Solar savings & payback by country
This table compares 32 countries side by side — annual savings, payback period, and 10- and 25-year net savings. Click any column header to re-sort; default order is alphabetical by country (A–Z), with regional averages at the bottom.
Fastest payback
Payback is how long until your savings cover the upfront cost. After that, every dollar saved is money in your pocket. For solar panels alone, the fastest payback countries are Philippines (3.2 yrs), South Africa (5.1 yrs) and Brazil (5.3 yrs). Add a home battery and the picture shifts — Philippines (5.3 yrs), Colombia (6.1 yrs) and Peru (6.1 yrs) lead the way. Countries with low equipment costs, strong sunshine, and high electricity prices break even fastest — a modest system price against big annual savings means a short payback.
Biggest 25-year savings
Payback is just the starting line. The real value is the decades of savings that follow — and the rankings can look quite different. For solar alone, the highest 25-year net savings are in Philippines ($34186), United Kingdom ($29130) and Netherlands ($27333) — mostly a mix of high electricity prices and export rates in our model. Every kWh you avoid buying from the grid saves more, and surplus power earns more when export payments are generous. The UK and Netherlands combine expensive retail power with relatively strong export assumptions; the Philippines ranks high partly because its illustrative export rate is among the highest, on top of strong tropical sun and more surplus kWh to sell. With a battery, Portugal ($36939), Spain ($36789) and Italy ($35846) come out on top — where rankings lean more on high electricity prices and how much sun the country gets. Stored solar is valued at full grid price in our model, so expensive power plus strong annual generation (southern Europe, for example) tends to win; export rates matter less because less surplus is sold straight to the grid.
Use the toggles below to switch between solar-only and solar + battery scenarios, and between USD and local currency for price columns. Click any country name for full local detail, or see how export values work for the story behind the numbers. You can also compare solar generation and self-sufficiency patterns across 28 cities to see how climate and batteries affect the energy side of the equation.
| Country | Price estimate (USD) | Sun kWh/kW/d | Retail grid (USD) | Export (FiT) (USD) | Buy − sell (USD) | Annual savings (USD) | Payback (yrs) | 10-yr savings (USD) | 25-yr savings (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | $5610 | 4.26 | $0.16 | $0.03 | $0.13 | $664 | 8.5 | $882 | $10029 |
| Brazil | $4752 | 4.56 | $0.16 | $0.06 | $0.10 | $891 | 5.3 | $3961 | $16239 |
| Canada | $7128 | 4.00 | $0.22 | $0.05 | $0.17 | $948 | 7.5 | $2137 | $15192 |
| India | $5607 | 4.41 | $0.11 | $0.04 | $0.07 | $577 | 9.7 | $35 | $7986 |
| Mexico | $7128 | 4.53 | $0.16 | $0.06 | $0.10 | $929 | 7.7 | $1953 | $14749 |
| Pakistan | $5560 | 4.32 | $0.16 | $0.05 | $0.11 | $821 | 6.8 | $2468 | $13780 |
| Philippines | $5322 | 4.57 | $0.22 | $0.13 | $0.09 | $1677 | 3.2 | $11077 | $34186 |
| South Africa | $5465 | 4.44 | $0.16 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $1075 | 5.1 | $5051 | $19868 |
| Spain | $12937 | 4.16 | $0.35 | $0.07 | $0.28 | $1504 | 8.6 | $1766 | $22485 |
| United Kingdom | $12830 | 3.76 | $0.35 | $0.13 | $0.22 | $1781 | 7.2 | $4587 | $29130 |
| United States | $11664 | 4.19 | $0.22 | $0.06 | $0.16 | $1044 | 11.2 | −$1457 | $12926 |
| Vietnam | $5227 | 4.51 | $0.11 | $0.04 | $0.07 | $667 | 7.8 | $1294 | $10482 |
| Average | $8574 | 4.21 | $0.23 | $0.06 | $0.17 | $1073 | 8.0 | $1921 | $16709 |
| EU average | $12964 | 3.91 | $0.35 | $0.07 | $0.28 | $1433 | 9.1 | $1048 | $20793 |
| LatAm average | $6732 | 4.48 | $0.20 | $0.05 | $0.15 | $971 | 6.9 | $2759 | $16131 |
| Australia | $9692 | 4.26 | $0.16 | $0.12 | $0.04 | $1473 | 6.6 | $4173 | $17515 |
| Brazil | $10152 | 4.56 | $0.16 | $0.12 | $0.04 | $1558 | 6.5 | $4544 | $19861 |
| Canada | $13128 | 4.00 | $0.22 | $0.17 | $0.05 | $1922 | 6.8 | $4928 | $24384 |
| India | $11979 | 4.41 | $0.11 | $0.08 | $0.03 | $1042 | 11.5 | −$2162 | $5307 |
| Mexico | $13128 | 4.53 | $0.16 | $0.12 | $0.04 | $1551 | 8.5 | $1497 | $16114 |
| Pakistan | $11878 | 4.32 | $0.16 | $0.12 | $0.04 | $1489 | 8.0 | $2139 | $15582 |
| Philippines | $11370 | 4.57 | $0.22 | $0.17 | $0.05 | $2147 | 5.3 | $8885 | $31391 |
| South Africa | $11675 | 4.44 | $0.16 | $0.12 | $0.04 | $1526 | 7.7 | $2703 | $16762 |
| Spain | $23827 | 4.16 | $0.35 | $0.26 | $0.09 | $3155 | 7.6 | $5846 | $36789 |
| United Kingdom | $23630 | 3.76 | $0.35 | $0.26 | $0.09 | $2908 | 8.1 | $3623 | $31246 |
| United States | $24384 | 4.19 | $0.22 | $0.17 | $0.05 | $1997 | 12.2 | −$5594 | $8176 |
| Vietnam | $11167 | 4.51 | $0.11 | $0.08 | $0.03 | $1062 | 10.5 | −$1153 | $7025 |
| Average | $16480 | 4.21 | $0.23 | $0.17 | $0.06 | $2046 | 8.2 | $2754 | $21897 |
| EU average | $23877 | 3.91 | $0.35 | $0.26 | $0.09 | $3001 | 8.0 | $4291 | $33091 |
| LatAm average | $12632 | 4.48 | $0.20 | $0.15 | $0.05 | $1917 | 6.7 | $5441 | $25019 |
This is our estimate in US dollars of what that system would cost to install for the same example as in this table — the electricity use, solar size, and equipment level shown in the grey “Based on” line above. The figure includes equipment, installation, sales tax or VAT where it applies, a typical installer margin, minus any rebates (for example STCs in Australia). It is not a quote. Click a country name in the first column for a full step-by-step breakdown.
