Solar panels in Duluth, MN

Roofs in Duluth get about 1,349 hours of usable sunlight a year — less than 76% 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 Duluth → City averages are a starting point; your own roof's size, pitch and shading change the answer a lot.

What a typical Duluth solar system costs

A 24-panel system (9.6 kW) is about right for an average Duluth home using 10,800 kWh a year. It would produce roughly 11,008 kWh annually and offset 100% of that usage.

How we worked this out for Duluth

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

Step 6 matters more than it looks. Only 34% of what a system this size produces in Duluth is used the moment it is generated; the other 7,228 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 — 11.8 years against the 11.9 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, 14.8¢/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 Duluth gets 1,349 sun hours

That figure comes from Google's analysis of real rooftops across Duluth — 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 Duluth reaches about 1,527 hours, roughly 13% better than typical.

The numbers behind this page

When Duluth actually produces

Annual totals hide the thing that catches people out: 39% of Duluth's yearly sunlight arrives in May–July, and just 11% across November–January.

That is a severe seasonal swing — Duluth produces roughly 4.3× as much in Jun as in Dec. A system sized to cover your annual usage will overproduce badly in summer and fall well short in winter, so how your utility credits exported power matters more here than in most places.

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

How Duluth compares to the other 788 cities

What actually stands out about Duluth:

• Shading is a real problem here. Duluth loses 12% of its potential sunlight to trees, chimneys and neighbouring buildings — the 38th-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.
• Roof space is the binding constraint. A typical Duluth roof fits about 30 panels and a typical home needs 24 — so there is little room to oversize. If you add an EV or heat pump later, plan the array for it now.
• Every kWh counts more here. The grid serving Duluth emits 832 kg CO₂ per MWh, among the highest of the 788 cities measured — so the same panels displace more emissions than they would elsewhere.

Cities with almost the same sunlight

These are the closest matches to Duluth's 1,349 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 Minnesota → statewide sunlight, rates, incentives and every city we've measured.

Duluth solar questions

Worth reading before you buy

Estimates only, generated 2026-08-22 from Google Solar API rooftop samples and average Minnesota 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.