Solar-ready panels & battery backup in South Orange County

The solar company does the roof. We do the panel it plugs into.

Array of black solar panels mounted on a terracotta barrel-tile roof on a sunny day

Solar and batteries get sold on the roof and in the app, but the main panel decides whether the system fits. Under the 120% rule in the 2023 NEC, a typical panel with a 200-amp busbar and a 200-amp main takes about 7.7 kW of inverter output. A Powerwall 3 at its full 11.5 kW setting is 48 amps, and it doesn’t fit that panel without help.

That help comes in a few forms: a main-breaker derate when the load calculation allows it, a panel with a bigger busbar, a full service upgrade, or a supply-side connection. Batteries add the backup question, too. Whole-home backup needs switching equipment at the meter, while partial backup moves the circuits that matter into their own loads panel. We work it out with numbers from your actual panel and pull the permit.

We do the electrical side and work alongside a separate solar installer who designs and mounts the array, so the panel plan is settled before anything goes on the roof. Shane has training with an emphasis on solar. Generators get the same care: a power inlet with a listed interlock or a transfer switch, never a cord into the dryer outlet.

What this covers

Panel capacity checks against the 120% rule before the system is designed
Main-breaker derates, when the load calculation supports the smaller main
Panel and service upgrades when the busbar or the service is the limit
Battery hookups: backup loads panels, gateways and transfer equipment
Generator power inlets with listed interlocks or transfer switches
EV-ready circuits planned alongside the solar and battery, permit handled

The craft argument. A solar quote that skips the panel is a quote for the roof. The busbar math, the load calculation and the utility’s rules decide whether the system you signed for can connect, and whether the house can still charge the car afterward. That math is the job, and it’s done before the array goes up.

Get a straight answer

A photo by text is the fastest way to a real number. Small jobs get priced the same day.

(949) 702-0385 Text a photo

Electrical work contracted under C K ELECTRIC · CSLB Lic. #354550 (C-10) · Farmer Works Electric license in process

From Shane’s jobs

Gray Kohler automatic transfer switch mounted on a wall between a fire alarm panel and a distribution panel, all fed in EMT — Generator automatic transfer switch beside the distribution

SolarEdge inverter, utility meter, AC disconnect and main panel mounted on a gray stucco wall of a house — Solar inverter, meter and AC disconnect on a house

More field photos →

Questions people ask

Do I need a panel upgrade for solar?

Not always. A panel with a 200-amp busbar and a 200-amp main takes about 7.7 kW of inverter output under the 120% rule, and a main-breaker derate or a supply-side connection can stretch that when the load calculation allows. Text a photo of your panel label and you’ll get a straight answer.

Do you install the solar panels?

No. A separate solar company designs and installs the array. We handle the electrical side, from panel capacity and derates to upgrades and battery and generator hookups, and coordinate with the installer so the panel plan is settled first.

Can a battery back up my whole house?

It can with the right equipment. Powerwall 3 does whole-home backup through Backup Gateway 3 or a Backup Switch at the meter. Partial backup, a loads panel carrying the fridge, lights, internet and medical devices, asks less of the battery and is easier to size.

1978

Year C K ELECTRIC’s C-10 license #354550 was issued. Still current and active.

Generations in the trade. Clyde holds the license, Shane runs the work.

C-10

California’s license class for electrical contracting.

Same day

Texted photos usually get a real answer back the same day, from Shane and not a call center.