How far ahead you are after 10 or 25 years. We add up bill savings year by year (solar self-use and export at about 0.5% lower output per year; battery storage at about 3% lower per year), then subtract the upfront system price (after rebates). For solar + battery, we include one battery replacement at year 13 — the new battery resets degradation to 100%. A positive number means the system has paid for itself and put that much back in your pocket. We assume flat electricity prices. Same reference example as the rest of the table. It is not a quote.
Also called break-even: the number of years until your savings have fully repaid the system cost (price after rebates). After this point, the savings are money in your pocket — that is what the 10 / 25-yr savings columns add up. Same reference example as the rest of the table. It is not a quote.
Cumulative savings over 25 years
Year 0 is the upfront system cost (after rebates), shown as a negative number. Each later year adds bill savings with the same 0.5% / year panel and 3% / year battery degradation as the table. For solar + battery, a dip at year 13 is one battery replacement. By default the chart shows the three highest and three lowest 25-year outcomes among highlighted countries, plus regional and overall averages. Use Show all lines for every highlighted country. The Average line is the mean across all countries in the table. The EU average is the mean across Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. The LatAm average is the mean across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.
How we calculated these numbers
The table and chart above follow whichever option you pick in the Scenario toggle (solar only vs solar + battery). The assumptions for each scenario are set out below.
Solar only
Every row uses the same example so you can compare countries fairly: a 6.6 kW solar system with no battery, 15 kWh per day of household electricity use, and mid-range equipment (panels, inverter, and installation). We assume 50% of your daily usage is met directly from solar (self-consumption) — roughly 7.5 kWh used on site. The remaining solar generation (typically 3,000–5,500 kWh per year depending on sun) is exported to the grid at each country’s illustrative export rate. Annual savings = self-used kWh × grid price + exported kWh × export rate. Payback and 10- and 25-year net savings add up bill savings year by year (about 0.5% lower solar output per year), then subtract upfront cost after rebates. We assume flat electricity prices. Use Prices in for US dollars or each country’s local billing currency. We include rebates only where our model supports them — today that is mainly Australia (STC certificates for solar and, in the battery scenario, eligible battery STCs). For most other countries, local grants and incentives are not applied yet, so prices are indicative installed cost after tax. The export rate is a representative figure for each country — your actual rate depends on your provider and plan.
Solar + battery
The battery scenario adds a 10 kWh home battery to the same 6.6 kW solar system and the same 15 kWh per day electricity use. We still assume 50% of daily usage is met directly from solar (self-consumption). The battery then stores as much of the remaining surplus as it can (up to about 9 kWh per day after round-trip efficiency losses). Any surplus beyond that is exported. Because a battery lets you shift stored solar to expensive evening hours — or participate in VPP schemes — we value battery-stored kWh at the full grid price (avoided import), and estimate any remaining export at roughly 75% of the retail grid price instead of the lower flat export rate. This is a simplification — real returns depend on your tariff, provider, and whether VPP or time-of-use plans are available in your area. For 10- and 25-year savings (and the chart below), we include one full battery replacement at year 13 (battery contribution resets; panels still degrade slowly as above). Battery storage is modelled at about 3% lower effective output per year before replacement. A dash (-) in price, savings, payback, or export columns means the battery scenario has not been computed for that country yet.
To compare countries fairly, we use annual average sun and a fixed 15 kWh per day usage pattern. So we don’t capture summer–winter output swings (which matter a lot in places like the UK) or when you use power — both of which change battery value considerably. Treat this as a country comparison, not a quote. The full Photonik app models your own usage, month-by-month sun, system and battery size, and tariffs in detail.
All figures are indicative estimates, not quotes. Actual costs, savings, and payback vary by location, provider, and tariff plan. See individual country pages for full detail.
Spot something different in the real world?
If your tariffs, export rates, or installer quotes do not match these illustrative numbers, share your real numbers on the forum. We read every reply and adjust our defaults over time.
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Solar payback by country — AU, UK & US compared
Marty
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