Solar panels in Cambridge, MA

Roofs in Cambridge get about 1,404 hours of usable sunlight a year — less than 69% of the cities we've measured. Here's what that means in cost, savings and payback, using real rooftop data rather than a national average.

Check your specific roof in Cambridge → City averages are a starting point; your own roof's size, pitch and shading change the answer a lot.

What a typical Cambridge solar system costs

A 23-panel system (9.2 kW) is about right for an average Cambridge home using 10,800 kWh a year. It would produce roughly 10,979 kWh annually and offset 100% of that usage.

How we worked this out for Cambridge

Every number on this page comes from these seven steps. Nothing is a national average — the sunlight figure is measured from Cambridge rooftops.

Step 6 matters more than it looks. Only 34% of what a system this size produces in Cambridge is used the moment it is generated; the other 7,199 kWh is exported and credited one-for-one under net metering. Because exports here are credited at or near retail, that split changes the payback very little — 5.6 years against the 5.6 we show. In places where exports pay a fraction of retail the same split moves payback by years, which is why we model it explicitly rather than assuming.

Assumptions: 400W panels, 15% system losses (inverter, wiring, heat, soiling), $2.85/W installed, 10,800 kWh typical annual household use, 30.1¢/kWh electricity. Change any of those and every figure above moves — which is exactly why a single national "solar costs X" number is misleading.

Notice that payback barely improves as systems get bigger, and eventually gets worse. That's because you can only save money on electricity you were going to buy anyway. Once a system covers your usage, extra panels mostly generate exports at a much lower rate.

Why Cambridge gets 1,404 sun hours

That figure comes from Google's analysis of real rooftops across Cambridge — it already accounts for shading from trees, chimneys and neighbouring buildings, which is why it's lower than the raw "hours of daylight" figures you'll see elsewhere. An unusually open, unshaded roof in Cambridge reaches about 1,551 hours, roughly 10% better than typical.

The numbers behind this page

When Cambridge actually produces

Annual totals hide the thing that catches people out: 37% of Cambridge's yearly sunlight arrives in May–July, and just 12% across November–January.

Cambridge produces about 3.4× as much in Jun as in Dec — a normal mid-latitude swing. Expect real winter shortfall and summer surplus rather than steady year-round output.

The annual total is measured from Google's rooftop imagery. Its split across months is calculated from solar geometry at Cambridge's latitude, not separately measured, so treat the monthly figures as the shape of a typical year rather than a forecast.

How Cambridge compares to the other 788 cities

What actually stands out about Cambridge:

• Shading is a real problem here. Cambridge loses 9% of its potential sunlight to trees, chimneys and neighbouring buildings — the 90th-worst of the 788 cities measured. Panel placement matters more here than in most places, and a roof survey is worth more than a phone quote.
• Plenty of roof to work with. Typical roofs here fit around 130 panels — roughly 5× what an average home needs. Roof size will not be what limits your system in Cambridge.
• Large roofs. At a median of 356 m², Cambridge has the 51st-largest typical roof footprint we've measured.
• Expensive electricity works in your favour. At 30.1¢/kWh, Massachusetts is among the priciest places to buy power — which is exactly what makes generating your own pay back faster.

Cities with almost the same sunlight

These are the closest matches to Cambridge's 1,404 usable sun hours from other states and provinces. Same sunlight, different electricity prices — which is usually what decides whether solar is worth it.

Nearby cities

See all of Massachusetts → statewide sunlight, rates, incentives and every city we've measured.

Cambridge solar questions

Worth reading before you buy

Estimates only, generated 2026-08-22 from Google Solar API rooftop samples and average Massachusetts electricity rates. Not a quote and not financial advice. Your roof, usage, utility plan and local incentives will change these numbers — get real quotes before buying.