---
title: "Solar Panel Calculator — Energy Output, Savings & Payback by Country"
description: "Calculate solar panel energy output and payback period for your location. Covers US ITC (30%), UK Smart Export Guarantee, Australian STC rebates. Free solar calculator."
url: "https://worldcalculators.org/calculators/solar-panel/"
canonical: "https://worldcalculators.org/calculators/solar-panel/"
---

# Solar Panel Calculator

Calculate solar panel energy output and payback period for your location. Covers US ITC (30%), UK Smart Export Guarantee, Australian STC rebates. Free solar calculator.

## Quick answer

A 5kW system in Phoenix, AZ (6.5 peak sun hrs, 80% efficiency) generates about 9,490 kWh/year , saving ~$1,518/yr at 16¢/kWh. At $15,000 install minus 30% ITC = $10,500 net, payback ≈ 7 years .

## Frequently Asked Questions

Peak sun hours are a measure of the average daily solar radiation in a location, expressed as hours of sunlight at 1,000 W/m2 (peak intensity). Arizona gets about 6-7 peak sun hours/day; Germany and the UK get 2.5-3.5. A 5kW system in Arizona produces roughly twice the energy of the same system in London.
Most modern panels are warranted for 25 years and degrade at about 0.5% per year. After 25 years, a typical panel still operates at about 87-90% of original capacity. The inverter usually needs replacement after 10-15 years (cost: $1,000-$3,000).

Source: https://worldcalculators.org/calculators/solar-panel/
Markdown mirror of the HTML page. Prefer this URL for RAG; the interactive calculator still lives on the HTML page.