What range of costs should you expect to see in quotes for a solar panel system.
Cost of solar panels over time graph.
A tale of falling prices.
Over a decade ago in 2009 the cost of a solar panel installation was 8 50 per watt.
With higher efficiency government incentives and improved technology the prices of residential solar panels continued to plummet particularly over the past decade.
Cost of solar panels over time.
Panel prices increased about 20 in early 2018 about the same time that the us took steps to implement tariffs on imported solar panels but since then have resumed their downward trajectory.
National data september 2020.
Cost of solar panels over time.
In 1977 solar panels cost 77 per watt making our 0 64 per watt today seem dirt cheap.
A standard 6 kw residential solar system has dropped from 44 000 down to 15 200 over the past decade not including the federal solar tax credit.
Usually range from 11 144 to 14 696 after solar tax credits and the average price per watt for solar panels ranges from 2 51 to 3 31.
This graph from bloomberg bnef shows the stark difference in pricing between 1977 and today.
The solar industry today looks very different.
In addition to solar panel efficiency increasing dramatically solar panel producers have significantly improved their manufacturing processes.
10 cost of solar panels cost of solar power charts.
Solar panel cost in 2020.
Utility scale solar power could in 2011 be delivered in california at prices well below 100 mwh 0 10 kwh less than most other peak generators even those running on low cost natural gas.
In 2010 solar panels cost about 2 50 per watt but by early 2017 that had fallen to just 0 38 per watt.
The average cost of solar panels has fallen 65 from 7 34 per watt in 2010 to 2 53 per watt in 2019.
This data has been stitched together from reports by seia and nrel.
In just 40 years the price of solar panels has dropped by 99 2.
The average cost of solar panels has gone from 76 67 watt in 1977 to just 0 698 watt today the second figure is according to pvinsights and is even lower than the 2013 projected price in the chart below.
This chart shows the average cost to install a residential solar power system for every year dating back to 1998.
Solar panel costs for an average sized installation in the u s.
How does system size impact the cost of solar.
In the last 40 years the cost of solar panels has dropped almost unbelievably.
However solarreviews handles more than 1 000 quote requests per day and the current average price we see on our marketplace is 2 60 per watt.
Lower solar module costs also stimulate demand from consumer markets where the cost of solar compares very favourably to retail electric rates.
Average solar panel cost.
