How much electricity do solar panels produce in Oakland, California?

About 1,615 kWh a year for each kW of panels, for a roof-mounted, south-facing array at a 30° tilt with 14% system losses (PVWatts). A 6.7 kW system would make about 10,788 kWh in its first year. Shade, a different roof angle or an east or west-facing roof will change this.

How much could solar panels save in Oakland, California?

At California’s average residential price of 32.58¢ per kWh, a 6.7 kW system sized for an average US home would save about $3,515 in its first year and $119,822 over 25 years. That assumes the home uses all the power the panels make, electricity prices rise 3% a year and panel output falls 0.5% a year. Power sent to the grid is counted at zero. At the US average price of 18.19¢, the first-year figure would be $1,962.

How long do solar panels take to pay back in Oakland, California?

It depends on the installed price on your quote, which varies by installer and system, and we do not have a verified US average to use. Enter your quote in the calculator on this page: Oakland’s solar output and California’s electricity price are already filled in. Every $0.10 per watt adds about $670 to the price of a 6.7 kW system.

What do homes in Oakland, California pay for electricity?

California’s average residential price for January to August 2026 was 32.58¢ per kWh, against 18.19¢ for the US as a whole (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B). Your own rate depends on your utility and plan, so use the figure from your bill in the calculator if you can.

How does Oakland compare with nearby cities?

Of the 5 nearest cities we cover, Bakersfield (243 miles away) gets the most sun at 1,711 kWh per kW, and San Francisco (44 miles away) the least at 1,455 kWh. Oakland gets 1,615 kWh. Within California, it ranks 81st of the 91 cities we cover.

Where do these figures come from?

Solar output is from the PVWatts V8 tool for Oakland’s coordinates in the Census Bureau Gazetteer, checked on 2026-11-11. The electricity price is the EIA residential average for California for January to August 2026, and household use is the EIA average for US homes. Each figure is listed with its source link at the bottom of this page.

Solar panels in Oakland, California: output, savings and payback

Solar panels in Oakland produce about 1,615 kWh a year for each kW installed, 6% more than the average of the 400 US cities in our data (1,517 kWh). Among the 91 California cities we cover, it ranks 81st of 91 for solar output, against an average there of 1,691 kWh.

California’s average residential electricity price for January to August 2026 was 32.58¢ per kWh, 14.39¢ above the US average of 18.19¢, according to the Energy Information Administration.

For a home using the US average of 899 kWh a month, a 6.7 kW system would cover a year’s use and save about $3,515 in its first year, or $119,822 over 25 years. With the average sunshine of the 400 US cities in our data, the same home would need a 7.1 kW system. Because Oakland gets more sun, it needs 6% less capacity to cover the same use, so at any price per watt the system costs 6% less and pays for itself sooner.

There is no verified US installed-price figure yet, so add the price per watt from your installer’s quote in the calculator below to see the payback period for Oakland.

A typical home in Oakland

System size: 6.7 kW; Sized to cover 10,788 kWh a year
First-year generation: 10,788 kWh
First-year savings: $3,515; At 32.58¢ per kWh
Savings over 25 years: $119,822; Prices rising 3% a year
Payback: Needs your quote; No verified US installed price yet: enter yours below

Assumes all the electricity the panels make is used at home, up to the home’s yearly use, and that panel output falls 0.5% a year. Power sent to the grid is counted at zero.

How Oakland compares

Oakland compared with the California and US averages
	Oakland	California average	US average
Solar output, kWh per kW a year	1,615	1,691	1,517
Electricity price per kWh	32.58¢	32.58¢	18.19¢
System size for a typical home	6.7 kW	6.4 kW	7.1 kW
First-year savings	$3,515	$3,515	$1,962

Averages are of the 91 places in California and the 400 US cities in our data, unweighted. The US column uses the US average price as well as the average sunshine.

Your home in Oakland

All amounts in US dollars.

Your home

Nearest city

Sets how much electricity each kW of panels makes in a year at your location.

Electricity use

kWh per month

Check your utility bill: most show monthly kWh. Average your last 12 months if you can.

Electricity price

cents per kWh

Starts at the California residential average for January to August 2026. Your bill shows your own rate.

Solar system

System size

Leave blank to size the panels to cover your yearly use, or enter the size on your quote.

Installed price

Price per wattTotal quoted price

Price per watt

$per W

Enter the price from your installer quote to see cost, payback and return. Your quote divided by the system size in watts (for example, a 6 kW system is 6,000 W).

Assumptions you can change

Panel output loss

% per year

Starts at 0.5%, the median of nearly 2,000 reported rates in an NREL review.

Electricity price change

% per year

A scenario, not a forecast. Try 0% and 5% to see how much it matters.

Used directly at home

Share of the panels’ output your home uses as it is made. 100% assumes all of it offsets power you would otherwise buy, up to your annual use.

Add a home battery

A battery only adds savings when you use less than 100% of your solar power directly. Lower “Used directly at home” under assumptions to model that.

Results

Payback period

Add your installer’s quoted price to see payback

First-year savings: $3,515
Savings over 25 years: $119,822
System size: 6.7 kW; Sized to cover your yearly use
First-year generation: 10,788 kWh

Cumulative savings over 25 yearsAdd your quoted price to compare against the cost.

