California is the top state in the US for residential solar. But one question remains for many homeowners – how much does solar actually cost? We’ve put together this guide to give you an idea of how much solar costs in your region of the state.
Homeowners in California are installing solar on their homes at an unprecedented rate. Although the California solar market is growing every day, solar prices still remain somewhat of a mystery. That’s why we’ve done the research and compiled our Cost of Solar Index for California – to show homeowners what their neighbors are actually paying for solar power across the state.
This is the average price that homeowners paid for cash purchased systems. The available incentives have already been factored in to this number.
System sizes can vary depending on your current energy needs, roof size, and budget. On average, homes in the Central Valley area have solar installations of 8.0 kW.
To break down the system cost on a per kW basis, Central Valley residents paid on average $18,362 per W for solar in 2019.
The average cost for a system in the Central Valley ($18,362) is about 9% higher than the average price for the state ($16,298). However, the average system size in Central Valley is much larger at 8.0 kW than the state’s average of 7.0 kW. Homeowners are clearly paying more for larger systems in this region.
A kilowatt (kW) is a form of measurement for energy production. 1 kW is the same as 1,000 watts of hourly energy production potential.