Solar in Brownsville, TX
With Brownsville Public Utilities Board's electricity at about 11.6¢ per kWh and 1,531 kWh of sun per kW, solar is not worth it for a typical Brownsville home today: about a 18.3-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 18.3 yrsTexas: 14 yrs
- 25-year net
- $5,967after paying $12,530
- Sun
- 1,531kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 11.6¢35% below U.S. average
A typical Brownsville home, by the numbers
| Utility | Brownsville Public Utilities Board |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 1,108 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 4.3 kW, about 10 panels, 6,583 kWh a year (50% of use) |
| Cost | $12,530 |
| First-year savings | $673 |
| Payback | 18.3 years |
| Exported power | No statewide net metering (Texas rule) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 2.9% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Brownsville
- Owner-occupied homes
- 62%
- Single-family detached
- 68%
- Median home value
- $140k
- Median year built
- 1995
- Population
- 189,177
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 96%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 40,259 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Brownsville
Public installation records for Texas don't name installers, so we can't rank local companies here. Browse installers in Texas.
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Brownsville
Is solar worth it in Brownsville, TX?
For a typical home in Brownsville, solar is not worth it at 2026 prices: a 4.3 kW system costs about $12,530 after state incentives, saves about $673 in year one and pays back in about 18.3 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Brownsville?
About 1,531 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 1% more than the Texas average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Brownsville?
Most homes in Brownsville are served by Brownsville Public Utilities Board, at about 11.6¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by Magic Valley Electric Cooperative.
How much do solar panels cost in Brownsville?
A fair cash price is around $2.60 per watt before incentives, so about $12,530 for a 4.3 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Harlingen 18.7 yrs
- Weslaco 18.6 yrs
- San Juan 18.4 yrs
- Pharr 18.6 yrs
- Edinburg 18.3 yrs
- McAllen 12.3 yrs
- Mission 18.1 yrs
- Corpus Christi 12.2 yrs
- All of Texas
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.