Original research
Residential solar price index: what Californians actually paid per watt
Reported total cost of 73,454 customer-owned systems approved in 2025, and every year back to 2016.
The finding
Residential Solar Price Index is an original HyreSolar dataset built from named public sources, with the method and a downloadable file.
The median customer-owned rooftop system approved in California in 2025 cost $4.58 per watt at PG&E, $4.28 at SCE and $4.85 at SDG&E, as reported by installers to the utility, before any tax credit.
Those prices have barely moved in a decade: the 2016 medians were $4.41, $4.25 and $4.51. Hardware got cheaper; what households pay did not. The biggest driver of a higher figure in recent years is batteries: in 2025 a solar-plus-storage system cost a median $4.99 per solar watt against $4.02 for solar alone.
Key findings
PG&E’s median went from $4.41 in 2016 to $4.58 in 2025; SCE from $4.25 to $4.28; SDG&E from $4.51 to $4.85.
$4.85 per watt in 2025, the highest of the three utilities and the highest SDG&E figure in the series.
In 2025, solar-plus-storage systems at PG&E and SCE had a median total cost of $4.99 per PV watt against $4.02 for solar-only.
At PG&E in 2025 the middle half of systems ran from $3.16 to $6.07 per watt. Two homeowners with the same system can pay prices $3,000 or more apart on a 10 kW array.
San Francisco County’s median was $6.17; San Benito County’s $2.71.
Ten years of prices
National trackers report steady falls in the cost of solar hardware. This series measures something different: the price installers report to the utility for the whole job, customer-owned, before any federal or state incentive. On that measure California prices have moved inside a band of about a dollar since 2016.
One reason is mix. Systems got larger, more include premium panels and microinverters, and from 2023 onward a growing share bundle storage, which the reported total includes. The storage split below separates the largest of those effects.
Price index by utility and year
| Utility | Year | Systems priced | Median $/W | 25th pct | 75th pct | Median 8 kW system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG&E | 2016 | 32,096 | $4.41 | $3.85 | $5.33 | $35,280 |
| PG&E | 2017 | 33,546 | $4.35 | $3.71 | $5.34 | $34,800 |
| PG&E | 2018 | 37,141 | $4.34 | $3.67 | $5.33 | $34,720 |
| PG&E | 2019 | 41,752 | $4.22 | $3.52 | $4.91 | $33,760 |
| PG&E | 2020 | 43,369 | $4.28 | $3.51 | $5.06 | $34,240 |
| PG&E | 2021 | 59,979 | $4.22 | $3.39 | $5.08 | $33,760 |
| PG&E | 2022 | 84,974 | $4.41 | $3.53 | $5.36 | $35,280 |
| PG&E | 2023 | 92,435 | $4.40 | $3.47 | $5.42 | $35,200 |
| PG&E | 2024 | 40,940 | $4.58 | $3.45 | $6.29 | $36,640 |
| PG&E | 2025 | 36,883 | $4.58 | $3.16 | $6.07 | $36,640 |
| PG&E | 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 22,385 | $4.45 | $2.78 | $6.13 | $35,600 |
| SCE | 2016 | 21,074 | $4.25 | $3.69 | $5.12 | $34,000 |
| SCE | 2017 | 21,420 | $4.10 | $3.42 | $5.02 | $32,800 |
| SCE | 2018 | 22,230 | $4.08 | $3.42 | $5.00 | $32,640 |
| SCE | 2019 | 22,589 | $3.87 | $3.22 | $4.48 | $30,960 |
| SCE | 2020 | 25,096 | $3.97 | $3.17 | $4.43 | $31,760 |
| SCE | 2021 | 39,126 | $4.02 | $3.12 | $4.68 | $32,160 |
| SCE | 2022 | 67,054 | $4.25 | $3.30 | $5.11 | $34,000 |
| SCE | 2023 | 75,695 | $4.25 | $3.30 | $5.29 | $34,000 |
| SCE | 2024 | 32,779 | $4.39 | $3.49 | $5.65 | $35,120 |
