In the last 40 years the cost of solar panels has dropped almost unbelievably.
Cost of solar panels over time graph.
Ten years ago a residential photovoltaic system could cost more than 50 000 00.
Utility scale solar power could in 2011 be delivered in california at prices well below 100 mwh 0 10 kwh less than most other peak generators even those running on low cost natural gas.
How does system size impact the cost of solar.
In 2010 solar panels cost about 2 50 per watt but by early 2017 that had fallen to just 0 38 per watt.
In 1977 solar panels cost 77 per watt making our 0 64 per watt today seem dirt cheap.
This chart shows the average cost to install a residential solar power system for every year dating back to 1998.
Average solar panel cost.
The average cost of solar panels has fallen 65 from 7 34 per watt in 2010 to 2 53 per watt in 2019.
10 cost of solar panels cost of solar power charts.
The average cost of solar panels has gone from 76 67 watt in 1977 to just 0 698 watt today the second figure is according to pvinsights and is even lower than the 2013 projected price in the chart below.
In addition to solar panel efficiency increasing dramatically solar panel producers have significantly improved their manufacturing processes.
Usually range from 11 144 to 14 696 after solar tax credits and the average price per watt for solar panels ranges from 2 51 to 3 31.
Lower solar module costs also stimulate demand from consumer markets where the cost of solar compares very favourably to retail electric rates.
However solarreviews handles more than 1 000 quote requests per day and the current average price we see on our marketplace is 2 64 per watt.
Solar panel costs for an average sized installation in the u s.
This data has been stitched together from reports by seia and nrel.
In just 40 years the price of solar panels has dropped by 99 2.
National data september 2020.
Lastly here s some context on the historical price of solar power systems over the past 20 years.
Cost of solar panels over time.
Panel prices increased about 20 in early 2018 about the same time that the us took steps to implement tariffs on imported solar panels but since then have resumed their downward trajectory.
This graph from bloomberg bnef shows the stark difference in pricing between 1977 and today.
What range of costs should you expect to see in quotes for a solar panel system.
With higher efficiency government incentives and improved technology the prices of residential solar panels continued to plummet particularly over the past decade.
The solar industry today looks very different.
The most recent official data from the doe funded lawrence berkeley labs published in september 2019 found that the median cost of residential solar panels is 3 70 watt.
Over a decade ago in 2009 the cost of a solar panel installation was 8 50 per watt.
Solar panel cost in 2020.