Installation cost · Home systems and energy
Residential solar panel installation cost
$2.95
DOE modeled market price
Source-stated
- Unit / scope
- DOE 2025Q1 PV-only MMP $2.95/Wdc and MSP $2.78/Wdc, plus LBNL 20th/median/80th installed-price percentiles.
- Data period
- 2025Q1 / 2024 USD
- Source
- U.S. Department of EnergyUnited States — DOE and LBNL national benchmarks
- Last verified
- 2026-09-06
The estimator prices your kilowatts with one selected DOE 2024 dollars-per-watt benchmark. LBNL percentiles are what recent buyers paid and stay outside that multiplication.
Additional sourced observations are listed below and are not blended into this headline.
How to use this figure
Use this page when you already know a system size in kilowatts and want that size priced with one DOE dollars-per-watt benchmark, not a blended quote.
- Choose the DOE benchmark the estimator exposes. MMP and MSP are different published figures.
- Enter kilowatts of PV-only capacity. The page converts kW to watts and multiplies.
- Leave LBNL buyer percentiles as context. They are what recent buyers paid and are not mixed into the product.
What the result means
An 8 kWdc system at the $2.95/Wdc MMP benchmark is $23,600. That product is a CostMage calculation. It is not a DOE project quote and it does not subtract incentives.
A comparison that stays on this source
A smaller array uses the same selected $/Wdc. Changing the benchmark changes the product. Averaging DOE and LBNL is not offered.
If the number looks wrong
- Battery storage is a different page. Adding storage here would invent a configuration this formula does not contain.
- Local permits and sales tax are excluded because no national adder was extracted.
The home-battery page is the DOE paired configuration only. This page is PV-only dollars per watt.
Record last verified 2026-09-06. That date is the record’s verification stamp, not a claim that a market price is unchanged today.
Installation estimator: math is limited to a sourced unit price times a user quantity.
High evidence confidence
High evidence confidence is an internal CostMage evidence-quality score (83 of 100). It describes source strength and extract completeness, not the probability that a quoted figure matches your bill.
Labels: 75–100 high, 60–74 moderate, below 60 limited. The number is not a probability that the cost is correct.
Estimator
kWdc × 1000 × sourced $/Wdc
Source basis: DOE 2025Q1 RPV MMP $2.95/Wdc (user may select MSP $2.78)
The total below is a CostMage calculation from sourced inputs. It is not a figure the publisher printed as your bill or quote.
CostMage calculation
$23,600.00
- System size (kWdc)8
- Sourced $/Wdc$2.950
- Does not add battery storage or local permitting extras.
What this figure covers
- Included
- DOE 2025Q1 PV-only MMP $2.95/Wdc and MSP $2.78/Wdc, plus LBNL 20th/median/80th installed-price percentiles.
- Excluded
- Battery storage, local permits, sales tax, and incentive subtraction.
Worked example
CostMage calculation: 8 kWdc × 1,000 × $2.95/Wdc (DOE MMP) = $23,600. That product is not a DOE published project total.
Sourced observations
| What was published | Figure | Claim kind | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOE modeled market price | $2.95 | Source-stated | Owner ITC excluded. Estimator default. |
| DOE minimum sustainable price | $2.78 | Source-stated | 8 kWdc PV-only benchmark. |
| LBNL installed-price percentiles | $3 / $4 / $5.20 | Source-stated | Transaction prices; cash vs loan differs. |
Sources
CostMage shows what the source published. Derived figures are labeled. We do not claim partnership with these publishers.
Source 1 · Tier 1 · SAFE FACTUAL USE
Solar Photovoltaic System Cost Benchmarks 2025Q1
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Published / dated
- 2025
- Data period
- 2025Q1 / 2024 USD
- Last verified by CostMage
- 2026-09-06
RPV MMP $2.95/Wdc and MSP $2.78/Wdc for 8 kWdc PV-only.
Source 2 · Tier 1 · SAFE FACTUAL USE
Tracking the Sun 2025 data update
- Publisher
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Published / dated
- 2025
- Data period
- 2024 installs
- Last verified by CostMage
- 2026-09-06
20th / median / 80th percentile installed prices $3.00 / $4.00 / $5.20 per Wdc.
What changes the cost
- System size (kWdc)
- Cash vs loan pricing
- Whether storage is included
Methodology
The estimator is kWdc × 1,000 × a sourced $/Wdc from the DOE 2025Q1 PV-only table. An 8 kW result is that multiplication, not a DOE-published project total. LBNL percentiles are shown as a separate observed range and are not blended into the DOE rate.
Limitations
- DOE figures are benchmarks, not a local installer quote.
- LBNL and DOE measure different things and must not be averaged.
- The estimator result is not the LBNL median.
- Incentives are not subtracted unless a later official schedule is added.
Questions
Which number should I use?
DOE MMP $2.95/Wdc is the estimator default. LBNL $3.00–$5.20/Wdc is what recent buyers paid, including financing mix.
Is $23,600 a DOE quote for an 8 kW system?
No. DOE published $2.95/Wdc. CostMage multiplies that sourced unit price by the kW you enter.
Why not average DOE and LBNL?
They measure different things. Averaging them would invent a typical CostMage does not have.
Related cost pages
- Home battery storage costDOE-derived incremental ESS benchmark from the same 2025Q1 PV tables, labeled as derived.
- U.S. residential electricity costOfficial EIA average revenue per kilowatt-hour for U.S. residential customers, with same-table state examples.
- EV charger installation costCited EnergySage/Qmerit Level 2 install labor/materials range before charger equipment.