Solar panel cost California: CA Installer Price Index
The CA Installer Price Index carries 11 published figures read from 10 sources' own pages; the 8 published figures given without a breakdown run from 2.40 to 3.14 USD, read 11 October 2026.
- 82 to 3,217
- 3,217 to 6,431
- 6,431 to 9,645
- 9,645 to 12,859
- 12,859 to 16,074
- 316,074 to 19,288
Bands
| Bucket | Value |
|---|---|
| 2 to 3,217 | 8 figures |
| 3,217 to 6,431 | 0 figures |
| 6,431 to 9,645 | 0 figures |
| 9,645 to 12,859 | 0 figures |
| 12,859 to 16,074 | 0 figures |
| 16,074 to 19,288 | 3 figures |
10 of the 37 named sources read in full publish a figure; 27 publish none, read 11 October 2026.
By system size
| Breakdown | Median | Range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| system size6.67 kW | 19,288USD | 19,288 to 19,288USD | 2 |
| system size6.70 kW | 19,095USD | 19,095 to 19,095USD | 1 |
Every figure, with its source
One row per published figure: the figure as the source's own page publishes it, the page, and the day it was read. A figure that is not on a page we read is not on this one.
| Source | Figure | Breakdown | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmetto Los Angeles solar cost | 19,288USD | 6.67 kW | 2026-10-11 |
| Palmetto San Diego solar cost | 19,288USD | 6.67 kW | 2026-10-11 |
| EcoGen America California solar panel cost | 19,095USD | 6.70 kW | 2026-10-11 |
| Nation Pro USA San Diego solar cost | 3.14USD | 2026-10-11 | |
| San Diego Solar cost of solar | 3USD | 2026-10-11 | |
| EcoGen America California solar panel cost | 2.85USD | 2026-10-11 | |
| Ameco Solar California solar cost | 2.53USD | 2026-10-11 | |
| OC Solar California solar cost guide | 2.5USD | 2026-10-11 | |
| Helios Energy Global California solar panel cost | 2.5USD | 2026-10-11 | |
| EcoBill Solar California solar cost | 2.5USD | 2026-10-11 | |
| NRG Clean Power California solar cost | 2.4USD | 2026-10-11 |
The sentence each figure was read from (11)
- Palmetto Los Angeles solar cost, read 2026-10-11:
Cash purchase estimates range from $14,860 to $25,233, with a typical 6.67-kW system estimated at $19,288.
- Palmetto San Diego solar cost, read 2026-10-11:
For a cash purchase, the calculator estimates $14,860–$25,233; a medium-home system is about $19,288.
- EcoGen America California solar panel cost, read 2026-10-11:
$19,095
- Nation Pro USA San Diego solar cost, read 2026-10-11:
In 2026, the average cost of solar in San Diego is approximately $3.14 per watt, which is slightly higher than the national average due to labor demand.
- San Diego Solar cost of solar, read 2026-10-11:
Installers price by watt for a reason: it's the most honest way to compare quotes. A 6 kW system at $3.00/watt and a 7 kW system at $3.00/watt are both fair deals.
- EcoGen America California solar panel cost, read 2026-10-11:
Solar panels in California cost about $2.85 per watt, so the 6.70 kW system California homeowners typically install runs about $19,100 before any battery.
- Ameco Solar California solar cost, read 2026-10-11:
The average price for solar installation in California is currently around $2.53 for every watt of power.
- OC Solar California solar cost guide, read 2026-10-11:
That $2.50–$3.50 range is current as of September 2026 and is the same figure we use on every OC Solar cost page, so the regional and per-watt breakdowns below line up with this one.
- Helios Energy Global California solar panel cost, read 2026-10-11:
Solar panels cost about $2.50–$3.50 per watt installed in California in 2026, gross, before incentives.
- EcoBill Solar California solar cost, read 2026-10-11:
Current pricing, incentives, and what affects your quote Cost: $2.50-$3.50/watt
- NRG Clean Power California solar cost, read 2026-10-11:
California solar costs about $2.40 to $3.25 per watt installed in 2026, slightly below the national average
Read in full, publishes no figure
27 named sources were read in full on the dates shown and print no usable figure. They are counted, never filled in.
