EV Charging Help
Free Field Guide · August 2026 Edition17 pages · PDF

Carbon Credits for EV Charging

The California LCFS pays real money to charging sites: roughly 4 to 6 cents per kWh dispensed, and far more for fast charging built since 2022. This field guide covers what your site would earn, how to claim it yourself, who will do it for you, and the contract clause that quietly gives it away.

Get the free guideEmailed as a PDF · no charge · updated August 2026
4–6¢Approximate credit value per kWh dispensed at 2026 prices
$70–80Per public nameplate kW per year from fast-charging capacity credits
10 yrsCapacity crediting period for qualifying 50 kW+ fast chargers
3Routes to the money: claim it yourself, hire an aggregator, or your network
§ 1

What’s inside

Thirteen chapters, fact-checked August 2026: the market mechanics, ten-year revenue pro formas for three model sites, a directory of the aggregators serving California, the network fine print, and separate playbooks for installers and property owners.

  • 01How the market works
  • 02Who holds the claim
  • 03Three ways charging earns
  • 04What a credit is worth
  • 05What a site actually earns
  • 06Route one: claim it yourself
  • 07Route two: hire an aggregator
  • 08The aggregator directory
  • 09Route three: your network
  • 10Designing for the credits
  • 11The 2026 compliance bar
  • 12Playbooks: installers and owners
  • 13Beyond California
§ 2

Who it’s for

You own the parking lot

Property owners

Find out what your chargers already earn, whether your network agreement is quietly keeping it, and the seven questions to ask before signing with an aggregator.

You build the sites

Installers & contractors

Put a credit line in every proposal, spec metering that keeps sites eligible, and treat 50 kW as the cliff edge it is. Almost no contractors use this; the ones who do stand out.

You run the numbers

Operators & CFOs

Ten-year pro formas under three price scenarios, the 1.5x capex ceiling that ends capacity crediting, and why grants shrink the prize.

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