Solar Panel Cost in California (2026)
Installed solar in California runs about $2.90 per watt — roughly 12% above the national average of $2.58/W. With the federal residential tax credit (25D) gone as of 2026, payback here rests on a $0.33/kWh power price and 5.5 daily peak sun hours.
Worked example: a typical $150/month home in California
A $150/month electric bill in California works out to about 5,455 kWh a year. Sizing a cash-purchase system to cover 100% of that:
Last updated June 30, 2026
California solar numbers
- Installed price
- $2.90 / watt
- Electricity price
- $0.33 / kWh
- Peak sun hours
- 5.5 hrs/day
- State incentive
- 0%
- Net-metering value
- 25% of retail
$/W: industry pricing surveys · electricity: U.S. EIA, 12-month average through April 2026 · sun hours: NREL.
Local context: NEM 3.0 slashed export credits to roughly a quarter of retail, so batteries are now central to payback.
California credits exported power at about 25% of the retail rate (NEM 3.0-style), so a battery to store and self-use your generation usually improves the return here.
Estimate your own California system
Adjust the bill, ownership, and battery options below — it's pre-set to California's pricing and sun hours.
Monthly shape modeled with NREL PVWatts® v8 (NSRDB 2020 TMY) — updated July 18, 2026.
Electricity 33.0¢/kWh — U.S. EIA, 12-month average through April 2026.
Data: U.S. EIA · OpenEI URDB · Google Solar · NREL PVWatts · DSIRE · IRS · ENERGY STAR · industry surveys — see all sources