Alameda County Battery Incentives Guide
Complete guide to battery storage rebates for Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont and Alameda County
Ava Community Energy (formerly East Bay Community Energy) launched SmartHome Battery on April 9, 2026; enrollment is open until the budget runs out.[1][2]
Ava pays an installation rebate for the share of the battery you let its virtual power plant use (40%, 60%, or 80%): $90/kWh of the shared portion for market-rate customers, or $500/kWh for income-qualified (CARE/FERA) customers, plus $3 per shared kWh per month for five years. Example: a 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall must share 80% (10.8 kWh) — a $972 rebate at market rate or $5,400 income-qualified, plus about $32/month.
Ava Community Energy is the community choice electricity provider for most of Alameda County (and some San Joaquin County cities); PG&E still delivers power and bills. Confirm Ava on your PG&E bill.
Total Potential Value
What a 13.5 kWh battery (80% shared) can get in Alameda County today:
*Income-qualified (CARE/FERA) rate, $500/kWh of the shared 10.8 kWh. Ava rebates are first come, first served while budget lasts. Income-qualified households may also join the waitlisted SGIP RSSE ($1,100/kWh of storage).
Incentives Available Now
Federal 25D Tax Credit (ended)
Per the IRS, the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit (25D) is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.[3]
Homeowner-owned batteries installed in 2026 do not qualify. Leased or PPA systems are owned by a business that follows separate tax rules; ask the provider how that affects your price.
California SGIP
California's Self-Generation Incentive Program now offers residential storage incentives mainly through its income-qualified Residential Solar and Storage Equity (RSSE) budget.[4][5]
RSSE pays $1,100/kWh of storage (and $3,100/kW of solar) for low-income households installing paired solar + storage; PG&E's RSSE budget is on a waitlist. General-market residential budgets ($150/kWh) were only available through 2025.
PG&E Time-of-Use Savings
Ava customers receive electricity supply from Ava but delivery from PG&E, meaning you're still on PG&E time-of-use rates.[6]
Peak rates (4-9 PM) can exceed $0.50/kWh while off-peak rates are under $0.20/kWh. A battery lets you store cheap midday solar and use it during expensive peak hours.
Backup Power Protection
The East Bay has experienced PSPS events and planned outages. A battery keeps critical loads running during grid outages.
Cities & Areas Covered
Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton, Alameda, San Leandro, Union City, Newark, Dublin, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Emeryville