How much does a solar panel installation cost?

Installation costs—including labor and permits—average around 25% of the cost of the solar panel system itself. So, for example, if you purchase a 6-kW monocrystalline solar panel system for $20,000, then a solar installation company will likely charge approximately around $25,000 for the system and the installation, combined.

How much does a rooftop solar system cost?

Mounting system: This is what holds rooftop solar panels in place. Costs vary depending on the type of solar installation, but it generally costs between 7 and 20 cents per watt. Electrical wiring and hardware: This includes the wiring, switches and circuit breakers required to connect the solar panel system to your home's electrical system.

What are soft costs for a solar and battery project?

Soft costs include administration costs for the company, customer acquisition and marketing, system design, permits and fees for connecting to the grid, and labor for installation. Here’s the NREL’s latest soft costs breakdown of a solar and battery project:

How much does a solar permit cost?

Fees vary based on location, but residential solar permits typically cost a few hundred dollars. Some state regulations cap permitting fees (for example, Colorado caps them at $500 for residential projects and $1,000 for commercial solar panel projects; California caps residential fees at $450).

How much does a polycrystalline solar panel cost?

Polycrystalline: Polycrystalline panels are made of cells that contain multiple silicon crystals. They are less efficient but more affordable than their monocrystalline counterparts. A 6kW system will run between $5400 and $6000.

How can I reduce the cost of installing solar panels?

Short of installing the solar panels yourself (which we don’t recommend for safety and many other reasons), one of the only ways to reduce these non-labor soft costs is to use the solar.com marketplace to compare quotes.