Considering the costs of a solar system is of great importance for many people interested in photovoltaics. In particular, the later use of the system must be included in the planning and calculating of costs and benefits. Depending on whether the system is intended to provide energy for self-consumption or feed it into the grid, PV system operators have to reckon with different acquisition costs.
How much does a solar system on the roof cost?
Regardless of whether you want to use your photovoltaic system to feed as much energy as possible into the public grid or whether you want to cover your consumption with your solar panels system – all systems for sale have one thing in common: the acquisition costs.
As with most custom purchases, the cost of a rooftop solar system will vary depending on the size of the home, the purpose of the purchase (self-consumption or feed-in), and the household’s needs.
To determine the level of costs incurred by a photovoltaic system, various factors must also be taken into account:
If the number of desired solar modules for the required energy generation is fixed, there are price differences between the manufacturers. Here you should pay attention not only to the costs of the purchase but also to factors such as the specified warranty period. The price of your solar system varies depending on the additional components. So the inverter is essential, but you are free to decide whether you also need a power storage unit or a wall box in your everyday life. Apart from the components, additional costs for the technicians’ work, the scaffolding, and the grid connection may arise in special cases; in some cases, it is necessary to replace the meter cabinet, which can also be a cost item on the billing list.
Suppose you already have an idea of your solar system’s yield and degree of self-sufficiency. In that case, you can compare the costs for the installation with the savings and profit figures and thus calculate the amortization period of your solar system. Photovoltaic calculators are worthwhile for your online system planning to get an overview of your self-sufficiency, CO2 savings, and profit.
What type of building should the solar system be installed on?
As is already clear here, many people think directly of buying a solar system when asked about the costs. There are now many offers for renting a PV system for your roof. With solar Wow, we also offer you this possibility. In contrast to buying, you do not pay any acquisition costs when renting, but – depending on the size of the selected system – a monthly rental price for your solar system. How high the monthly rent for your solar system depends on the performance and selection of the components (power storage, wall box).
Would you rather buy a solar system? To calculate the costs for this in advance, the size of the roof and the number of desired solar modules must first be considered more closely. And it is precisely at this point that the question of the aim of the installation arises: should the solar system be used for self-consumption, or should it feed as much energy as possible into the public grid?
When is a solar system worthwhile?
If you want to install your solar system to feed as much self-generated electricity into the grid as possible, your home should have the largest roof area available. The feed-in tariff per kilowatt hour is guaranteed for 20 years upon commissioning. Still, it is only worthwhile nowadays if there is a large yield and comparatively favorable purchasing conditions.
For this reason, more and more operators of PV systems are opting for self-consumption. While the solar power generated from the roof is around 8 to 11 cents per kilowatt hour, purchasing it from the grid costs you around 35 cents per kWh – a solid basis for calculating the savings potential compared to the costs for the solar system.
Exact calculations of the costs of a solar system can only be made when the following data is known:
Power consumption available on the roof are a selection of components
Large PV systems are usually the most profitable due to increased generation and lower specific acquisition costs.
Small photovoltaic systems with an output of 5.2 kW can cost 12,313 euros; with an output of 10 kW, the price is comparatively lower at 22,798 euros. Suppose you exploit the available area and combine the solar system with 12 volt batteries. In that case, in-house solar power can cover a large proportion of the annual electricity consumption.
Prices for photovoltaics per kWp
As you can already see from this example, the price of your PV system depends on various factors – particularly on the dimensioning of these. It is often worthwhile to plan the photovoltaic system as much as possible. As the size of the system increases, the price per kWh falls.
For our smallest solar system with 13 solar modules and an output of 5.2 kW, you pay 2,318 euros per kWp. The larger you plan the system, the lower the price per kWh. So you only pay for our largest system with an output of 20 kW and 50 solar modules. If self-consumption is right, it is often worth using the entire roof area to make a PV project as profitable as possible.
