What does rooftop solar cost in 2026, and how fast does it pay back?

The first question we hear about rooftop solar is always the same: “What does it cost, and how long until it pays for itself?” The answer depends on your roof, your consumption and the equipment, but the calculation itself is transparent. This article covers the items that make up the cost, investment and payback for two example systems, and what to look for when comparing proposals.

Why cost is quoted per kWp

A solar plant's size is given in kWp (kilowatt-peak): the combined rating of its panels under standard test conditions. The industry quotes cost per kWp too, because the amount of panels, inverters and mounting grows directly with that figure. In our feasibility work we use a rooftop reference of about 700 USD per kWp, excluding VAT.

That is an average. In very small systems the fixed items (switchboard, design, application, the fixed part of labour) are spread over fewer kWp, so the unit cost rises; on large roofs it falls. Because the price is made up of dollar-denominated equipment, the TL figure moves with the exchange rate.

The cost drivers

Panels and inverter. Roughly half of the total. Panel class, efficiency and warranty structure, and the inverter's brand, monitoring and hybrid (battery) capability set the price. We cover how equipment choices affect output and long-term return in our solar equipment selection guide.

Mounting structure. Roof type decides it. Tile, sandwich panel, trapezoidal sheet and flat roofs need different systems: tilted frames on flat roofs, rails parallel to the surface on sandwich panels.

Cabling and electrical equipment. DC and AC cabling, protection devices, the switchboard and earthing. Distance from the panels to the connection point drives cable cost directly.

Design, application and labour. Electrical design, structural assessment, the distribution company application, installation and commissioning. A largely fixed cost, so its share grows on small systems.

If two systems of the same size are priced very differently, ask where the difference comes from. Panel class, inverter brand, the structural calculation and the labour warranty are usually the answer.

Example 1: a 5 kWp home roof

Take a 5 kWp system on a south-facing house roof. It costs 5 × 700 = 3,500 USD, about 164,500 TL at 47 TL to the dollar, excluding VAT. On a south-facing roof each kWp produces about 1,600 kWh a year, so the system delivers 8,000 kWh annually.

At 5 TL per kWh that output is worth about 40,000 TL a year, for a simple payback of 164,500 / 40,000, roughly 4.1 years. With a service life beyond 25 years, what the system produces after that is effectively your own electricity. Residential netting is monthly, so the calculation rests on the balance between monthly production and monthly consumption.

Example 2: a 50 kWp business roof

Now a 50 kWp system on the roof of a business that operates during the day. It costs 50 × 700 = 35,000 USD, about 1,645,000 TL excluding VAT, and on a south-facing roof produces around 80,000 kWh a year.

Businesses have been on hourly netting since 1 May 2026, so the real question is how much of the output is consumed on site in the hour it is produced. If all of it is, the annual value is 400,000 TL and the system pays back in about 4.1 years. Whatever is not consumed goes to the grid and earns less than the full tariff; the larger that share, the longer the payback. How to find the right size is covered in our article on sizing solar for hourly net metering.

The figures in this article are our October 2026 assumptions: installation at 700 USD per kWp, 47 TL to the dollar and electricity at 5 TL per kWh, all excluding VAT. As the exchange rate and tariff move, so does the result. For an up-to-date figure for your own roof and bill, our savings calculator takes about a minute.

How roof orientation changes the numbers

On east-west or split roofs annual output falls to about 1,350 kWh per kWp. A system bought at the same price produces around 15 percent less than on a south-facing roof, and payback lengthens accordingly. On the other hand, an east-west layout spreads output into the morning and late afternoon, which can become an advantage under hourly netting for a business whose load is spread through the day.

What a battery does to the cost

A battery carries daytime surplus into the evening and keeps critical loads running during an outage. It enlarges the investment and lengthens the payback; what it buys is usually not direct savings but your own energy in the evening and continuity during outages. We compare systems with and without storage in our on-grid versus hybrid article.

What to check when comparing proposals

A single price and payback figure is not enough. When you compare, ask for:

The equipment list. Panel and inverter make and model, panel count and total kWp.

A production simulation. Annual output calculated month by month for your roof's orientation, tilt and shading.

Scope. Are design, application, meter change, monitoring and commissioning included?

Warranties. Length and coverage of the panel product and performance warranties, the inverter warranty and the labour warranty.

Assumptions. Which tariff, exchange rate and netting model was the payback calculated with? Without them there is no calculation behind the number.

For an exact figure

An exact cost and payback need your roof's size, orientation and shading plus your last 12 months of bills. Our savings calculator gives you a first estimate right away; at a free site visit we work it out line by line for you.