Solar Atlas
How much solar does your city get?
Production, residential rate and home payback for 30 U.S. cities: NLR PVWatts v8.5.0 at a 20° rooftop, each utility’s EIA residential rate, its rule for exported solar, and no federal credit. Each tile is the city’s year of daylight: days across, hours down.
Highest yield of the 30
All cities · 7 kWdc home at $3.00/W
Anchorage, AK61.22°N · 5.0–19.0 h daylightPhoenix, AZ33.45°N · 9.8–14.2 h daylightLos Angeles, CA34.05°N · 9.7–14.3 h daylightSan Diego, CA32.72°N · 9.8–14.2 h daylightSan Francisco, CA37.77°N · 9.4–14.6 h daylightDenver, CO39.74°N · 9.2–14.8 h daylightWashington, DC38.91°N · 9.3–14.7 h daylightMiami, FL25.76°N · 10.4–13.6 h daylightOrlando, FL28.54°N · 10.2–13.8 h daylightAtlanta, GA33.75°N · 9.8–14.2 h daylightHonolulu, HI21.31°N · 10.7–13.3 h daylightChicago, IL41.88°N · 8.9–15.1 h daylightNew Orleans, LA29.95°N · 10.1–13.9 h daylightBoston, MA42.36°N · 8.9–15.1 h daylightDetroit, MI42.33°N · 8.9–15.1 h daylightMinneapolis, MN44.98°N · 8.6–15.4 h daylightKansas City, MO39.10°N · 9.2–14.8 h daylightLas Vegas, NV36.17°N · 9.5–14.5 h daylightAlbuquerque, NM35.08°N · 9.6–14.4 h daylightNew York, NY40.71°N · 9.1–14.9 h daylightCharlotte, NC35.23°N · 9.6–14.4 h daylightPortland, OR45.52°N · 8.5–15.5 h daylightPhiladelphia, PA39.95°N · 9.2–14.8 h daylightNashville, TN36.16°N · 9.5–14.5 h daylightAustin, TX30.27°N · 10.0–14.0 h daylightDallas, TX32.78°N · 9.8–14.2 h daylightHouston, TX29.76°N · 10.1–13.9 h daylightSan Antonio, TX29.42°N · 10.1–13.9 h daylightSalt Lake City, UT40.76°N · 9.1–14.9 h daylightSeattle, WA47.61°N · 8.2–15.8 h daylight
Yield: NLR PVWatts v8.5.0 (NSRDB typical year), 1 kW, tilt 20°, equator-facing, roof mount, 14% losses · fetched 2026-09-24 · rates: EIA-861 2024 utility averages and EIA-861M Aug 2025–Jul 2026, EIA state averages Jan–Jul 2026 · built 2026-09-24 · paybacks use unverified export rules at a conservative 4.0¢/kWh (range shown) · no federal credit (§25D ended 2025-12-31).
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The payback calculator runs hourly PVWatts for any address and prices it against the utility that serves it.