SDCP Solar Battery Savings Program

Maximize the earning potential of your Q.HOME CORE Energy Storage System when you enroll in the SDCP Solar Battery Savings Program.

Enroll in San Diego Community Power’s Solar Battery Rewards Program today and receive incentives of up to over $11,000!*

*The incentive amount is an estimated total amount for both upfront and performance incentives. Please see details below for a breakdown of incentive amounts.

What is SDCP’s Solar Battery Savings Program?

San Diego Community Power’s (SDCP) Solar Battery Savings Program is designed to support homeowners in the SDCP service territory by maximizing the earning potential of their battery system through incentives. By simply joining a network of homes connected to smart technology to support the electric grid, homeowners can now earn additional rewards.

Program Incentive Tiers – Market Rate & Non-Market Rate

Customer Types	Market Rate	Non-Market Rate: CARE/FERA & Communities of Concern
Customer Type Definition	Any and all customers that are not registered with CARE/FERA and/or are not in a Community of Concern	Customers that are registered with CARE/FERA and/or are in a Community of Concern
Upfront Solar Incentive	$0	$450/kW-AC¹
Upfront Battery Storage Incentive	$350/kWh nameplate useable capacity	Up to $500/kWh² nameplate useable capacity
Performance Battery Storage Incentive	$0.10/kWh (based on actual performance over the preset dispatch window during on-peak periods)
# of Events	Daily (weekday only or weekday + weekend)
Event Duration	2 hours (for calendar year 2024 & 2025)
Battery Enrollment	Participants can select the percentage of their battery’s useable capacity to enroll in the program, with a minimum requirement of 50%
Underperformance	Battery can underperform by up to 10% of the total enrolled capacity per month
Unenrollment in Program	There will be a prorated claw back associated with the upfront incentive if the participant chooses to unenroll within the first five years

Up to based on if participant is eligible for other solar incentives, i.e., SGIP, DAC-SASH and City of San Diego’s Solar Equity Program
Up to based on if the participant is eligible for other upfront storage incentives, i.e., SGIP

Who Can Participate?

New Q.HOME CORE homeowners in the SDCP service territory that are part of an existing Net Energy Metering (NEM) program are eligible to participate in the SDCP Solar Battery Rewards program and are eligible for the program incentives.*

*Program is currently offered for new battery installations.

Why Should I Participate?

Participation allows you to experience all of the benefits of your Q.HOME CORE system, while also earning a significant amount of reward, while being a part of an innovative Virtual Power Plant (VPP) that supports your community and advances clean energy technologies.

Below is the estimated incentive amount you will receive by participating in this program:

Q.HOME CORE Battery Size	Estimated Upfront Incentive*	Estimated Performance Incentive in 10 Years**	Estimated Total Incentive in 10 Years
10 kWh	$3,150	$2,920	$6,070
15 kWh	$4,725	$4,380	$9,105
20 kWh	$6,300	$5,548	$11,848

*Upfront incentives are based on the market rate and assumes 90% of nameplate capacity as the nameplate usable capacity.

**Performance incentives are based on participating every day and discharging 80% of total capacity during events (One exception- For 20 kWh battery, due to the max power limit of 7.6 kW, the max discharge power for 2 hours is 15.2 kWh instead of 80%.)

Ready to Maximize your Benefits with Q.HOME CORE? Find an Approved Contractor to Get Started!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I participate if I already have a solar system installed?

Yes! If you are an existing solar (NEM) customer and interested in expanding your system and adding battery storage you are eligible for the upfront and performance incentives.

How do I participate?

Work with an approved contractor to submit your applications and install your Q.HOME CORE battery. SDCP will review your applications and process the upfront incentive upon approval and completion of installation and commissioning.

That’s it! Qcells will manage your daily participation for you. And SDCP will evaluate and send the performance incentive annually.

If I participate, will my battery be available for use based on my controls or in the case of a power outage?

Yes! You have the option to select how much of your battery you’d like to enroll in the program, with a minimum 50% of usable capacity to qualify for participation. So if you select to enroll 50%, you will have 50% usable capacity remaining to use as you’d like each day. Qcells will set this up for your battery based on your selected % of usable capacity.

I already have a battery. Can I participate in the program for the performance incentives, and does it matter what battery I already have?

Currently, the program is only offered for new batteries, but please keep an eye on the webpage as SDCP may allow existing batteries to leverage the performance incentive at a later date.

How do I withdraw from the program?

You or the contractor can reach out to SDCP’s call center or email SolarBatterySavings@sdcommunitypower.org if you would like to unenroll from the program.

If you choose to unenroll within the first five years of participation, SDCP will recover a prorated amount of the upfront incentive and you will forfeit all future performance incentives.
If you stay in the program for at least five years, you can keep the upfront incentive and only forfeit future performance incentives remaining over the 10-year life of the battery.

Can I still receive the bill credit for excess discharge power that is exported to the electric grid during the dispatch events?

Yes, the incentive offered by grid service program is additional and independent from the excess power credit under Net Energy Metering tariffs. You’ll continue receiving the same bill credit for exporting power to the grid after your enrollment.

Does this program impact any other incentives, such as federal tax rebates or Self-Generative Incentive Program “SGIP”)?

No! Enrolling in Community Power’s Solar Battery Savings program does not have an impact on federal tax incentives or SGIP and can be stacked on top of those incentives to further lower the cost of the system. This program does not allow for enrollment in any other active dispatch programs, like the Emergency Load Relief Program (“ELRP”) or Demand Side Grid Support (“DSGS”).

Contact grid-service-ca@qcells.com for additional program questions.