California CCA Programs 2026: How Community Choice Works With Your Solar

What is a Community Choice Aggregator?

A Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) is a public agency, formed by one or more California cities or counties, that procures electricity on behalf of customers in its territory. Rather than letting PG&E, SCE, or SDG&E buy or generate the power you use, the CCA does it — typically with a higher share of renewables and locally sourced generation, often at competitive rates.

CCAs were authorized by AB 117 in 2002 and have expanded steadily. As of 2026, CCAs serve roughly 13 million Californians across more than 200 cities and counties. The first one, Marin Clean Energy, launched in 2010; the newest are still onboarding.

The investor-owned utility (IOU) — PG&E in the north, SCE in the south and central, SDG&E in San Diego — still owns and operates the wires, transformers, and meters. They still respond to outages, read your meter, and send you the bill. The CCA's role is on the generation side: choosing what power gets bought, where it comes from, and how it's priced.

CCA vs. utility: who handles what

Your bill on a CCA breaks into three buckets. Understanding which entity controls each piece makes everything else in this guide easier to follow.

Per PG&E and SCE language, the CCA's charges are not an additional fee — it's restructured billing. The same kWh you'd otherwise buy from the utility is now bought from the CCA, with the delivery cost itemized separately.

CCAs serving PG&E territory

PG&E partners with 12 CCAs that together cover most of Northern and Central California. If your address is in any of the cities or counties listed, you were automatically enrolled in your CCA unless you opted out.

CCAs serving SCE territory

SCE works with 14 CCAs across Southern and Central California. Clean Power Alliance is by far the largest, covering most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

CCAs serving SDG&E territory

Two CCAs operate in San Diego County and together serve more than 80% of customers within SDG&E's service territory.

Both CCAs offer multiple rate products: a default tier (often 50% or more renewable content) and a higher-renewables premium product (100% renewable). The Joint Rate Comparison on each CCA's website shows how their rates stack against SDG&E generation.

CCAs and solar: how NEM 3.0 net billing applies

This is the question that matters most for any homeowner shopping solar quotes: does my CCA change how net metering works? Short answer: the foundation is the same; the details can vary slightly.

NEM 3.0 is set at the state level

The Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3.0) was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in December 2022 and took effect April 2023. It applies to every PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E customer who interconnects new solar — including customers taking generation service from a CCA. Your interconnection application, your meter swap, and your NEM agreement still go through the utility.

The CCA's role is the export credit rate

Under net billing your exported solar earns hourly avoided-cost credits (typically 5-8 cents per kWh, far below the retail rate you pay during peak hours). The CCA, since it's the entity buying your exports, sets the export credit price within the state framework. Some CCAs offer a small premium on exports as a way to make their solar customers' economics modestly better than the IOU default. The difference is usually a few cents per kWh — meaningful over 20 years but not enough to change whether solar makes sense.

Battery storage matters either way

NEM 3.0 made solar-only systems harder to pencil because exports get paid so much less than what you pay to import in the evening. That math is identical for CCA and non-CCA customers. A battery that stores midday solar for evening self-consumption is the practical answer in both cases. For more on this read our NEM 3.0 deep-dive.

SGIP and other rebates work the same

SGIP (the state's battery rebate), DAC-SASH and ERA (income-qualified solar programs), and the property tax exclusion for solar systems are all administered at the state or utility level. They apply regardless of whether you take generation from your CCA or the IOU.

What "CCA Approved Installer" means on Solar Connect

When you see the Approved CCA Installer badge on an installer's profile, that installer has confirmed they regularly handle solar projects for CCA customers in their service area. In practice that means:

• They've completed interconnection paperwork involving CCAs before, not just standard IOU paths.
• They know which export credit rate applies for projects in your specific CCA territory.
• They can advise on any CCA-run battery or solar programs that may stack with the IOU's standard incentives.
• They're set up to coordinate the slightly different meter and net billing application paperwork that CCA projects sometimes require.

It is a workflow signal — not a price discount or a different quality of equipment. Every quote you get through Solar Connect is from a vetted installer regardless of CCA badge status. The badge just tells you whether the installer has handled CCA jobs as a regular part of their pipeline.

How to find out which CCA serves your address

If you're not sure whether you're on a CCA, your most recent electricity bill is the fastest place to check. Look for a line item labeled generation or electric generation. If it shows a CCA name (Clean Power Alliance, MCE, San Diego Community Power, etc.), that's your CCA. If it shows the utility name as the generation provider, you're on standard utility service — either because no CCA serves your address yet, or because you opted out.

You can also use the IOU's address lookup tools:

• PG&E customers: PG&E's CCA page has a city selector.
• SCE customers: SCE's CCA page lists every CCA in its territory with contact phone numbers.
• SDG&E customers: SDG&E's CCA page has a city-by-city lookup.

Once you know your CCA, check their website for the current rate comparison and renewable content — both factor into whether you'd ever want to opt out.

Opting out and re-enrolling

You can leave your CCA at any time. The rules vary slightly between PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E territories but the structure is similar across all three:

• Within 60 days of enrollment: You can opt out and return immediately to the IOU's standard rate plan with no transition period.
• After 60 days: You typically choose between an immediate return to a variable transition rate or a six-month return-to-utility schedule on standard rates. Some CCAs may charge a small re-entry or processing fee depending on when you leave.
• Re-enrolling later: You can opt back into the CCA after leaving. Check your CCA's terms for any waiting period.

For solar customers specifically, opting in or out of a CCA does not impact your NEM 3.0 status or your interconnection agreement — those are with the utility. You just change which entity sells you the power you don't make yourself.