Recent installs
Merced County installs recorded in 2025 and 2026. A big historical name with thin recent activity is a different signal than a company building every week.
Best solar companies California Merced County
Best solar companies in Merced County (2026)
Every company ranked below is measured on what it has actually built in Merced County: verified installs, recent activity, years in the county, system sizes, and ownership mix. Public installation records, not paid placement.
16,552verified Merced County systems
12established companies ranked
$3.53/Wmedian reported cost, owned systems
133installers active in 2025
Merced County solar companies: rankings and reviews
Ranked by recent installs from CPUC records through May 2026, with review scores from every published customer review. Click any column to re-sort, or select companies to compare reviews side by side.What this data covers: These counts come from PG&E interconnection records, the investor-owned utility service in Merced County. Homes served by municipal or cooperative utilities interconnect through their local utility instead and do not appear in these records, so installers focused on those areas show fewer installs here than they actually build.
Every company with 250 or more verified Merced County installs, ranked by recent 2025-26 activity. All columns are Merced County-specific. The county's 133 active installers in 2025 include smaller and occasional operations below that bar. Acquired brands count under their current parent: SolarCity under Tesla Energy, Vivint Solar under Sunrun. No per-installer price is published in the table.
Verified installs
Residential systems in Merced County public records listing that company as installer of record, all time. Real local activity, not review stars.
% leased
The share of that company's Merced County systems recorded as third party owned, a lease or power purchase agreement. Ownership mix, not quality.
Solar.com Score
Every published customer review of each company, read in full and scored 0-10 across six categories. Under 20 reviews: not yet scored. Never for sale. How scores work →
| # | Installer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SunrunIncludes Vivint Solar records | 555 | 2,937 | 2014 | 82.9% | 6.6 | Get a direct bid | |
| 2 | Citadel Roofing And Solar | 188 | 334 | 2021 | 0.0% | 7.6 | Get a direct bid | |
| 3 | Bright Ops | 160 | 251 | 2024 | 70.5% | Not yet scored | Get a direct bid | |
| 4 | Empower Electric Solar | 67 | 367 | 2020 | 1.1% | 6.8 | Get a direct bid | |
| 5 | Sunrun Installation Services | 51 | 1,294 | 2014 | 54.3% | Not yet scored | Get a direct bid | |
| 6 | Freedom Forever | 36 | 455 | 2018 | 38.0% | 6.9 | Get a direct bid | |
| 7 | Tesla EnergyIncludes SolarCity records | 26 | 1,802 | 2008 | 53.3% | 6.8 | Get a direct bid | |
| 8 | Apg Solar | 25 | 398 | 2011 | 0.3% | 7.9 | Get a direct bid | |
| 9 | American Array Solar Electric | 4 | 283 | 2019 | 0.0% | 7.4 | Get a direct bid | |
| 10 | Solgen Electric | 1 | 368 | 2020 | 1.4% | Not yet scored | Get a direct bid | |
| 11 | Infinity Energy | 0 | 366 | 2016 | 49.5% | 5.3 | Get a direct bid | |
| 12 | Alternative Power Generation | 0 | 252 | 2008 | 0.0% | Not yet scored | Get a direct bid |
Solar.com Scores are live for 8 of the 12 ranked companies. Companies marked “Not yet scored” have fewer than 20published reviews or are still being analyzed; scores appear as each company's full review record is processed. Select up to 4 companies to compare them category by category.
% leased counts systems recorded as third party owned, meaning a lease or power purchase agreement. The remainder are customer owned. Active installer counts include every company that filed an interconnection that year, down to small and occasional operations. Counts come from PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E interconnection records; homes served by municipal utilities like LADWP, SMUD, and city power departments interconnect through their local utility instead, so companies focused on those territories show fewer records here. The Solar.com Score is computed from the full text of each company's published customer reviews (star ratings and review counts sourced from Google and Yelp); it is separate from the install ranking and never for sale.
Where solar.com fits in
The ranking shows activity. Your bid decides everything else.
No sponsored slots. Placement is not for sale.Vetted before they bid
Before an installer competes through solar.com, we check license, insurance, workmanship history, and service follow-through, and keep reviewing after every project.
Bid accountability
The number has to hold up with equipment, roof scope, adders, warranties, and timelines, on one address-specific scope you can compare line by line.
The price is guaranteed
Direct bids skip the retail sales channel, and the Best Price Guarantee backs the final number in writing.
Same crews. Different price.
Through solar.com, vetted installers compete for your project on one address-specific scope, and our Best Price Guarantee backs the bid.
$3.53/Wmedian reported install cost, owned systems (CPUC)
12established companies ranked in the county
Merced County city pages
PG&E territory with 16,552 recorded home solar systems in public interconnection records.FAQ
Who has the best solar company reviews in Merced County?
The Solar.com Score column ranks review quality directly: we read the full text of every published customer review of the county's established installers and score what reviewers actually report, 0-10, across sales integrity, price transparency, communication, timeline reliability, workmanship, and after-install support. Sort the table by Solar.com Score or select companies to compare their reviews side by side.
Who is the best solar company in Merced County?
The best company depends on your roof, utility, equipment needs, and whether you want to own the system or use a lease-style agreement. The table ranks installers by verified Merced County interconnection activity, not by ratings or paid placement.
How are Merced County installers ranked here?
The list includes every company with at least 250 verified Merced County installs in CPUC Rule 21 public records through May 2026, ranked by recent 2025-26 activity with all-time installs as the tiebreak. Every column is Merced County-specific. Acquired brands are combined with their current parent, so SolarCity records count under Tesla Energy and Vivint Solar records count under Sunrun.
What does % leased (TPO) mean?
% leased (TPO) is the share of that installer's recorded systems that appear as third-party owned. It helps you see whether an installer historically skews toward owned systems, leases, or a mix.
How does solar.com pricing compare in Merced County?
Merced County has a median reported install cost of $3.53/W on owned-system CPUC records. Run your address through solar.com to see direct bids for your home, backed by the Best Price Guarantee.
Does being listed mean solar.com recommends that installer?
No. The public table reports verified installation volume only. The companies that bid on your home are separately vetted before they can compete through solar.com, and nobody can buy public placement here.
Get bids from installers competing through solar.com.
Run your address and see direct pricing for Merced County in about two minutes. No sales call required.
Methodology: Counts are residential PV interconnections in investor-owned-utility territory (PG&E, SCE, SDG&E) per CPUC Rule 21 public records through May 2026. Postal and name variants are merged. Municipal utility territory such as LADWP, Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank, Anaheim, and Riverside Public Utilities is not included in those CPUC counts. Counts show recorded installations, not quality ratings. Reported costs are self-reported on owned-system interconnections. No installer can pay for placement.