Solar in Palo Alto, CA
With PG&E's electricity at about 40.5¢ per kWh and 1,649 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Palo Alto home today: about a 10.2-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 10.2 yrsCalifornia: 10.9 yrs
- 25-year net
- $24,566after paying $10,700
- Sun
- 1,649kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 40.5¢125% above U.S. average
A typical Palo Alto home, by the numbers
| Utility | PG&E |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 405 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 3 kW, about 7 panels, 4,947 kWh a year (102% of use) |
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $969 |
| Payback | 10.2 years |
| Exported power | 3.9¢/kWh (PG&E) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 4.0% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Palo Alto
- Owner-occupied homes
- 55%
- Single-family detached
- 57%
- Median home value
- $2.0M
- Median year built
- 1963
- Population
- 67,237
- Solar installs, last 3 years*
- 187
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 86%
Census ACS 2020–2024. *Installations in public records for this area's ZIP codes. †Share of 16,745 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Older housing stock. Many homes here were built before 1975. Have the roof and electrical panel checked before signing; a roof or panel upgrade can add thousands. Roof first?
Installers working in Palo Alto
Companies with the most installations in Palo Alto's ZIP codes over the last 3 years, from public records. We don't take payment for placement.
- Sunrun 51 installs
- Bright OPS 36 installs
- Tesla Energy 11 installs
- Better Earth Electric 6 installs
- SunPower 6 installs
- Complete Solar 4 installs
- Freedom Forever 4 installs
- Grid Alternatives 4 installs
- Luminalt Energy 4 installs
- Nexus Energy Systems 4 installs
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Palo Alto
Is solar worth it in Palo Alto, CA?
For a typical home in Palo Alto, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 3 kW system costs about $10,700 after state incentives, saves about $969 in year one and pays back in about 10.2 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Palo Alto?
About 1,649 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 1% less than the California average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Palo Alto?
Most homes in Palo Alto are served by PG&E, at about 40.5¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by City of Palo Alto.
How much do solar panels cost in Palo Alto?
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
- Los Altos 10.2 yrs
- Mountain View 10.2 yrs
- East Palo Alto 10.2 yrs
- Menlo Park 10.2 yrs
- Sunnyvale 10.2 yrs
- Cupertino 10.1 yrs
- Redwood City 10.1 yrs
- Newark 10.3 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.