- OC Solar Los Angeles County solar cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Helios Energy Global California installation cost breakdown, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Palmetto Sacramento solar cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Palmetto Oakland solar cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Palmetto Fresno solar cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Nation Pro USA California solar cost guide, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- CA Home Solar San Diego solar cost, read 2026-09-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Watts Home Services Central Valley solar cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Watts Home Services Sacramento solar cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Sunrun cost of solar, read 2026-09-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Sunrun how expensive are solar panels, read 2026-09-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Sunrun California solar financing, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Baker Home Energy solar, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- SolarMax Technology, read 2026-09-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Green Conception what solar panels actually cost in California, read 2026-10-11: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- EnergySage California solar panel cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- EnergySage San Jose solar panel cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- SolarReviews California solar panel cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- EcoWatch California solar panel cost, read 2026-09-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- NerdWallet California solar prices and incentives, read 2026-09-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- PowerOutage.us California solar cost and payback, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Solar.com how much do Tesla solar panels cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- CA Solar Hub San Diego solar panel cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- The Green Watt solar panel cost calculator, read 2026-09-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- SolarAdvisor USA San Jose solar installation cost, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Rate Relief CA cost per watt California, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- Rate Relief CA solar companies San Jose, read 2026-10-11: every candidate on the page was refused
Methodology
Every row is a verbatim sentence read from the named source's own page through our fetch service on the date shown, hash-pinned to the stored read (the sha of the page's visible text; the raw page is mirrored to R2).
10 of the 37 named sources that could be read published a usable figure; 27 published none and are recorded as not published, never filled in; 5 could not be read (blocked, dead or unreachable) and count nowhere.
The headline figures (median, minimum, maximum, quartiles) are over ONE figure per source for each breakdown it prices, in USD (a source's median where its page yielded several accepted sentences for one breakdown), so a page that gives figures for several breakdowns gives one for each and N counts 11 figures, never sentences; 585 candidate sentence(s) were refused by a reviewer with the reason recorded.
The fuller derivation this dataset is chartered to grow into (not yet what the figures above are; they are each source's own published figure as read): the median, minimum and maximum advertised installed price per watt across every California installer that publishes one, cut by metro and by system size, with the share of installers that publish a price at all against those that quote only; the labour, permit and interconnection components where an installer breaks them out; and repriced-since the previous read.
No installer publishes the spread, and the marketplaces publish only their own quote averages - the derivation is the comparison ACROSS installers' own pages, which is exactly what a homeowner cannot assemble in an afternoon
585 candidate sentences on these pages were refused by a reviewer; each refusal and its reason is recorded in the review ledger.
Sources (42)
- NRG Clean Power California solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- OC Solar California solar cost guide(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- OC Solar Los Angeles County solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Helios Energy Global California solar panel cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Helios Energy Global California installation cost breakdown(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- EcoBill Solar California solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Ameco Solar California solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Palmetto Los Angeles solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Palmetto San Diego solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Palmetto Sacramento solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Palmetto Oakland solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Palmetto Fresno solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Nation Pro USA San Diego solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Nation Pro USA California solar cost guide(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- San Diego Solar cost of solar(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- CA Home Solar San Diego solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Watts Home Services Central Valley solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Watts Home Services Sacramento solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Sunrun cost of solar(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Sunrun how expensive are solar panels(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Sunrun California solar financing(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Baker Home Energy solar(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- SolarMax Technology(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- EcoGen America California solar panel cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Green Conception what solar panels actually cost in California(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Semper Solaris compare the cost of solar panels in California(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Semper Solaris San Diego installation cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Tesla how much does solar cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Tesla solar panels(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- EnergySage California solar panel cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- EnergySage San Jose solar panel cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- SolarReviews California solar panel cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- EcoWatch California solar panel cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- NerdWallet California solar prices and incentives(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- PowerOutage.us California solar cost and payback(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Solar.com how much do Tesla solar panels cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- CA Solar Hub San Diego solar panel cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- The Green Watt solar panel cost calculator(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- SolarAdvisor USA San Jose solar installation cost(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Rate Relief CA cost per watt California(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Rate Relief CA solar companies San Jose(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- cslb.ca.gov(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
Cite or embed this figure
The CA Installer Price Index carries 11 published figures read from 10 sources' own pages; the 8 published figures given without a breakdown run from 2.40 to 3.14 USD, read 11 October 2026.
10 of the 37 named sources read in full publish a figure; 27 publish none, read 11 October 2026.
CA Installer Price Index, system size 6.67 kW: median 19,288 USD across 2 sources, read 11 October 2026.
CA Installer Price Index, system size 6.70 kW: median 19,095 USD across 1 source, read 11 October 2026.
Cite as: "californiasolarcostcalculator.com CA Installer Price Index", updated 2026-10-22, https://californiasolarcostcalculator.com/datasets/ca-installer-price-index/.
Download the CSV (11 rows, computed 2026-10-22)
Questions this data answers
What do California solar installers actually charge, per watt and per installed system, and how does that differ by metro?
The CA Installer Price Index carries 11 published figures read from 10 sources' own pages; the 8 published figures given without a breakdown run from 2.40 to 3.14 USD, read 11 October 2026.
Where do the figures in the CA Installer Price Index come from?
Every figure is quoted from its source's own page and dated (last read 11 Oct 2026). 37 named sources were read and 10 publish a figure; the 27 that publish none are recorded as not published, never estimated.