Balcony solar in Alexandria
800 W of panels on a south-facing balcony railing in Alexandria produce about 700 kWh a year and save about $66.
Output by orientation and mounting
Yearly output with 800 W of panels and the inverter limited to 800 W.
| Panels face | On the railing (vertical) | Tilted at 30° |
|---|---|---|
| East | 530 kWh | 870 kWh |
| South-east | 670 kWh | 1,000 kWh |
| South | 700 kWh | 1,050 kWh |
| South-west | 660 kWh | 990 kWh |
| West | 510 kWh | 860 kWh |
Output by month
Show as a table
| Month | Railing (vertical) | Tilted at 30° |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75 kWh | 71 kWh |
| Feb | 68 kWh | 75 kWh |
| Mar | 66 kWh | 92 kWh |
| Apr | 57 kWh | 100 kWh |
| May | 48 kWh | 110 kWh |
| Jun | 40 kWh | 100 kWh |
| Jul | 44 kWh | 110 kWh |
| Aug | 51 kWh | 100 kWh |
| Sep | 53 kWh | 82 kWh |
| Oct | 66 kWh | 79 kWh |
| Nov | 72 kWh | 71 kWh |
| Dec | 60 kWh | 56 kWh |
Savings and payback
At $0.167 per kWh you save about $66 in the first year. A kit costing $1,300 pays back in about 19.6 years.
- Electricity price: $0.167 per kWh (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2025-09..2026-08). Source
- Assumes a constant base load of 150 W, so 57% of the output is used at home.
- Power sent to the grid is not paid for.
Rules
Virginia
Takes effect on January 1, 2027
Up to 1,200 W of inverter output per home.
- Certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and meets the current National Electrical Code; cannot export power during an outage. Kits of 391 W or less are exempt from listing provisions that would require rewiring.
- You must notify the utility before connecting.
Last verified: October 31, 2026
Nearby cities
- Arlington 740 kWh a year · 6 mi
- Richmond 740 kWh a year · 89 mi
- East Hampton 750 kWh a year · 128 mi
- Hampton 750 kWh a year · 128 mi
- Newport News 730 kWh a year · 130 mi
Data sources
- Solar data: PVGIS-NSRDB, PVGIS 5.2, 2011–2015.
- Electricity price: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2025-09..2026-08.
- Last verified: October 31, 2026
- How we calculate