Solar panels in El Paso: what they cost and what they make
A typical El Paso home needs 18 solar panels. They would make about 13,800 kWh a year and cost $19k to $29k before incentives. At today's electricity prices they pay for themselves in about 10.1 yrs.
See panels on your own El Paso roof
Type your address. You get your roof from above, the panels that fit, a month-by-month forecast and a battery test. No phone number.
What solar costs in El Paso
At $3.00 a watt, the median price cash buyers pay nationally, a 7.6 kW system costs about $22,800. Quotes in El Paso will usually fall between $19,000 and $28,500. Complex roofs, main-panel upgrades and financing push prices up.
The 30% federal tax credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy. This estimate includes no state or utility incentives; check with your utility before you buy.
The number that decides whether solar pays in El Paso is what your utility pays for the power you send back. Under full payback is about 10.1 yrs. Under net billing it is about 16.8 yrs, because only the ~41% of solar a typical home uses as it is made saves the full retail price.
Cash purchase, prices rising 2.5% a year, panels losing 0.5% a year, $25/kW a year for upkeep. No federal credit for homeowner-owned systems.
Every way to pay for a 7.6 kW system in El Paso
Change any number →| Way to pay | Day one | Monthly payment | Monthly net, year 1 | Ahead after 25 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay cash Full price on install day | $22,800 | $0 | +$169 | $43k |
| Credit-union loan 8% APR, 20 years, no dealer fee | $0 | $191 | −$22 | $20k |
| “1.99%” solar loan 1.99% APR, 25 years, 25% dealer fee | $0 | $121 | +$48 | $30k |
| Lease $155/mo, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $155 | +$30 | $3,900 |
| Power purchase (PPA) 13.7¢/kWh, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $158 | +$27 | $7,200 |
Under net metering, at 16.1¢/kWh rising 2.5% a year. The “1.99%” loan’s $5,700 dealer fee is included in its payments. Lease and PPA prices are typical offers, not quotes.
How much sunshine El Paso gets
kWh per kW, 25° southMay is the best month for solar in El Paso, and Dec the weakest: a Dec day makes 73% of a May day. A 6 kW system would make about 766 kWh in Dec and 1,054 kWh in May.
On June 21 the sun rises at 6:00 am and sets at 8:14 pm, 14 hours 14 minutes of daylight. On December 21 it is up from 7:02 am to 5:05 pm, just 10 hours 4 minutes.
Peak sun hours in El Paso, month by month
| Month | Flat ground | Panels at 33° | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.7 | 6.0 | 137 |
| Feb | 4.7 | 6.6 | 139 |
| Mar | 6.0 | 7.3 | 171 |
| Apr | 7.3 | 7.5 | 175 |
| May | 8.0 | 7.3 | 176 |
| Jun | 8.1 | 6.9 | 160 |
| Jul | 7.2 | 6.4 | 152 |
| Aug | 6.7 | 6.5 | 153 |
| Sep | 5.9 | 6.7 | 148 |
| Oct | 5.1 | 6.8 | 153 |
| Nov | 3.9 | 6.2 | 135 |
| Dec | 3.3 | 5.6 | 128 |
| Year | 5.8 | 6.6 | 1,825 |
A peak sun hour is one hour of sunlight at 1,000 W per m². Why sites disagree.
The best angle and direction for panels in El Paso
| Roof faces (6/12 pitch) | Output vs south | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|
| South | 100% | 1,825 |
| Southeast | 96% | 1,752 |
| Southwest | 95% | 1,734 |
| East | 84% | 1,533 |
| West | 84% | 1,533 |
| North | 62% | 1,132 |
Face panels south and tilt them 33° for the most energy over a year. East and west roofs keep about 84% of that. A north-facing roof keeps 62%, which is rarely worth the money. Try other angles.
Where the sun goes over El Paso
The noon sun is lower in winter, which is why the best winter tilt (58°) is steeper than the best summer tilt (2°).
El Paso's homes
El Paso has 245,346 households. 60.8% own their home, and 142,145 of those owners live in single-family houses, the kind of home that usually gets rooftop solar.
The median home here was built in 1984. Many roofs that age are due for replacement. Replace the roof first, then add solar: taking panels off and putting them back later costs thousands.
26% of homes heat with electricity and 71.8% with gas. If you switch to a heat pump or an electric car, plan for more panels or leave room on the roof.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
If the power goes out in El Paso
Solar panels alone shut off in a blackout. Add a battery and they keep going. One Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh) running a fridge, freezer, furnace fan, lights, Wi-Fi, TV and microwave (6.9 kWh a day):
Change the appliances, the battery and the weather in the battery calculator.
Questions people ask about solar in El Paso
How much do solar panels cost in El Paso?
A 7.6 kW system — enough for the average Texas home — costs about $19,000 to $28,500 before incentives, based on $2.50–$3.75 per watt. The 30% federal credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy.
How many solar panels does a house in El Paso need?
About 18 panels of 420 watts for a home using 1,096 kWh a month, the Texas average. Each kilowatt of panels here makes about 1,825 kWh a year on a south-facing roof.
Is solar worth it in El Paso?
Over 25 years, solar power here costs about 8.4¢ per kWh, against 16.1¢ from the grid today. Payback is about 10.1 yrs if your utility credits exported power at the full retail rate, and 16.8 yrs if it pays about 30% of retail.
How many peak sun hours does El Paso get?
6.6 a day on panels tilted to 33°, and 5.8 on flat ground. The best month is Apr; the weakest is Dec.
What is the best angle for solar panels in El Paso?
33° for the most energy over a year, facing south. 58° is best in winter and 2° in summer. On a normal pitched roof, anything within 15° of 33° gives you about 95% of the maximum.
How long would a home battery last in a El Paso power outage?
A Tesla Powerwall 3 running a fridge, freezer, furnace fan, lights, Wi-Fi, TV and microwave (6.9 kWh a day) lasts about 43 hours with no sun. With 7 kW of solar to recharge it, it gets through a three-day outage even in overcast January.
Solar near El Paso
| City | Miles | kWh per kW | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Cruces, NM | 39 | 1,831 | 6.6 |
| Albuquerque, NM | 225 | 1,823 | 6.5 |
| Rio Rancho, NM | 238 | 1,820 | 6.5 |
| Odessa, TX | 240 | 1,746 | 6.3 |
| Midland, TX | 253 | 1,736 | 6.2 |
Cities with the same sunshine as El Paso
These far-away cities get almost exactly as much solar energy per panel.
- Las Vegas, NV 1,827 kWh per kW
- Indio, CA 1,825 kWh per kW
- San Bernardino, CA 1,798 kWh per kW
Snow: NASA records about 2 cm of snow on the ground here in an average January. Covered panels make little until it slides off, and these figures (like PVWatts') don't subtract that.
Sources: NASA POWER 2001–2020 monthly climatology (grid cell 39 km from El Paso's Census point), our PV model (within 1.6% of NLR PVWatts® on average), U.S. EIA prices and use, U.S. Census 2025 population estimates and ACS 2020–2024. Estimates for an average home, not a site survey. How we calculate.