How Much Does It Cost To Install Solar Panel in Florida?

Solar panel costs in Florida can vary depending on the municipality, house size, and energy goals. The state average cost for installation of solar panels in Florida is $15,580 to $21,520, with many homeowners need to pay around $18,400 for a 6 kW system of monocrystalline panels installed on the roof. This project’s low cost is $5,460 for a 2 kW installation of polycrystalline panels. The high cost is $60,000 for an 8 kW system with battery backup designed to go off-grid from the electrical company.

Average Cost of Solar Panels in Florida by Type

There are many different types of solar panels and installations. This includes monocrystalline panels, which are more expensive but better at producing energy, polycrystalline and thin film panels, which are less expensive, and other solar panel systems.

These different panels can be installed in different ways. The most common is a grid-tied solar installation, which uses your choice of solar panels to help lower your energy bills. You are still tied to the grid, and when the sun goes down or there is a prolonged period of cloudy days, you use traditional electricity. The rest of the time, you can rely on your solar panels. These systems can be of many sizes, from small installations offsetting some of your costs to large solar installations that run your entire house.

The other solar installation type is off-grid. This means you cut your ties with the electric company and rely solely on your solar panels. It is legal to do this in Florida, but you cannot go completely off-grid in some municipalities because of laws surrounding septic systems and insurance. In those cities, you can disconnect from the power grid but may still rely on your town or city utilities for other things. If you want to consider going off-grid and generating your own electricity in Florida, check with your municipality to find out what stipulations you may need to follow.

An off-grid solar installation is generally larger than a grid-tied installation. It also needs batteries and battery inverters to store excess energy during the day. At night and when the sun is not as strong, you can run your home off the batteries. This can dramatically increase the solar installation cost because you need more panels and batteries, and inverters can have high costs. It is also recommended to use a backup system like wind power or a backup generator if you have an off-grid solar system in case there is a prolonged period of low sunlight. This is less of a concern in Florida than in other places, but it is still considered a good idea.

Below are the average costs for grid-tied and off-grid solar systems for the standard 2,500 sq.ft. Florida home. Your energy needs may be less or more, impacting your final costs.

Type	Average Cost (Installed)
Grid-Tied	$14,500 – $18,500
Off-Grid	$41,000 – $71,000

Solar Panel Cost per Watt in Florida

Solar energy is typically priced per watt, with most homes needing thousands of watts, or kilowatts, to power the system. The average-sized system in Florida is 6kW, but you can use less or more energy, depending on your home size and needs.

The average cost of solar panels per watt in Florida is $2.23 to $2.87 a watt. Costs can vary by the panel and your location. Each panel can typically have between 250 and 400 watts, so if you need a 6 kW system to run your home, you need between 15 and 24 panels. Some panels produce more watts, and smaller panels produce less, impacting the number of panels you need. Below is the average cost of a grid-tied system by the number of kilowatts and how many panels you need.

System Size	Panels Needed	Average Cost (Installed)
2 kW	5 – 8	$4,960 – $6,740
3 kW	8 – 12	$6,990 – $9,610
4 kW	10 – 16	$9,920 – $12,480
5 kW	13 – 20	$12,150 – $15,350
6 kW	15 – 24	$13,880 – $18,220
7 kW	18 – 28	$16,610 – $21,090
8 kW	20 – 32	$18,840 – $23,960
10 kW	25 – 40	$23,300 – $29,700
12 kW	30 – 48	$26,760 – $34,440
15 kW	38 – 60	$34,450 – $44,050
18 kW	45 – 72	$41,140 – $52,660

Solar Panel Cost in Florida per Square Foot

The home size can be loosely tied to the number of solar panels you need and the project’s cost. The exact cost of the project depends on the energy needed to run the appliances. Typically, the larger the house, the higher the overall energy needs. But you may choose a system that can offset some costs and power certain things, such as the HVAC system while leaving the rest on the grid solar panel. You can also choose a system that runs your entire home, even if you have higher-than-average energy needs. This means the home can have a big range of costs. The average home in Florida typically uses its air conditioning for more hours than the national average, meaning you may need a larger system than homes of a similar size in other parts to see the same benefits. That is why the average solar panel installation in Florida is 6 kW, while the average national solar installation size is around 5 kW. Below are the average cost ranges for homes of different sizes. There is a big cost range for each home because your energy needs can be different.

House Size	Average Cost (Installed)
1,000 sq.ft.	$5,460 – $23,960
1,500 sq.ft.	$5,840 – $27,760
2,000 sq.ft.	$9,920 – $30,700
2,500 sq.ft.	$14,380 – $36,440

Solar Panel Cost in Florida by Cell Type

Solar panels come in many cell types. Polycrystalline and thin film is the least expensive, while monocrystalline is more expensive. Polycrystalline panels are made of many small pieces of silicone crystals. The panels are blue, making them stand out more but they are less costly to purchase and install. They do not generate as much power energy as a monocrystalline panel.

