10 kW solar system: how much it can cost and still pay off
At 10 kWp the question is not “what does it cost” but “up to what price does it make sense”. The calculator works it out from your use.
Yearly saving on your bills
PLN 5,803
10,500 kWh produced · 28 % used on site
| Used directly and from the battery | 2,960 kWh |
| Exported to the grid | 7,540 kWh |
| Deposit (×1.23) | PLN 2,567 |
| Deposit spent on energy | PLN 2,470 |
| Overpayment refunded | PLN 97 |
| Bill before / after | PLN 7,653 / PLN 1,947 |
| Pays back in 10 years up to | PLN 58,030 |
Hourly model of an average day in each month; surplus priced at the last 12 months of RCEm (PSE) plus the gain from negative RCE counted as zero. An estimate, not an offer; fixed charges excluded.
Ten kilowatts is the upper limit of what a typical family-home roof holds: 22 or 23 panels and 45–50 m² of roof plane. In Warsaw PVGIS gives about 10,500 kWh a year for 10 kWp, 9,250 kWh in the country’s weakest municipality and 11,140 kWh in the best. At 8,000 kWh of yearly use the saving in Warsaw is about PLN 6,079, which means the system pays back within 10 years if it costs no more than PLN 60,785, and within 12 years at PLN 72,942. These amounts are not market prices but the threshold above which a quote no longer holds up over that time. In the weakest municipality the 10-year threshold falls to PLN 56,086; in the best it rises to PLN 63,161. Enter the amount from your quote and the calculator gives the payback years for your municipality.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Break-even price for 10 kWp
The table gives the highest system price at which it pays back in 8, 10 or 12 years, with no grant and no rise in power prices. We use simple payback: price divided by yearly saving.
| Use | Yearly saving | 8-year payback up to | 10-year payback up to | 12-year payback up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 kWh | PLN 4,800 | PLN 38,398 | PLN 47,997 | PLN 57,596 |
| 8,000 kWh | PLN 6,079 | PLN 48,628 | PLN 60,785 | PLN 72,942 |
| 12,000 kWh | PLN 7,080 | PLN 56,638 | PLN 70,797 | PLN 84,957 |
We give no average market price per kilowatt, because there is no official source for one and installers’ price lists differ in scope. Compare quotes on the same scope: panels, inverter, mounting, protection, notification and servicing. The solar price page shows thresholds for any size.
Where the output of 10 kWp goes
In July a 10 kWp system in Warsaw produces more than twice what a home using 8,000 kWh consumes that month, and in December several times less. The summer surplus becomes a deposit the house spends in winter. The deposit is valid for 12 months and only covers the energy part of the bill, so with a very large system part of it is forfeited or returned as a refund capped at 30% of the value of exported energy.