 2026, via the DataForSEO SERP feed. Zero companies paid us and none are endorsed by us.
Start with a restrained Concord estimate
The calculator uses a city production run and a California retail-rate baseline. Push the production setting lower before letting a proposed system size become a commitment.
This model uses downtown Concord coordinates. Its lower bound is 85 percent of modeled annual output, deliberately leaving room for a less favorable roof.
Cash quotes in Concord cluster near $2.46 per watt, against a $3.50 national 2024 median (LBNL). Use your quote.
Assumptions you can change
Use the rate on your actual lease or PPA quote. There is no published statewide average we trust enough to hardcode.
Cash purchase
$8,364 after state credit
- Year 1 benefit
- $159/mo
- Payback
- 5 years
- 20 year net position
- $38,005
This is a size-comparison tool, not an MCE bill simulation. Concord customers need to separate retail self-use from wholesale-rate-based export credits under the Solar Billing Plan.
Solar loan
$112/mo 15 yr payment
- Year 1 net
- $47/mo
- Upfront
- $0
- 20 year net position
- $26,236
Make the contractor identify the SolarAPP+ project scope, cash price, financed price, dealer fee, and annual percentage rate in the same proposal.
Lease / PPA
$0 down you buy the power
- Year 1 net
- $44/mo
- Upfront
- $0
- 20 year net position
- $14,508
A PPA can be compared only after its rate escalator and production assumptions are shown next to the household's actual PG&E and MCE bill structure.
Estimates, not quotes. This tool uses a California retail-rate baseline and a Concord PVGIS production run. It cannot reproduce PG&E time-of-use pricing, MCE export credits, fixed charges, shading, or roof-specific design. We are a solar installer and we also partner with other solar companies. See our disclosures.
Concord solar FAQ
Can a Concord SolarAPP+ permit issue immediately?
Is Concord's solar permit a flat fee?
Was Concord awarded a CalAPP grant?
Does MCE serve Concord?
Do new MCE solar customers get retail export credits?
Get the Concord project assumptions on paper
Bring a full year of bills and ask for a proposal that names its permit route and export assumptions.
What does your monthly electric bill look like?
Concord average is $167 per month (EIA, 2024).