Thin-film panels are also less costly and available in many subtypes. Thin-film panels have a lower profile but are better in low-light areas than the other types of solar panel installation. Due to the amount of sunlight Florida receives, thin-film panels are much less common in this state. You can find them and polycrystalline panels if you like, but they are generally not as common.

Cell Type	Average Cost (Installed)
Polycrystalline	$14,000 – $17,000
Thin-Film	$14,000 – $18,000
Monocrystalline	$15,000 – $20,000

Labor Cost Solar Panel Installation in Florida

The labor cost to install solar panels in Florida depends on the area, panel type, size, and location. The average cost range for solar panel installation is between $1.1 and $1.34 a watt, making the average cost of solar panel installation for a 6 kW system between $5,380 and $7,840. The costs include racking and balancing the solar panels and their installation. Larger panels can require more time to mount¹, while panels installed on a steep roof may cost more than panels installed on an array mounted on the ground. For this reason, you see a wide fluctuation in costs. Below is the average cost of labor based on the solar panel system size.

System Size	Average Labor Costs
2 kW	$1,800 – $2,500
3 kW	$2,700 – $3,500
4 kW	$3,600 – $4,600
5 kW	$4,600 – $5,800
6 kW	$5,300 – $7,000
7 kW	$6,200 – $8,000
8 kW	$7,200 – $9,200
10 kW	$9,000 – $12,000

Average Solar Installation Cost by Location

While the most common place for solar panel installation is on the roof, this is not the only place you can install a solar panel. For some larger solar panel installations, the roof is not large enough. In other solar panel installations, the roof’s position is not ideal for capturing a good amount of sunlight. In these cases, you may need a ground-mounted solar system. This is a set of arrays built on a frame installed on the ground. This is much larger than the roof-mounted system and costs more to install, even if you use the same number of solar panels and watts. This s0lar panel project uses a lot of space on your property. However, for off-grid installations and some larger installations, a ground-mounted system is the only method that works.

Below are the average costs to install a 6 kW system on the roof and on a ground-mounted array. All other factors between the two are identical, only the positioning is different.

System Location	Average Costs (Installed)
Roof	$15,000 – $20,000
Ground	$17,550 – $23,000

Solar Inverter Cost by Type

For the home to use the electricity produced by the solar panels, you also need a solar inverter. Inverters take the energy produced by the panels, which is DC (direct current), and convert it to electricity for home uses, which is AC (alternating current).

The cost of solar inverters is worked into the total cost per watt to install solar panels and averages out to around $0.30 to $0.42 a watt in total solar panel costs. There are several inverter types to choose from.

String inverters are one of the more common types. Groups of solar panels are connected to one another in strings, and these strings are all connected to a single inverter. This inverter is usually situated in the basement or in another accessible area. While the string inverter is more expensive than the other types, you typically only need one.

Microinverters are a new type that does not connect up the solar panels. Every solar panel has its own inverter, located near the panel. While the inverters themselves are less money, you need one inverter per solar panel, so you will need more of them, which increases the total cost of the project so it will be higher than with a string inverter. They eliminate issues with string inverters that can occur if a panel or group of panels in a string stop working, which can affect the entire system.

Another option is to use a power optimizer with your string inverter. These will connect to your panels nearby like the microinverters, and you will need one per panel. They optimize the power output for the whole string. This is helpful if you have a complex roof that may put some of the panels in shade at times during the day.

If you have batteries with your solar panel system, you need battery inverters. These are the most expensive type, and they help your batteries store the extra energy your home is not using for later. This is necessary when installing an off-grid system.

Below are the average costs per inverter. Solar panel installation costs are generally rolled into the total per-watt cost, including the solar panels and inverters.

Inverter Type	Average Costs (Materials Only)
Power Optimizer	$125 – $150
Micro Inverter	$150 – $215
String Inverter	$1,000 – $2,000
Battery-Based	$2,000 – $3,000

Process To Get Solar Panel Installation Cost Estimate Report

Here I am going to share some steps to get your solar panel installation cost estimate report.

You need to send your plan to us.

You can send us your plan on info@estimatorflorida.com
You receive a quote for your project.

Before starting your project, we send you a quote for your service. That quote will have detailed information about your project. Here you will get information about the size, difficulty, complexity and bid date when determining pricing.
Get Estimate Report

We do solar panel installation cost estimating and prepare a detailed report for your project. At last you finalize the report and finish the project.