Solar panels in Las Cruces, NM

Roofs in Las Cruces get about 2,112 hours of usable sunlight a year — more than 100% 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 Las Cruces → City averages are a starting point; your own roof's size, pitch and shading change the answer a lot.

What a typical Las Cruces solar system costs

A 16-panel system (6.4 kW) is about right for an average Las Cruces home using 10,800 kWh a year. It would produce roughly 11,489 kWh annually and offset 100% of that usage.

How we worked this out for Las Cruces

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

Step 6 matters more than it looks. Only 33% of what a system this size produces in Las Cruces is used the moment it is generated; the other 7,709 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 — 7.5 years against the 7.9 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 Las Cruces gets 2,112 sun hours

That figure comes from Google's analysis of real rooftops across Las Cruces — 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 Las Cruces reaches about 2,185 hours, roughly 3% better than typical.

The numbers behind this page

When Las Cruces actually produces

Annual totals hide the thing that catches people out: 33% of Las Cruces's yearly sunlight arrives in May–July, and just 16% across November–January.

Output is unusually steady — only about 2.2× between Jun and Dec. Las Cruces is close enough to the equator that seasonal variation is mild, which makes sizing a system considerably more predictable.

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

How Las Cruces compares to the other 788 cities

What actually stands out about Las Cruces:

• Older imagery. Google's aerial capture of Las Cruces dates from 2015. Tree growth and new construction since then are not reflected.

Cities with almost the same sunlight

These are the closest matches to Las Cruces's 2,112 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 New Mexico → statewide sunlight, rates, incentives and every city we've measured.

Las Cruces solar questions

Worth reading before you buy

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