# Solar payback calculator

Typical rigid solar panel today: **$0.47/W** (the middle of 43 Amazon and eBay listings we check; cheapest $0.20/W). Enter your system and your rate to see how long the panels take to pay for themselves.

Your state  Fills in your state's average electricity rate (August 2026, EIA) and sun hours (NASA POWER). [IP Geolocation by DB-IP](https://db-ip.com)

 Pays for itself in**—**

 Upfront cost**—**

 Power a year**—**

 Saved a year**—**

[See today's cheapest panels per watt →](https://sharpest.ai/per-unit/rigid-solar-panel) [Batteries per Wh →](https://sharpest.ai/per-unit/portable-power-station)

## Solar payback by state

A 5 kW DIY system at today's typical prices: panels at $0.47/W plus a 5 kW hybrid inverter at $0.08/W, $2,782 in hardware before racking, wiring, permits and installation (an installed system costs several times more). 14% losses, each state's average residential rate (August 2026, EIA) and annual peak sun hours (NASA POWER). Fastest: Hawaii, 0.7 years; slowest: North Dakota, 3.4 years. Pick your state above to run it with your own numbers.

| State | Power $/kWh | Sun h/day | kWh a year | Saved a year | Pays off in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $0.472 | 5.68 | 8,915 | $4,206 | **0.7 yr** |
| California | $0.297 | 5.35 | 8,397 | $2,498 | **1.1 yr** |
| Maine | $0.321 | 3.70 | 5,807 | $1,865 | **1.5 yr** |
| Massachusetts | $0.305 | 3.81 | 5,980 | $1,823 | **1.5 yr** |
| Rhode Island | $0.282 | 3.99 | 6,262 | $1,765 | **1.6 yr** |
| District of Columbia | $0.260 | 4.12 | 6,466 | $1,680 | **1.7 yr** |
| New York | $0.286 | 3.66 | 5,744 | $1,646 | **1.7 yr** |
| New Hampshire | $0.276 | 3.71 | 5,823 | $1,609 | **1.7 yr** |
| New Jersey | $0.246 | 3.92 | 6,152 | $1,514 | **1.8 yr** |
| Connecticut | $0.245 | 3.91 | 6,137 | $1,504 | **1.8 yr** |
| New Mexico | $0.165 | 5.58 | 8,758 | $1,446 | **1.9 yr** |
| Arizona | $0.150 | 5.80 | 9,103 | $1,370 | **2.0 yr** |
| Maryland | $0.214 | 4.04 | 6,341 | $1,357 | **2.0 yr** |
| Colorado | $0.172 | 5.00 | 7,848 | $1,347 | **2.1 yr** |
| Michigan | $0.230 | 3.64 | 5,713 | $1,313 | **2.1 yr** |
| Pennsylvania | $0.218 | 3.80 | 5,964 | $1,298 | **2.1 yr** |
| Vermont | $0.238 | 3.47 | 5,446 | $1,298 | **2.1 yr** |
| Alaska | $0.294 | 2.77 | 4,348 | $1,279 | **2.2 yr** |
| Illinois | $0.193 | 4.11 | 6,451 | $1,246 | **2.2 yr** |
| Texas | $0.159 | 4.97 | 7,800 | $1,241 | **2.2 yr** |
| Delaware | $0.187 | 4.07 | 6,388 | $1,195 | **2.3 yr** |
| Virginia | $0.176 | 4.28 | 6,717 | $1,185 | **2.3 yr** |
| Alabama | $0.163 | 4.61 | 7,235 | $1,182 | **2.4 yr** |
| Ohio | $0.194 | 3.86 | 6,058 | $1,174 | **2.4 yr** |
| Florida | $0.150 | 4.96 | 7,785 | $1,167 | **2.4 yr** |
| Wisconsin | $0.194 | 3.82 | 5,995 | $1,164 | **2.4 yr** |
| Georgia | $0.159 | 4.65 | 7,298 | $1,160 | **2.4 yr** |
| South Carolina | $0.158 | 4.64 | 7,282 | $1,148 | **2.4 yr** |
| Kansas | $0.155 | 4.66 | 7,314 | $1,131 | **2.5 yr** |
| Oklahoma | $0.148 | 4.74 | 7,439 | $1,103 | **2.5 yr** |
| Iowa | $0.171 | 4.03 | 6,325 | $1,079 | **2.6 yr** |
| Indiana | $0.170 | 4.00 | 6,278 | $1,069 | **2.6 yr** |
| Oregon | $0.159 | 4.27 | 6,702 | $1,067 | **2.6 yr** |
| Missouri | $0.160 | 4.24 | 6,655 | $1,066 | **2.6 yr** |
| Minnesota | $0.172 | 3.88 | 6,090 | $1,047 | **2.7 yr** |
| North Carolina | $0.149 | 4.44 | 6,969 | $1,042 | **2.7 yr** |
| Mississippi | $0.144 | 4.58 | 7,188 | $1,037 | **2.7 yr** |
| Utah | $0.133 | 4.95 | 7,769 | $1,034 | **2.7 yr** |
| Wyoming | $0.144 | 4.56 | 7,157 | $1,033 | **2.7 yr** |
| Nevada | $0.127 | 5.12 | 8,036 | $1,022 | **2.7 yr** |
| Arkansas | $0.144 | 4.44 | 6,969 | $1,001 | **2.8 yr** |
| West Virginia | $0.163 | 3.89 | 6,105 | $996 | **2.8 yr** |
| South Dakota | $0.151 | 4.18 | 6,561 | $994 | **2.8 yr** |
| Montana | $0.156 | 4.05 | 6,356 | $990 | **2.8 yr** |
| Louisiana | $0.129 | 4.66 | 7,314 | $941 | **3.0 yr** |
| Nebraska | $0.135 | 4.42 | 6,937 | $939 | **3.0 yr** |
| Idaho | $0.134 | 4.37 | 6,859 | $917 | **3.0 yr** |
| Tennessee | $0.134 | 4.32 | 6,780 | $910 | **3.1 yr** |
| Kentucky | $0.138 | 4.15 | 6,513 | $899 | **3.1 yr** |
| Washington | $0.146 | 3.76 | 5,901 | $863 | **3.2 yr** |
| North Dakota | $0.133 | 3.94 | 6,184 | $823 | **3.4 yr** |

## How the math works

**Power a year** = system kW × peak sun hours a day × 365 × (1 − losses). **Saved a year** = that × your electricity rate. **Pays for itself** = (kW × 1,000 × panel $/W + other costs) ÷ saved a year.

Panels are only part of a system: add inverters, racking, wiring, permits and installation under "Other costs". The 14% losses default is the system-loss figure NREL's PVWatts calculator uses; peak sun hours run from about 3 in the cloudy north to 6+ in the Southwest, so check yours. It ignores incentives, net-metering rules, panel degradation and rate increases, which can move the answer either way.

Panel price per watt as of 2026-11-05: the middle and lowest of 43 current rigid-panel listings (Amazon, and eBay item + shipping) tracked on our [solar panel price page](https://sharpest.ai/per-unit/rigid-solar-panel).

---
As of 2026-11-05. Canonical page: https://sharpest.ai/calculators/solar-payback