State hub

California solar payback is still strong, but NEM 3.0 changed the math.

High retail rates and strong sun help. Reduced export credits mean self-consumption and batteries matter more than they used to.

State focus
Screen California solar payback using retail-rate pressure, sun exposure, policy context, and export-credit risk.
Policy factor
NEM 3.0 reduces the value of exported production, so self-consumption and battery economics matter more.
Best use
Compare the state-level economics before running a quote-specific calculator scenario.
Not included
Roof shade, county-level precompute, installer pricing, financing terms, and household usage shape.

Key drivers

82
Worth-It Score
8-12
payback years
31.8c
sample retail rate per kWh
NEM 3.0
policy context

Policy note

NEM 3.0 credits exported power at lower, time-varying values than the former retail-credit structure. That can extend payback for systems that export heavily.

Source attribution and data-use notes are listed in the Solar Payback Map attribution policy.