Solar panels in Raleigh, NC

Roofs in Raleigh get about 1,448 hours of usable sunlight a year — less than 59% 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 Raleigh → City averages are a starting point; your own roof's size, pitch and shading change the answer a lot.

What a typical Raleigh solar system costs

A 22-panel system (8.8 kW) is about right for an average Raleigh home using 10,800 kWh a year. It would produce roughly 10,831 kWh annually and offset 100% of that usage.

How we worked this out for Raleigh

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

Step 6 matters more than it looks. Only 35% of what a system this size produces in Raleigh is used the moment it is generated; the other 7,051 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 — 12.3 years against the 12.3 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, 13.2¢/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 Raleigh gets 1,448 sun hours

That figure comes from Google's analysis of real rooftops across Raleigh — 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 Raleigh reaches about 1,713 hours, roughly 18% better than typical.

The numbers behind this page

When Raleigh actually produces

Annual totals hide the thing that catches people out: 34% of Raleigh's yearly sunlight arrives in May–July, and just 15% across November–January.

Raleigh produces about 2.5× 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 Raleigh's latitude, not separately measured, so treat the monthly figures as the shape of a typical year rather than a forecast.

How Raleigh compares to the other 788 cities

What actually stands out about Raleigh:

• Shading is a real problem here. Raleigh loses 15% of its potential sunlight to trees, chimneys and neighbouring buildings — the 14th-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.
• Dimmer than the rest of North Carolina. Raleigh roofs get 7% less usable sunlight than the typical North Carolina city we've measured — statewide averages will overstate what you can expect here.

Cities with almost the same sunlight

These are the closest matches to Raleigh's 1,448 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 North Carolina → statewide sunlight, rates, incentives and every city we've measured.

Raleigh solar questions

Worth reading before you buy

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