10 kW Solar Systems: Prices And Information
Last Updated: 8th May 2026
If you’re thinking of buying a 10 kW solar system, then you probably have a good-sized roof and significant electricity bill! Or perhaps you have an electric car or are looking ahead to an EV purchase.
A 10 kW solar system, while still big, is becoming more of the norm. Below is photo of an older 10 kW system. There was no space left to waste on this installation! However, note this photo was taken many years ago.
Solar panels installed for 10 kW systems are significantly more efficient and pack more power into a smaller overall footprint, so not as much roof space is required as it once was. Here’s an example – still 10 kW but around half the number of panels; although they are a bit larger in terms of physical dimensions:
24 x 415 Watt panels on 2 roof faces in this 2022 10 kW installation.
How Much Does a 10 kW Solar System Cost?
Expect to pay about $10,000 – $12,000 out-of-pocket costs for a good-quality 10 kW solar system, professionally installed by a reputable installer. The graph below shows what 1177 Australians have reported paying for their 10 kW system in the last two years.
The cost of a 10 kW solar system depends on the components used. At the upper end of the price range, it will be top-of-the-line panels, an inverter and racking installed by a particularly fussy installer. At the lower end, you should still get good quality components (but do your research).
Be wary of systems below the bottom end of this price range – there can be a high cost associated with cheap solar in terms of problems down the track.
How Many Solar Panels Will You Need for 10 kW?
To make up a 10 kW solar system, you need 23 solar panels, assuming you use 440W modules – that will give you 10.12 kW.
Each panel will be about 1.8 m x 1.1 m, so you’ll need at least 48 square metres of roof space.
To provide an idea of how much space that is, this picture may help.
How Much Electricity Will a 10 kW Solar System Generate?
A 10 kW solar system will generate approximately 40kWh per day on average – that works out to be 14,600 kilowatt-hours a year. It’s a lot of electricity and enough to run 2-3 average Australian households; or one really inefficient household!
To put it in perspective, 40kWh per day will power:
Approx 2x ducted air conditioning systems on a hot (or cold) day.
OR
4 small pool pumps for 10 hours per day.
OR
40 x 5-star energy-rated fridges with the freezer on top or below (not side-by-side; those suckers use a lot more energy).
How Much Will a 10 kW Solar System Save on Electricity Bills?
The amount you’ll save on electricity bills with a 10 kW system will depend on how much you get paid for exported electricity (solar feed-in tariffs) and how much you self-consume.
Feed-in tariffs in Australia generally pay anywhere from 2c to 10c, depending on the state and retailer. Let’s work on 5c per kWh for exported electricity. Most people pay about 33c per kWh to buy electricity from the grid. So let’s consider 3 scenarios to see how the payback works:
- Use all the solar electricity in your (huge) home or business: You would save approximately $4400 in the first year. But 100% self-consumption for a household is unlikely; there will be times when your 10 kW system is exporting to the grid.
- Export half the electricity: You would save about $2805 in the first year.
- Export all the electricity: You would save about $824 in the first year.
Moral of the story: The more solar you self-consume, the faster your payback.
If you think that this sounds very counter-intuitive, then you can read about the relationship between exports and payback here.
How Long Before a 10 kW Solar System Pays for Itself?
Payback will depend on feed-in tariff and self-consumption, but it’s reasonable to expect a 10 kW solar system (assuming it’s suitable for your situation) will have paid for itself in around 4.5 years based on 26% self-consumption. After that the electricity is free apart from a small maintenance cost. Expect to pay a few hundred dollars every 5 years for an inspection, and to buy a replacement inverter every 12 – 15 years.
To get a better idea on simple payback for a 10 kW solar system in your circumstances, try my solar calculator.