NEM 3.0 Export Rate Calculator
See what your solar exports are actually worth under California's Net Billing Tariff — a fraction of the old retail-rate credit.
NEM 3.0 pays for exported solar at your utility's hour-by-hour avoided-cost rate, not the near-retail credit NEM 2.0 used to give. There's no single number — this gives you a realistic range based on your monthly export estimate.
NEM 3.0 Export Rate Calculator
Estimated Monthly Export Credit
Annual Estimate
Same Export Under Old NEM 2.0
How this is calculated
Under the NEM 3.0 Net Billing Tariff, every kWh you export is credited at your utility's Avoided Cost Calculator (ACC) rate for that specific hour and month — there is no flat cents-per-kWh figure published anywhere, because it's designed to track the real-time value of that electricity to the grid.
Blended across a typical year, most customers land somewhere around 2–10 cents/kWh, compared to roughly 25–30 cents/kWh under the old NEM 2.0 near-retail credit — this tool uses that blended range, not a single exact rate, because only your utility's own ACC lookup tool can give you the precise figure.
Customers on CARE/FERA or pairing with a qualifying battery can add an extra 2.2–9 cents/kWh (the "ACC Plus" adder) for their first 9 years on the tariff. NEM 3.0 applies to essentially all systems interconnected on or after April 15, 2023; older systems may still be on a legacy NEM 1.0/2.0 rate for a fixed transition period.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do I get paid for solar exports under NEM 3.0?
There's no single flat rate. NEM 3.0 (the Net Billing Tariff) pays a rate that changes by hour and month based on each utility's Avoided Cost Calculator, and blends out to roughly 2-10 cents per kWh across a year for most customers — far below the old NEM 2.0 near-retail credit of about 25-30 cents per kWh.
Why is NEM 3.0 so much lower than NEM 2.0?
NEM 2.0 credited exports at close to the retail rate you'd otherwise pay for electricity. NEM 3.0 instead pays the utility's actual avoided cost of that electricity at the exact hour it's exported — and most rooftop solar exports happen midday, when the grid has the least need for extra power and the avoided-cost value is lowest.
What is the ACC Plus adder?
An additional per-kWh credit on top of the base export rate, available for the first nine years to customers on a low-income rate (CARE or FERA) or who pair their solar with a qualifying battery. It's meant to soften the transition to lower export rates for those groups.
Can I still get old NEM 2.0 rates on a new system?
No. NEM 3.0 has applied to essentially all new solar interconnections since April 15, 2023. Only customers who were already interconnected under NEM 1.0 or NEM 2.0 before that date keep their legacy rate, generally for a fixed number of years from their interconnection date.
Does a battery help under NEM 3.0?
Generally yes. Since exporting to the grid pays little, a battery that lets you use your own solar in the evening (when grid electricity is expensive) instead of exporting it midday (when export credit is low) usually saves more than exporting would earn — this is the main reason battery attach rates have risen sharply since NEM 3.0 began.
This tool provides an educational estimate only and is not affiliated with PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, or the CPUC. Your exact export rate depends on your utility's published Avoided Cost Calculator at the time of export — confirm the precise figure with your utility before making a financial decision.