Solar Calc

Solar Panel Cost in Honolulu, HI (2026 Estimate)

ByIndependent solar research and calculators

Data last updated

Honolulu averages about 6.0 peak sun hours a day (well above the national average, a little sunnier than the Hawaii average of 5.9), and pairs with Hawaii's approximate residential rate near 42ยข/kWh. In the model used here, an 8 kW system produces roughly 14,020 kWh a year and trims about $5,900 off annual electricity costs, paying back its net cost in about 3.2 years . Local shading, roof, and your utility's export terms move the real figure.

Estimated system cost and payback in Honolulu

Costs assume roughly $3.35/watt installed; the net column applies a 30% federal credit for comparison with quotes that include it. Savings use Honolulu's sun hours and Hawaii's rate.

Modeled solar cost, production, savings and payback in Honolulu by system size
System size Gross cost Net after 30% credit Yearly production Yearly savings Payback
6 kW $20,100 $14,100 10,510 kWh $4,400 3.2 yrs
8 kW $26,800 $18,800 14,020 kWh $5,900 3.2 yrs
10 kW $33,500 $23,500 17,520 kWh $7,400 3.2 yrs

The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit ended for systems paid for after December 31, 2025 under the 2025 federal budget law. Net-after-credit figures apply only if you still qualify (for example a 2025 expenditure, or a leased system where the installer passes a credit through). Confirm with a tax professional.

Net metering and utilities around Honolulu

Hawaii closed its original net energy metering program to new applicants in October 2015, years ahead of most mainland states, because rooftop solar had already saturated many circuits on Oahu. Legacy NEM customers keep full retail credit for exports, but a home going solar today enrolls in one of the successor programs approved by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. Since 2024 the main option at Hawaiian Electric has been the Smart DER program, which replaced Customer Grid-Supply Plus and Smart Export for new applicants.

Hawaiian Electric serves Oahu, Maui County and Hawaii Island as separate operating companies with separate rates, all among the highest in the nation because much of the generation still burns imported fuel. The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative serves Kauai independently. Hawaiian Electric has been introducing time-of-use pricing, and its fixed monthly customer charge is modest, so most of a bill is the volumetric energy charge that self-consumed solar offsets directly. Because export credits under Smart DER are low during the day, savings depend far more on shifting household use and battery discharge into the evening than on how many kilowatt-hours the roof produces.

For the full state picture, including incentives, property and sales tax treatment and the complete net metering notes, see the Hawaii solar cost page.

Sources and methodology

Every figure on this page is computed from two published inputs (average peak sun hours and the state's average residential electricity rate) plus the documented assumptions on the methodology page. It is a transparent model, not a survey of installer quotes. Inputs last reviewed .