Year-by-year table

Generation and savings for each of the 25 years
Year	Generation (kWh)	Price per kWh	Saved that year	Saved so far
1	10,788	$0.326	$3,515	$3,515
2	10,734	$0.336	$3,602	$7,117
3	10,680	$0.346	$3,692	$10,808
4	10,627	$0.356	$3,783	$14,592
5	10,574	$0.367	$3,877	$18,469
6	10,521	$0.378	$3,974	$22,443
7	10,468	$0.389	$4,072	$26,515
8	10,416	$0.401	$4,174	$30,689
9	10,364	$0.413	$4,277	$34,966
10	10,312	$0.425	$4,384	$39,350
11	10,261	$0.438	$4,493	$43,842
12	10,209	$0.451	$4,604	$48,447
13	10,158	$0.465	$4,719	$53,165
14	10,107	$0.478	$4,836	$58,001
15	10,057	$0.493	$4,956	$62,957
16	10,007	$0.508	$5,079	$68,036
17	9,957	$0.523	$5,205	$73,242
18	9,907	$0.538	$5,335	$78,577
19	9,857	$0.555	$5,467	$84,044
20	9,808	$0.571	$5,603	$89,647
21	9,759	$0.588	$5,742	$95,390
22	9,710	$0.606	$5,885	$101,275
23	9,662	$0.624	$6,031	$107,306
24	9,613	$0.643	$6,181	$113,487
25	9,565	$0.662	$6,335	$119,822

Savings count only electricity your home no longer buys. Power sent to the grid is valued at zero. Grid emissions data has not been verified yet, so no carbon figure is shown. See the methodology for every formula and source.

Nearby cities

City	Distance	kWh per kW a year	Price per kWh	System size	First-year savings
San Jose, California	40 miles	1,653	32.58¢	6.5 kW	$3,515
San Francisco, California	44 miles	1,455	32.58¢	7.4 kW	$3,515
Sacramento, California	69 miles	1,645	32.58¢	6.6 kW	$3,515
Fresno, California	150 miles	1,682	32.58¢	6.4 kW	$3,515
Bakersfield, California	243 miles	1,711	32.58¢	6.3 kW	$3,515

Solar panels in Oakland: questions

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Oakland, California?: About 1,615 kWh a year for each kW of panels, for a roof-mounted, south-facing array at a 30° tilt with 14% system losses (PVWatts). A 6.7 kW system would make about 10,788 kWh in its first year. Shade, a different roof angle or an east or west-facing roof will change this.
How much could solar panels save in Oakland, California?: At California’s average residential price of 32.58¢ per kWh, a 6.7 kW system sized for an average US home would save about $3,515 in its first year and $119,822 over 25 years. That assumes the home uses all the power the panels make, electricity prices rise 3% a year and panel output falls 0.5% a year. Power sent to the grid is counted at zero. At the US average price of 18.19¢, the first-year figure would be $1,962.
How long do solar panels take to pay back in Oakland, California?: It depends on the installed price on your quote, which varies by installer and system, and we do not have a verified US average to use. Enter your quote in the calculator on this page: Oakland’s solar output and California’s electricity price are already filled in. Every $0.10 per watt adds about $670 to the price of a 6.7 kW system.
What do homes in Oakland, California pay for electricity?: California’s average residential price for January to August 2026 was 32.58¢ per kWh, against 18.19¢ for the US as a whole (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B). Your own rate depends on your utility and plan, so use the figure from your bill in the calculator if you can.
How does Oakland compare with nearby cities?: Of the 5 nearest cities we cover, Bakersfield (243 miles away) gets the most sun at 1,711 kWh per kW, and San Francisco (44 miles away) the least at 1,455 kWh. Oakland gets 1,615 kWh. Within California, it ranks 81st of the 91 cities we cover.
Where do these figures come from?: Solar output is from the PVWatts V8 tool for Oakland’s coordinates in the Census Bureau Gazetteer, checked on 2026-11-11. The electricity price is the EIA residential average for California for January to August 2026, and household use is the EIA average for US homes. Each figure is listed with its source link at the bottom of this page.

Sources for this page

Solar output for Oakland: developer.nlr.gov (checked 2026-11-11)PVWatts V8.5.0 outputs.ac_annual for a 1 kW system. Weather data: 122432.csv, station at 37.77000045776367, -122.2200012207031 (496 m away).
California electricity price: www.eia.gov (checked 2026-11-11)California, residential sector, year-to-date through August 2026. Published as 32.58 cents per kilowatthour.
US average price: www.eia.gov (checked 2026-11-11)U.S. Total, residential sector, year-to-date through August 2026. Published as 18.19 cents per kilowatthour.
Typical household use: www.eia.gov (checked 2026-11-10)Average annual electricity sold to a U.S. residential utility customer in 2022: 10,791 kWh ("an average of about 899 kWh per month").
Panel output loss: docs.nlr.gov (checked 2026-11-10)Median of nearly 2,000 reported degradation rates: "a median value of 0.5%/year" (average 0.8%/year).
Location: www2.census.gov (checked 2026-11-10)Census Gazetteer INTPTLAT/INTPTLONG (internal point) for GEOID 0653000, "Oakland city".

Methods and every other figure are on the methodology page.