How much do solar panels usually cost?

Question

I was thinking of having some installed on our rooftop and was wondering if it would be worth the cost? The house is located in Sac, Cali. The panels would face the sun 12 months out of the year and in the summer roughly 14 hours of straight sun.

Answer 1

Solar panels are currently selling for between $4 and $6 per watt of rated power output. A typical panel that you might install on your roof would be rated for between 100 and 300 watts and therefore will cost between about $400 and around $1500 or so.

A complete solar power system also needs some other components and will have some installation costs and so the total installed cost of a solar system is typically in the range of $8 - 10 per watt of rated power.

Most home sized systems are rated in the 1000 to 10,000 watt range and therefore cost between about $8000 and $100,000 dollars to install. Many states offer rebates and tax savings that can reduce this cost by as much as 50%.

These systems will typically generate between about $300 and $2500 worth or electricity per year.

Solar panels are expected to last between 30 and 50 years and so these systems will likely generate between $9000 and $120,000 worth of electricity over their life time in current dollars. This will vary widely though based on local electricity costs and may well  increase greatly in the future if electricity rates rise.

Answer 2

They are very high costly but after a while you will get the money back through clean energy.

Answer 3

They are very expensive . If u decide to do it u must mount them firmly as they have a lot of surface so a good wind could blow them away.

Answer 4

$800 each. California gives rebates. Do it. You will recoup your expense quickly and will be improving the environment. Kudos!