Skip to page contents

Skip to Navigation

The California Solar Initiative Tools

Calculators

picture of solar-powered calculator from 1973

A number of online calculators have been developed to help you make a decision about going solar! Click on each calculator to get a description of what they do or to go to their website.

Please note that results may vary between calculators due to differing internal assumptions and calculation methodologies. Not all of them will agree with each other, and some may use generalized assumptions.

These calculators provide estimates of costs, paybacks, and electricity production and may not be a true reflection of the costs or the pay-back period for your new solar electricity system.


logo Clean Power Estimator
http://gosolarcalifornia.cleanpowerestimator.com/gosolarcalifornia.htm

Questions about or problems with the Clean Power Estimator, please contact: http://www.cleanpower.com/Contact.

Calculator logo CSI Expected Performance Based Buydown Calculator
www.csi-epbb.com
CEC seal CECPV Calculator (for New Solar Homes Partnership)
www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/toola/nshpcalculator/
graphic of DOE EERE logo List of Decision-Making Tools from the U.S. Department of Energy
www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/decision_tools.html
graphic of PV Watts logo PV Watts Calculator from National Renewable Energy Laboratory
http://www.nrel.gov/rredc/pvwatts/
Berkeley Calculator logo Berkeley Calculator
http://rael.berkeley.edu/berkeley/calculator
NREL logo Solar Advisor Model from NREL
https://www.nrel.gov/analysis/sam/