Solar
Estimate what rooftop solar produces and saves in your state, how big a system you need, and how much battery backup your home needs.
A 1 kW south-facing rooftop array produces from about 922 kWh a year in Anchorage, Alaska to 1,779 kWh in Albuquerque, New Mexico (NLR PVWatts v8, typical-year weather).
Solar production per kW by state
| State | Location modeled | kWh per kW per year | Capacity factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | Albuquerque | 1,779 | 20.3% |
| Arizona | Phoenix | 1,755 | 20.0% |
| Nevada | Las Vegas | 1,753 | 20.0% |
| California | Los Angeles | 1,677 | 19.2% |
| Hawaii | Honolulu | 1,622 | 18.5% |
| Colorado | Denver | 1,595 | 18.2% |
| Wyoming | Cheyenne | 1,533 | 17.5% |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | 1,527 | 17.4% |
| Kansas | Wichita | 1,526 | 17.4% |
| Utah | Salt Lake City | 1,484 | 16.9% |
| Louisiana | New Orleans | 1,479 | 16.9% |
| Idaho | Boise | 1,456 | 16.6% |
| Florida | Jacksonville | 1,455 | 16.6% |
| South Carolina | Charleston | 1,454 | 16.6% |
| North Carolina | Charlotte | 1,446 | 16.5% |
| Missouri | Kansas City | 1,433 | 16.4% |
| Virginia | Virginia Beach | 1,427 | 16.3% |
| Nebraska | Omaha | 1,423 | 16.3% |
| South Dakota | Sioux Falls | 1,422 | 16.2% |
| Texas | Houston | 1,421 | 16.2% |
| Mississippi | Jackson | 1,414 | 16.1% |
| Arkansas | Little Rock | 1,413 | 16.1% |
| Georgia | Atlanta | 1,402 | 16.0% |
| Maryland | Baltimore | 1,392 | 15.9% |
| Alabama | Huntsville | 1,376 | 15.7% |
| Iowa | Des Moines | 1,370 | 15.6% |
| District of Columbia | Washington | 1,366 | 15.6% |
| Delaware | Wilmington | 1,364 | 15.6% |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | 1,359 | 15.5% |
| Kentucky | Louisville | 1,355 | 15.5% |
| Montana | Billings | 1,344 | 15.3% |
| Connecticut | Bridgeport | 1,340 | 15.3% |
| Tennessee | Nashville | 1,338 | 15.3% |
| Indiana | Indianapolis | 1,335 | 15.2% |
| Wisconsin | Milwaukee | 1,334 | 15.2% |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis | 1,333 | 15.2% |
| Maine | Portland | 1,319 | 15.1% |
| Ohio | Columbus | 1,310 | 15.0% |
| Illinois | Chicago | 1,308 | 14.9% |
| New Jersey | Newark | 1,305 | 14.9% |
| Massachusetts | Boston | 1,302 | 14.9% |
| North Dakota | Fargo | 1,294 | 14.8% |
| Rhode Island | Providence | 1,294 | 14.8% |
| New York | New York City | 1,291 | 14.7% |
| Michigan | Detroit | 1,291 | 14.7% |
| New Hampshire | Manchester | 1,258 | 14.4% |
| West Virginia | Charleston | 1,232 | 14.1% |
| Vermont | Burlington | 1,222 | 13.9% |
| Oregon | Portland | 1,128 | 12.9% |
| Washington | Seattle | 1,088 | 12.4% |
| Alaska | Anchorage | 922 | 10.5% |
Source: PVWatts® v8, National Laboratory of the Rockies (U.S. Department of Energy), PVWatts 8.5.0: 1 kW DC, fixed roof mount, 20° tilt, azimuth 180°, 14% losses. Credit: U.S. DOE / NLR.
Tools and data
- Solar payback calculatorYears to pay back a rooftop system, with 2026 federal credit rules.
- Solar panel size calculatorSystem size and panel count to cover your electricity use.
- Solar lease vs buyCompare buying rooftop solar with leasing it over the contract term.
- Home battery backup sizingBattery capacity needed to keep essential loads running during an outage.
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