The average cost of solar panels ranges from $2. 50 per watt installed, with most homeowners paying between $15,000 and $35,000 for a complete system before incentives. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and its national laboratory partners analyze cost data for U. solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to develop cost benchmarks. These benchmarks help measure progress toward goals for reducing solar electricity costs. . NLR analyzes the total costs associated with installing photovoltaic (PV) systems for residential rooftop, commercial rooftop, and utility-scale ground-mount systems. Data source: IRENA (2025); Nemet (2009); Farmer and Lafond (2016) – Learn more about this data Note: Costs are expressed in constant 2024 US$ per watt. Global estimates are used before 2010; European market. . Strong ROI Fundamentals: Most homeowners achieve 6-10 year payback periods and save $31,000-$120,000 over 25 years, with solar electricity costing 6-8 cents per kWh compared to 16. Your actual cost depends on your home's energy needs, roof characteristics, location and other factors, all of which we'll break down in. . This article examines price lists of photovoltaic power generation components across different eras, revealing how technological breakthroughs and market forces reshaped solar economics.
