Solar panels in Tacoma, WA

Roofs in Tacoma get about 1,184 hours of usable sunlight a year — less than 84% 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 Tacoma → City averages are a starting point; your own roof's size, pitch and shading change the answer a lot.

What a typical Tacoma solar system costs

A 27-panel system (10.8 kW) is about right for an average Tacoma home using 10,800 kWh a year. It would produce roughly 10,869 kWh annually and offset 100% of that usage.

How we worked this out for Tacoma

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

Step 6 matters more than it looks. Only 35% of what a system this size produces in Tacoma is used the moment it is generated; the other 7,089 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 — 17.5 years against the 17.6 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, 11.3¢/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 Tacoma gets 1,184 sun hours

That figure comes from Google's analysis of real rooftops across Tacoma — 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 Tacoma reaches about 1,349 hours, roughly 14% better than typical.

The numbers behind this page

When Tacoma actually produces

Annual totals hide the thing that catches people out: 40% of Tacoma's yearly sunlight arrives in May–July, and just 10% across November–January.

That is a severe seasonal swing — Tacoma produces roughly 4.5× 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 Tacoma's latitude, not separately measured, so treat the monthly figures as the shape of a typical year rather than a forecast.

How Tacoma compares to the other 788 cities

What actually stands out about Tacoma:

• Shading is a real problem here. Tacoma loses 12% of its potential sunlight to trees, chimneys and neighbouring buildings — the 30th-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.
• Cheap electricity is the headwind. Washington power costs about 11.3¢/kWh. Low rates are good news generally, but they lengthen solar payback — there is simply less bill to displace.

Cities with almost the same sunlight

These are the closest matches to Tacoma's 1,184 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 Washington → statewide sunlight, rates, incentives and every city we've measured.

Tacoma solar questions

Worth reading before you buy

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