| SCE | 2025 | 27,495 | $4.28 | $3.17 | $5.69 | $34,240 |
| SCE | 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 18,728 | $4.23 | $2.95 | $5.77 | $33,840 |
| SDG&E | 2016 | 18,326 | $4.51 | $3.96 | $5.24 | $36,080 |
| SDG&E | 2017 | 12,478 | $4.15 | $3.47 | $5.15 | $33,200 |
| SDG&E | 2018 | 16,440 | $4.07 | $3.47 | $4.94 | $32,560 |
| SDG&E | 2019 | 20,575 | $3.99 | $3.46 | $4.64 | $31,920 |
| SDG&E | 2020 | 17,106 | $3.98 | $3.36 | $4.73 | $31,840 |
| SDG&E | 2021 | 18,603 | $3.93 | $3.26 | $4.84 | $31,440 |
| SDG&E | 2022 | 27,215 | $4.23 | $3.50 | $5.25 | $33,840 |
| SDG&E | 2023 | 32,644 | $4.32 | $3.59 | $5.30 | $34,560 |
| SDG&E | 2024 | 10,241 | $4.62 | $3.84 | $6.20 | $36,960 |
| SDG&E | 2025 | 9,076 | $4.85 | $3.89 | $6.33 | $38,800 |
| SDG&E | 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 4,480 | $4.93 | $3.55 | $6.65 | $39,440 |
Customer-owned residential PV, 1–25 kW DC. The 8 kW column is the median price per watt × 8,000 W, an illustration, not a quote. HyreSolar calculation from California DG Stats Interconnected Project Sites (PG&E, SCE, SDG&E), retrieved 22 October 2026.
The federal 25D residential credit ended on 31 December 2025. Every figure here is the pre-credit price, so no credit needs to be added back or subtracted for 2026 purchases.
What a battery does to the price
Under California’s Net Billing Tariff exports earn far less, so a battery became the default: 72% of Net Billing Tariff systems at PG&E and SCE in 2025 included storage, against 18% of late-approved NEM 2.0 systems. The reported cost includes the battery, so the per-watt figure rises.
Price by county, 2025
County medians separate the Bay Area and coast, where labor and permitting costs are higher, from the Central Valley and Inland Empire. San Francisco ($6.17), Santa Cruz ($5.88), Tuolumne ($5.71) top the list; Tulare ($3.36), Yuba ($3.32), San Benito ($2.71) are lowest.
County price table, 2025
| County | Systems priced | Median $/W | 25th pct | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 402 | $6.17 | $4.91 | $8.21 |
| Santa Cruz | 602 | $5.88 | $4.54 | $7.98 |
| Tuolumne | 204 | $5.71 | $4.06 | $6.88 |
| Marin | 821 | $5.50 | $4.47 | $6.96 |
| San Mateo | 1,508 | $5.48 | $4.40 | $6.88 |
| Sonoma | 1,528 | $5.43 | $4.04 | $6.93 |
| Nevada | 302 | $5.24 | $4.10 | $6.52 |
| Santa Barbara | 739 | $5.09 | $3.85 | $6.77 |
| Alameda | 3,089 | $5.04 | $4.12 | $6.25 |
| Santa Clara | 4,286 | $4.88 | $4.09 | $6.03 |
| San Diego | 8,473 | $4.85 | $3.89 | $6.35 |
| San Luis Obispo | 857 | $4.80 | $3.34 | $6.46 |
| Napa | 428 | $4.69 | $3.65 | $6.11 |
| Monterey | 681 | $4.68 | $3.13 | $6.75 |
| Contra Costa | 3,338 | $4.65 | $3.45 | $5.77 |
| Shasta | 258 | $4.63 | $3.34 | $6.18 |
| Yolo | 716 | $4.58 | $2.98 | $5.74 |
| Ventura | 1,921 | $4.51 | $3.41 | $5.92 |
| El Dorado | 714 | $4.51 | $3.23 | $6.16 |
| Los Angeles | 8,064 | $4.45 | $3.30 | $5.76 |
| Orange | 4,810 | $4.39 | $3.45 | $5.66 |
| Solano | 1,498 | $4.33 | $2.75 | $5.66 |
| San Bernardino | 4,331 | $4.26 | $3.25 | $5.67 |
| Riverside | 6,127 | $4.25 | $2.93 | $5.59 |
| Sutter | 314 | $4.19 | $2.69 | $5.53 |
| Humboldt | 287 | $4.19 | $3.21 | $6.22 |
| Fresno | 3,105 | $4.18 | $2.71 | $5.75 |
| Kern | 3,090 | $3.97 | $2.94 | $5.56 |
| Madera | 1,075 | $3.85 | $2.65 | $5.14 |
| Butte | 993 | $3.84 | $2.97 | $5.34 |
| Placer | 1,798 | $3.80 | $2.71 | $5.34 |
| San Joaquin | 2,599 | $3.79 | $2.71 | $4.94 |
