A new battery on the wall is an encouraging step toward backup power for your San Marcos home. Before counting on it during an outage, confirm both SDG&E authorization and the installer's instructions for your approved system.
Do not treat installation completion, an app connection or a displayed charge level as permission to operate. This guide uses official sources checked September 27, 2026.
Who handles approval in San Marcos?
Clean Energy Alliance's FAQ lists San Marcos among its member cities and explains that SDG&E continues delivering electricity and maintaining the grid. Check your bill to confirm your generation provider. CEA enrollment does not replace SDG&E's interconnection process for rooftop solar and batteries.
SDG&E's installation center directs homeowners or contractors to submit an interconnection application through DIIS. Passing initial technical reviews produces an email allowing installation to begin. That is an earlier milestone than final permission to operate, or PTO.
Ask the contractor to identify the exact approval you have received. An email about starting installation should not be filed as though it were the final operating authorization.
Track the step after inspection
SDG&E's contractor interconnection guide shows the sequence after installation: the contractor arranges the city or county inspection; after a pass, the inspecting authority sends its release to SDG&E. The application then moves toward an SDG&E inspection or final review. An approved final review results in a PTO email to the customer and contractor.
For your project, request a short written status update:
- Has the inspecting authority sent its release, and is it posted in DIIS?
- Is an SDG&E inspection or final review still pending?
- Are documents, corrections or equipment changes awaiting action?
- Who will send you the final approval and activation instructions?
This is more useful than repeatedly asking whether the installation is “done.” Avoid planning around a promised universal turnaround time; your remaining project steps determine what happens next.
Does a no-export setting mean you can start?
Do not assume so. SDG&E's Rule 21 overview explains that parallel operation of self-generation requires interconnection with its distribution system. A setting that limits exports is not itself an authorization document.
If the installer proposes any operation before final PTO, have the installer identify the applicable written SDG&E authorization and permitted configuration for your specific project. Do not change commissioning settings based on another homeowner's app screenshots. Keep an independent outage plan until authorized backup operation has been confirmed.
For example, suppose a hypothetical household passes its local inspection on Monday but is still awaiting SDG&E's final review. The useful next action is checking the inspection release and outstanding review items—not assuming the battery is ready because it appears online. This example is not a project-time estimate.
Include activation support in the PPA
A qualifying no-upfront solar-plus-battery PPA can make equipment accessible while preserving cash. Ask the proposal to include interconnection coordination, activation support and a demonstration of the backed-up circuits. Have the installer explain usable charge, supported loads, reserve settings and service contacts before relying on the system.
The CPUC consumer guide explains that the PPA provider owns the solar system and sells its generated electricity. Review ongoing payments, starting rate, any escalator, term, battery ownership, maintenance, replacement and home-sale terms. Confirm qualification, separate charges and the contractual billing-start milestone. No upfront purchase does not mean free electricity or guaranteed savings.
After activation, backup remains limited by equipment capability, available charge and household demand. Solar recharge needs usable sunlight and compatible equipment. Our battery energy and power guide helps separate those operating questions from approval status.
Bring your San Marcos project status, proposed agreement and backup priorities to the West Coast Alternatives homeowner journey. Clear responsibilities help turn installed equipment into an authorized, understood backup plan.