Solar in Palm Desert, CA
With Southern California Edison (SCE)'s electricity at about 33.8¢ per kWh and 1,768 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Palm Desert home today: about a 10.4-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 10.4 yrsCalifornia: 10.9 yrs
- 25-year net
- $23,391after paying $10,700
- Sun
- 1,768kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 33.8¢88% above U.S. average
A typical Palm Desert home, by the numbers
| Utility | Southern California Edison (SCE) |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 468 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 3 kW, about 7 panels, 5,304 kWh a year (94% of use) |
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $951 |
| Payback | 10.4 years |
| Exported power | 4.6¢/kWh (Southern California Edison (SCE)) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 4.0% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Palm Desert
- Owner-occupied homes
- 65%
- Single-family detached
- 38%
- Median home value
- $542k
- Median year built
- 1985
- Population
- 51,990
- Solar installs, last 3 years*
- 2,768
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 97%
Census ACS 2020–2024. *Installations in public records for this area's ZIP codes. †Share of 25,612 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Palm Desert
Companies with the most installations in Palm Desert's ZIP codes over the last 3 years, from public records. We don't take payment for placement.
- Sunrun 638 installs
- Renova Energy 626 installs
- Sunnova 266 installs
- Sunlogix Energy 128 installs
- Bright Planet 71 installs
- SunPower 67 installs
- Freedom Forever 58 installs
- Hot Purple Energy 49 installs
- Citadel Roofing And Solar 48 installs
- Planet Solar Incorporated 47 installs
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Palm Desert
Is solar worth it in Palm Desert, CA?
For a typical home in Palm Desert, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 3 kW system costs about $10,700 after state incentives, saves about $951 in year one and pays back in about 10.4 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Palm Desert?
About 1,768 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 7% more than the California average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Palm Desert?
Most homes in Palm Desert are served by Southern California Edison (SCE), at about 33.8¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by Imperial Irrigation District.
How much do solar panels cost in Palm Desert?
A fair cash price is around $2.90 per watt before incentives, so about $10,700 for a 3 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Indio 11.1 yrs
- La Quinta 11.1 yrs
- Cathedral City 10.4 yrs
- Palm Springs 10.4 yrs
- Coachella 11 yrs
- Desert Hot Springs 10.3 yrs
- Twentynine Palms 10.3 yrs
- Banning 10.5 yrs
- All of California
Data: PVWatts (National Laboratory of the Rockies), EIA-861 2025 adjusted to 2026, U.S. Census ACS, LBNL Tracking the Sun, state policy research as of October 2026.