| Kings | 408 | $3.76 | $2.65 | $6.14 |
| Stanislaus | 254 | $3.67 | $2.98 | $5.54 |
| Merced | 475 | $3.63 | $2.65 | $5.73 |
| Tulare | 1,462 | $3.36 | $2.47 | $4.72 |
| Yuba | 518 | $3.32 | $2.69 | $5.54 |
| San Benito | 306 | $2.71 | $2.65 | $4.58 |
Customer-owned residential PV approved in 2025, counties with at least 200 priced systems.
Method
Source
California DG Stats “Interconnected Project Sites”, file dated 31 August 2026, downloaded 22 October 2026. Installers report Total System Cost on each interconnection application.
Inclusion
Residential, photovoltaic, Third Party Owned = No, 1–25 kW DC, with a reported cost. Price = cost ÷ DC watts; values outside $1–$15 per watt are dropped as entry errors. Grouped by approval year.
Why California only
The plan specified LBNL’s Tracking the Sun, which compiles files like this one from many states. Its public download could not be retrieved by script on the retrieval date.
California’s file is a primary source for Tracking the Sun and covers the largest residential market. A multi-state edition will be added when the national file is mirrored.
Limits
Reported cost is self-reported by installers and is not audited. It includes storage where present. Leased and PPA systems are excluded. 2026 runs to August only.
Embed this finding
Paste this snippet into any page or CMS that accepts HTML. It carries the figure, the underlying source and a link back to the method, so the number travels with its conditions.
<figure style="border:1px solid #ddd;padding:12px;margin:0;font:15px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">
<p style="margin:0 0 6px"><strong>Median price of customer-owned rooftop solar in California, 2025: $4.58/W (PG&E), $4.28/W (SCE), $4.85/W (SDG&E), before credits.</strong></p>
<figcaption style="font-size:13px;color:#555">Source: <a href="https://hyresolar.com/research/solar-price-index/">HyreSolar, Residential solar price index</a> (California DG Stats Interconnected Project Sites (PG&E, SCE, SDG&E), retrieved 22 October 2026).</figcaption>
</figure>Charts on this page may be reproduced with the same attribution. The rows behind them are in solar-price-index.csv.
Citation, reuse and corrections
How to cite this study
Full citation. HyreSolar Research, “Residential solar price index”, October 2026. Analysis of California DG Stats Interconnected Project Sites (PG&E, SCE, SDG&E), retrieved 22 October 2026. Available at https://hyresolar.com/research/solar-price-index/
In a chart or table. “Source: HyreSolar analysis of California DG Stats interconnection data (2026)”.
Reproducing it
Download the zip from the DG Stats downloads page, then run docs/research-data/cadgstats/extract_cadg.py from this site’s repository. The summary rows are in solar-price-index.csv. The raw file (1.3 GB unzipped) is not mirrored here.
What you may reuse
The source file is public. Our derived medians, charts and tables may be reproduced with attribution and a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).
Corrections and updates
Errors are corrected on the page with a dated note. DG Stats refreshes its file monthly; we rebuild this study at least annually at the same URL.
Questions
What is a fair price per watt for solar in California?
Have solar prices gone down?
Do these prices include the tax credit?
Why is the price higher with a battery?
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