To calculate the prices per kWh for your solar system, you can proceed as follows:
Price per kWh = gross price of the complete system ÷ system output in kWp
Saving with the solar system: costs for a single-family house
Especially when planning a new building, the purchase of a solar system should be considered early enough. With good planning, you can avoid, among other things, the costs of re-erecting scaffolding and additional work – for the subsequent laying of empty pipes. So find out early on about the various options for using solar energy to benefit from green electricity in your new home as early as possible.
We have run through the costs and potential savings for a single-family home with a PV system for you.
Sample calculation: Solar system without electricity storage
Let’s assume a family with an average electricity consumption of 4,000 kWh per year. With an electricity price of 35 cents per kWh, our example household has annual electricity costs of 1,400 euros per year.
Now let’s assume that the family decides to have a solar system with an output of 8.0 kWp installed on the roof of their home. This PV system would produce 7,210-kilowatt hours of solar power per year. With a self-sufficiency of 43 percent, the family would have a residual electricity requirement of 2,272 kWh, which would be drawn from the public grid and cost the household around 818 euros a year.
But: Of the 7,210 kWh of solar power produced, 5,482 kWh remain after deduction of self-consumption and are fed into the public grid for a fee of 8.2 cents per kWh. For this, the family receives around 450 euros per year.
The result: If you now deduct this remuneration from the annual electricity costs, the family with a photovoltaic system would only have to pay 312 euros a year in electricity costs – i.e., 1,128 euros less than before.
Sample calculation: Solar system with electricity storage
The first sample calculation sounds good, but it can become even more attractive – with an electricity storage device for the solar system. If the family home had a solar system and electricity storage, the family would achieve a degree of self-sufficiency of 80 percent, i.e., generate 3,210 kWh of the 4,000 kWh of electricity required. The family would, therefore, only have to cover a residual electricity requirement of 790 kWh from the public grid and pay 284 euros per year to their energy supplier. In contrast, the family could feed 4,000 kWh of excess electricity into the public grid and receive a payment of 328 euros.
Result: Thanks to a photovoltaic system with electricity storage, the family can reduce their annual electricity costs to 0 and, thanks to the feed-in tariff, make a plus of around 44 euros a year.
Are the investment costs for a off grid solar system simply too high in addition to the costs for a new building, and do you have time to deal with the topic in detail? Then a solar system for rent is particularly suitable for you. In this case, you will receive an uncomplicated complete package for 0 euros.
How much does a solar system with storage in a full package cost?
To get an approximate price of your solar system with electricity storage, you should estimate how many solar modules will be installed on your roof and what power you can generate accordingly. The electricity storage capacity should be adapted to your household consumption and the energy generated by your solar system. You should consult a competent installation partner to avoid negative risk business when buying power storage.
The integration of a power storage unit has the following effect on the price examples we have already presented for the purchase of a solar system:
1 The size of the memory is always based on self-consumption. The higher the consumption, the larger the memory should be selected.
Practical example: What does a 10 kWp PV system with storage cost?
For many households with average electricity consumption of 4,000 kWh per year, considering the prices for a 10 kWp system with electricity storage is a practical guideline. We have, therefore, briefly summarized the prices for the purchase of a solar system of this size:
10 kWp PV system, 5.1 kWh power storage unit, 249,012 kWh solar yield per year, degree of self-sufficiency of up to 78 percent, gross investment costs: 22,798 euros
How much does a solar panel cost?
The solar modules make up part of the acquisition costs of your solar system. In general, the prices of solar panels have fallen significantly in recent years. On the one hand, this is due to the growing competition among manufacturers and, on the other hand, to the increasing production capacities.
The cost of solar panels varies depending on the manufacturer, model, and power. Therefore, no general statements can be made here for the costs. As an approximate guide, however, you can expect a price of around 66 cents for a standard solar module. On the other hand, a premium shed solar panel is just under 97 cents.
If you want to learn more about solar panels, we recommend our solar panel comparison 2022. There you will find all the important information about the most popular solar panels on the market.
