Solar panels in São Paulo
A 6 kWp home system in São Paulo is modelled to produce about 7,757 kWh a year, or 1,293 kWh per installed kWp, from PVGIS climate data at the city's coordinates. The city of São Paulo is served by the distributor Enel São Paulo, which covers 24 municipalities in the metropolitan region including the capital. Two verified local rules and their sources are listed below. No other city we cover in Brazil has a lower yield than São Paulo. For comparison, Rio de Janeiro reaches 1,340. São Paulo produces 4% less per kWp than the national reference point on our Brazil page. Year-one savings come to about BRL 6,220, for a simple payback of 5.0 years.
Month by month in São Paulo
Modelled output of a 6 kWp system at 35° facing north (towards the equator), from PVGIS climate data (PVGIS-SARAH3, 2005 to 2023).
| Month | kWh | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 619 | 8.0% |
| February | 630 | 8.1% |
| March | 696 | 9.0% |
| April | 672 | 8.7% |
| May | 637 | 8.2% |
| June | 607 | 7.8% |
| July | 687 | 8.9% |
| August | 697 | 9.0% |
| September | 633 | 8.2% |
| October | 615 | 7.9% |
| November | 618 | 8.0% |
| December | 646 | 8.3% |
- Best month: August (697 kWh). Weakest: June (607 kWh), a 1.1x difference.
- March, July, August produce 26.8% of the year; June, October, November produce 23.7%.
- Year-to-year variation: about 311 kWh (4.0%, one standard deviation).
- Sunlight reaching the panels: 1,773 kWh per m² a year.
Local rules and support in São Paulo
Rules set by the city or its region, on top of the national scheme. Each one was checked against the official source on the date shown.
- State of São Paulo
ICMS exemption on compensated energy
São Paulo state exempts from ICMS the electricity a distributor supplies that is offset by energy the consumer injected into the grid under ANEEL's compensation system (Convênios ICMS 16/15 and 190/17). The exemption does not cover the availability charge, grid-use charges or other fees, and the state regulation says it runs until 31 December 2026.
Source: Secretaria da Fazenda e Planejamento do Estado de São Paulo, RICMS/SP Anexo I, Artigo 166 (Energia elétrica: microgeradores e minigeradores) (checked 2026-09-25)
- City of São Paulo
Distribution utility: Enel São Paulo
The city of São Paulo is served by the distributor Enel São Paulo, which covers 24 municipalities in the metropolitan region including the capital.
Source: Enel Distribuição São Paulo, Todas as cidades atendidas pela Enel São Paulo (checked 2026-09-25)
How São Paulo compares
São Paulo ranks 2 of 2 for yield among the cities we model in Brazil, and 22 of 41 across every country on Solar Figures. Within one country the prices are the same, so a payback gap between these cities comes from sunshine alone.
| City | kWh per kWp / yr | Payback (BRL) |
|---|---|---|
| Rio de Janeiro | 1,340 | 4.8 yrs |
| São Paulo | 1,293 | 5.0 yrs |
| National reference point (country page) | 1,354 | 4.8 yrs |
Closest yield abroad: Milan (1,298 kWh per kWp), Osaka (1,299 kWh per kWp), Houston (1,341 kWh per kWp).
What moves the payback in São Paulo
Power you use yourself is worth the retail price (R$0.95 per kWh); power you export earns R$0.75. So the share you use at home, by running appliances in daylight or adding a battery, changes the payback. The system cost stays the same in every row (a battery would add to it).
| Used at home | Year-1 savings | Payback |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | R$6,066 | 5.2 yrs |
| 30% (our default) | R$6,220 | 5.0 yrs |
| 50% | R$6,527 | 4.7 yrs |
| 70% | R$6,834 | 4.5 yrs |
- Net system cost after incentives: R$30,000 for 6 kWp.
- Incentive modelled: No federal capital grant; value is net metering (SCEE) under Lei 14.300/2022 (Fio B transition).
- 25-year net savings at our default: R$151,556.
Best panel angle in São Paulo
At latitude 23.55°S, PVGIS finds the fixed tilt and direction that maximise yearly output. Our figures use a common 35° roof; the table shows what the optimum adds.
| Setup | Tilt | Facing | kWh per kWp / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard roof (used on this page) | 35° | north | 1,293 |
| PVGIS optimum | 25° | north (11°) | 1,309 |
The optimum adds 1.2% a year over the standard roof in São Paulo. Most of a roof's value comes from its direction: a roof facing away from the equator loses far more than a few degrees of tilt.
See the full Brazil picture on our Brazil solar page, or the national incentives in our Brazil solar guide.
Sources and method
Figures computed 2026-09-25 for a 6 kWp system, 35° tilt, 14% system losses, terrain shading on. An estimate, not a quote: your installer's quote will be exact.
- PVGIS 5.3 PVcalc (PVGIS-SARAH3), European Commission JRC (checked 2026-09-25)
- Brazil tariff and incentive inputs (see DATA_SOURCES.md) (checked 2026-06-21)
- Secretaria da Fazenda e Planejamento do Estado de São Paulo: RICMS/SP Anexo I, Artigo 166 (Energia elétrica: microgeradores e minigeradores) (checked 2026-09-25)
- Enel Distribuição São Paulo: Todas as cidades atendidas pela Enel São Paulo (checked 2026-09-25)
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