Is solar worth it in San Francisco, CA?
A typical 7 kW rooftop system in San Francisco produces about 7,220 kWh/year and pays back in roughly 12.9 years against the area’s ~22.5¢/kWh commercial rate. Computed from San Francisco’s solar geometry — refine for your exact roof below.
Monthly production — 7 kW system in San Francisco
How much solar does San Francisco get?
San Francisco’s temperate climate gives a solar specific yield of about 1,031 kWh per kW of installed panels each year (south-facing, tilted near the latitude of 38°). At an estimated commercial electricity rate of ~22.5¢/kWh, a 7 kW array offsets roughly $2k of bills in year one, for a simple payback near 12.9 years before incentives. Add storage and you can ride through outages and shift usage off peak — model the full system for your address next.
Get the exact payback for your roof
Run real NREL PVWatts production against your actual serving utility — then size storage in the modeler.