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Solar panels in Florida

Roofs across Florida get about 1,769 hours of usable sunlight a year, and electricity costs 15.3¢/kWh. That combination puts a typical system's payback at 8.7 years. Here's the detail, from real rooftop data across 38 Florida cities.

1,769Sun hours / yr
15.3¢Per kWh
18Panels typical
8.7 yrPayback
Florida is a middling solar market. A 8.7-year payback still beats leaving the money in a savings account over 25 years, but it is not the slam dunk the ads suggest.

Check your own roof in Florida → These are regional figures; your roof's size, pitch and shading move them a lot.

How Florida compares

Florida gets more sunlight than 79% of the cities we measure, and its electricity costs more than 48% of states and provinces. Both matter, but not equally: the electricity rate usually matters more, because solar saves money by replacing power you would otherwise buy. A sunny state with cheap power often pays back slower than a cloudy state with expensive power. Why that happens →

Solar by city in Florida

CitySun hrs/yrPanels Net costPayback
Key West 1,919 17 $13,566 8.2 yrs
Clearwater 1,813 18 $14,364 8.6 yrs
Bradenton 1,812 18 $14,364 8.6 yrs
Cape Coral 1,810 18 $14,364 8.6 yrs
Miami 1,807 18 $14,364 8.6 yrs
Largo 1,806 18 $14,364 8.6 yrs
Naples 1,805 18 $14,364 8.6 yrs
Pompano Beach 1,801 18 $14,364 8.6 yrs
Sarasota 1,799 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
Davie 1,795 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
St. Petersburg 1,794 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
Coral Springs 1,792 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
Palm Bay 1,789 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
Fort Myers 1,783 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
Miami Gardens 1,780 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
West Palm Beach 1,775 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
Port St. Lucie 1,773 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
Boca Raton 1,773 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
Plantation 1,769 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
Tampa 1,765 18 $14,364 8.7 yrs
Deerfield Beach 1,760 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Melbourne 1,759 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Lakeland 1,753 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Fort Lauderdale 1,745 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Kissimmee 1,738 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Hialeah 1,734 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Sunrise 1,730 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Pensacola 1,721 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Sebring 1,712 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Daytona Beach 1,704 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Orlando 1,692 19 $15,162 9.1 yrs
Ocala 1,685 19 $15,162 9.2 yrs
Deltona 1,684 19 $15,162 9.2 yrs
Palm Coast 1,682 19 $15,162 9.2 yrs
Jacksonville 1,612 20 $15,960 9.6 yrs
Tallahassee 1,575 21 $16,758 10 yrs
Gainesville 1,534 21 $16,758 10.1 yrs
Panama City 1,511 22 $17,556 10.5 yrs

What a system costs in Florida

SystemSizekWh/yr Net costSaves/yrPayback
8 panels3.2 kW 4,812$6,384 $736 8.7 yrs
12 panels4.8 kW 7,218$9,576 $1,104 8.7 yrs
16 panels6.4 kW 9,623$12,768 $1,472 8.7 yrs
20 panels8 kW 12,029$15,960 $1,699 9.4 yrs
26 panels10.4 kW 15,638$20,748 $1,837 11.3 yrs

Payback stops improving as systems grow, then gets worse. You can only save on electricity you were going to buy, so once a system covers your usage the extra panels mostly export at a lower rate.

Florida solar incentives

Every US household can claim the 30% federal residential clean energy credit, which is what the "after credit" figures above assume. On a $20,520 system that is $6,156 back. How the credit works →

State, utility and municipal incentives stack on top and change often — Florida may offer rebates, property or sales tax exemptions, or performance payments. We deliberately don't list specific state programmes here because they change several times a year and stale numbers are worse than none. The DSIRE database is the standard reference and is kept current.

Net metering is the one to actually check. It decides what your utility pays for exported power, and it affects your return far more than most rebates. Rules vary by utility, not just by state, and have been getting less generous. Ask any installer exactly which net metering tariff you would be on.

Florida solar questions

Is solar worth it in Florida?

At 15.3¢/kWh and 1,769 usable sun hours, a typical Florida system pays back in about 8.7 years and returns roughly $26,971 across a 25-year panel life. That is a solid return, and rising electricity prices only improve it. Individual cities in Florida vary widely around this average.

How many solar panels do I need in Florida?

About 18 panels for a home using 10,800 kWh a year. Each 400W panel produces roughly 601 kWh annually at Florida sunlight levels. Your own figure depends on actual usage — pull a year of bills rather than assuming average consumption, since heating and EV charging change it a lot.

How much do solar panels cost in Florida?

A 7.2 kW system runs about $20,520 before incentives and $14,364 after the 30% federal credit, or roughly $2.85 per watt installed. Quotes vary widely by installer, roof complexity and whether your electrical panel needs upgrading — get three before deciding.

Worth reading before you buy

Regional estimates generated 2026-08-22 from Google Solar API rooftop samples across 38 Florida cities, and average Florida electricity rates. Not a quote and not financial or tax advice.