How high are the operating costs of a solar system?
Once the solar system has been installed, the question arises as to the operating costs. These are not particularly high – the product guarantee of most manufacturers of solar modules is 12 to 15 years – some manufacturers also offer 25 years. However, you may incur costs during the operation.
While solar modules do not pose any maintenance costs for at least 20 years, the life expectancy of an inverter pure sine wave is around 10 to 15 years. Set aside one to two percent of the acquisition costs each year to know that possible operating costs are covered without great financial expense.
You don’t need much more – you don’t need to clean or polish your solar system. If it is soiled by leaves or pollen, the next rain shower or a strong gust of wind is usually enough to remove the dirt. Professional cleaning is only necessary in rare cases and costs around 1.75 euros per m². The corresponding annual insurance fee will be added if you have taken out insurance against missing feed-in tariffs or repair costs for the solar system.
With our solar Wow rental option, you benefit from our comprehensive protection package in terms of the operating costs of your solar system. This covers external damages such as hail, storms, theft, and technical failures requiring repairs. In addition, the comprehensive protection package includes a 20-year product guarantee and the possibility of remote troubleshooting. With the rental option solar Wow, you are completely covered and do not have to worry about future operating costs.
Finance electricity storage and solar systems with a cost subsidy
Planning your solar system cost-effectively is not difficult. Of course, you should seek advice from specialist staff, but when buying a solar system, it is also worth considering possible photovoltaic subsidies. These exist nationwide and at the state level and support the expansion of solar systems to the 2030 climate goals. Depending on the state where you want to install your new photovoltaic system, electricity storage or wall boxes are funded. Our funding overview will help you to get an initial overview of the various funding options.
In many cases, various regional funding programs also support the installation of an electricity storage system. So when planning your photovoltaic system for purchase, check in advance whether there are ongoing subsidy programs in your region or city and to what extent currently paused subsidies should be relaunched.
How much electricity can be saved with a solar system?
To calculate the costs and benefits of your solar system without knowing your annual electricity consumption, you can use a rough estimate to calculate your household consumption and the required output of your solar system. To do this, proceed as follows:
Each person in the household consumes an average of 1,000-kilowatt hours of electricity per year. Depending on the number of people living in the household, you can calculate a rough estimate of the total consumption. Suppose there are no special devices or installations in your household, such as heated swimming pools, which cause high electricity consumption. In that case, you can add a fixed consumption figure of 500 kilowatt hours to the per capita consumption to cover your annual consumption roughly. If so-called “power guzzlers” cause increased consumption in your household, you should include them at this point.
To calculate the minimum output in kilowatt peak, the installed solar system should generate, multiply your consumption by 1.5 and divide your result by 1,000.
However, this calculation only gives you an approximate guideline value to quickly get a rough idea of how high your power consumption is. Individual factors such as the size of the living space and the consumption of your e-devices naturally strongly influence this. Suppose you would like to calculate your savings potential with a solar system more precisely. In that case, you should use your actual electricity consumption over the last few years as the basis for your calculation.
Conclusion
The planning of a how to go off the grid with solar depends on a few decisions:
It would help if you first considered which financing model is right for you – a solar system to buy or rent. When buying a solar system, we recommend you fully utilize the available roof area and, for optimal profit, a power storage unit to integrate. The acquisition costs for photovoltaic systems vary depending on the size of the system. You save per square meter with your solar systems if you dimension them larger. To increase your savings potential, installing a power storage system is a good idea – this way, you can use as much of the energy you generate for your consumption. For solar panel installation, choose Amp Solar Squad to help protect your investment and save money in the long run. Our team consists of certified solar panel installers committed to excellence. Operating costs are usually not a big financial expense Weight, and the PV system is designed for long service life and durability. You can also reduce your electricity costs by renting a solar system. Our rental option, solar Wow, offers you an uncomplicated solar solution with a comprehensive protection package.
