Is solar worth it in Portland, OR?
A typical 7 kW rooftop system in Portland produces about 5,361 kWh/year and pays back in roughly 38.4 years against the area’s ~10.2¢/kWh commercial rate. Computed from Portland’s solar geometry — refine for your exact roof below.
Monthly production — 7 kW system in Portland
How much solar does Portland get?
Portland’s maritime climate gives a solar specific yield of about 766 kWh per kW of installed panels each year (south-facing, tilted near the latitude of 46°). At an estimated commercial electricity rate of ~10.2¢/kWh, a 7 kW array offsets roughly $547 of bills in year one, for a simple payback near 38.4 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.