Updated October 14, 2026
A national dataset just confirmed what installers across Los Angeles have been seeing on the ground all year: batteries are no longer an upsell, they’re becoming the default. According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s U.S. Distributed Solar and Storage dataset, reported by pv magazine USA on October 1, 2026, 37% of new U.S. residential solar systems installed in 2025 included a battery, up from 25% in 2024. In California specifically, the attach rate hit 74% in 2025, up from 58% the year before. Non-residential (commercial) battery attach rates rose too, from 7% to 11%.
What percentage of new solar systems included a battery in 2025?
Nationally, 37% of new U.S. residential solar installations added storage in 2025, up from 25% in 2024 — a jump of 12 points in a single year. California ran well ahead of that national number, with 74% of new residential systems pairing solar and storage. Outside California, the attach rate more than doubled, from 7% to 17%.
Berkeley Lab’s data also shows median battery discharge capacity jumped from 6 kW in 2024 to 11.4 kW in 2025, while median usable capacity held steady around 13.5 kWh. The lab attributes much of the discharge-capacity jump to wider deployment of the Tesla Powerwall 3, which outputs significantly more power than earlier Powerwall generations — enough to run a home’s AC, well pump, or EV charger simultaneously during an outage, not just the essentials.
Why are LA homeowners adding batteries faster than the rest of the country?
Two local pressures are pushing attach rates in Los Angeles even higher than the statewide average: wildfire-season power shutoffs and the economics of net metering since NEM 3.0. Which one matters more to you depends almost entirely on your utility.
If you’re served by Southern California Edison (SCE), NEM 3.0 pays roughly $0.04–$0.08 per kWh for solar you export to the grid — a fraction of the retail rate you pay to buy power back at night. A battery lets you store that solar and use it yourself instead of selling it cheap and buying it back expensive, which is the single biggest reason SCE-territory solar customers are now adding storage as a matter of course. SCE customers in high fire-risk areas also face Public Safety Power Shutoffs during Santa Ana season; see our battery backup vs. generator comparison for SCE outages for how much capacity you actually need to ride one out.
If you’re served by LADWP instead (most of the City of Los Angeles), net metering still pays close to the full retail rate, so the financial case for a battery is less urgent — it’s primarily a resilience decision. LADWP doesn’t run SCE’s wildfire-shutoff program, so if you’re in LADWP territory, a battery is about keeping the lights on during a storm-related outage rather than an NEM-driven cost calculation.
How does SCE’s Emergency Load Reduction Program pay you for your battery?
If you’re an SCE customer with a battery, you can enroll in the Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) and get paid $2.00 for every kWh your battery discharges during a declared grid emergency — on top of whatever you’re already saving by avoiding NEM 3.0 export rates. For a Tesla Powerwall enrolled through the Tesla Virtual Power Plant with SCE, that typically works out to up to roughly $16 per Powerwall per event, paid automatically as a bill credit — you don’t have to do anything manually once you’re enrolled.
ELRP is a California Public Utilities Commission pilot that started in 2021 for business customers and was expanded to residential customers starting summer 2022; the CPUC extended the program through 2027. To qualify you need an SCE-approved interval or SmartConnect meter and the ability to reduce load by at least 1 kW during an event — a home battery clears that bar easily. As of October 2026, the program is active and enrollment is handled directly through elrp.sce.com or through your battery’s VPP partner.
Is a battery still worth it without the federal 30% tax credit?
If you buy and own your system outright, the residential federal tax credit (Section 25D, 30%) expired December 31, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — it no longer applies to systems installed in 2026 and after. The only path to a 30%-equivalent credit today is a third-party-owned lease or PPA, where the leasing company claims the commercial 48E credit and that benefit gets built into your lease pricing rather than paid to you directly.
That changes the math, but it doesn’t erase the case for storage. ELRP bill credits, NEM 3.0 export economics, and outage protection are all independent of the federal tax credit, and they apply whether you own your system or lease it. This is general information, not tax advice. Consult a licensed tax professional about your specific situation and eligibility.
What should you check before adding a battery to your LA solar system?
Confirm which utility serves your address (LADWP or SCE) before anyone quotes you a payback period — the NEM 3.0 math only applies to SCE, SDG&E, and PG&E customers, not LADWP. Ask whether your installer is a Tesla-certified installer, since that affects both warranty terms and your ability to enroll in Tesla’s VPP program. If you run a business, note that commercial attach rates are rising too (7% to 11% in 2025); our commercial solar team can walk through demand-charge and backup economics separately from the residential numbers above.
PV Sky USA is a licensed, Tesla-certified installer (C-46 #1121965) serving the greater Los Angeles area, including both LADWP and SCE territory. If you want a straight answer on whether a Powerwall pencils out at your address — and whether you qualify for ELRP — call (818) 378-9204 or request a free assessment through our contact form.