How much do solar panels produce in Northridge?
Cali Energy measured 10 solar systems it installed in Northridge (ZIP codes 91324 and 91325): in 2023–2025 their panels produced a median of 1,425 kWh per kilowatt a year. That is 3% more than the 106 systems it monitors in the rest of the San Fernando Valley and Burbank, at 1,389, but the 95% interval for the gap, −6% to +6%, includes zero, so this sample does not establish a difference. For illustration, that median applied to an 8.1 kW system, the typical size among the 10, gives about 11,500 kWh a year.
Month by month
Median kWh per kW of panels in each month, 2023–2025: 20 Northridge system-years, 233 elsewhere in the Valley and Burbank.
| Month | Northridge, kWh per kW | Rest of the Valley and Burbank | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 77.5 | 80.5 | −4% |
| February | 85.5 | 86.9 | −2% |
| March | 125.0 | 120.1 | +4% |
| April | 143.3 | 142.9 | 0% |
| May | 142.7 | 140.2 | +2% |
| June | 150.5 | 145.1 | +4% |
| July | 161.3 | 157.5 | +2% |
| August | 149.1 | 144.6 | +3% |
| September | 117.5 | 115.7 | +2% |
| October | 108.7 | 108.4 | 0% |
| November | 81.2 | 77.9 | +4% |
| December | 67.7 | 70.7 | −4% |
Against the rest of the Valley, the monitored Northridge systems made more in seven months, less in January, February and December and about the same in April and October; the differences ran from −4% in December to +4% in November. July was the best month at 161 kWh per kW; December, at 68, gave 42% of July.
Seasonal shares differed modestly: May to July brought 32.7% of a Northridge system’s year and December to February 16.5%, against 32.3% and 17.3% elsewhere in the Valley.
By platform and system age
| Group | Northridge: systems · kWh per kW | Rest of the Valley: systems · kWh per kW | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enphase systems | 8 · 1,425 | 61 · 1,382 | +3% |
| Installed in 2021 or later | 7 · 1,422 | 72 · 1,383 | +3% |
Within these groups the difference is +3%, in line with the overall result.
Year by year
kWh per kW of panels, systems with a full year. Each year counts only the systems with a full year, so the yearly medians and the all-years median above come from different sets of systems.
| Year | Northridge: systems · middle half · median | Rest of the Valley and Burbank: systems · median |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 · 1,359–1,446 · 1,437 | 65 · 1,409 |
| 2024 | 9 · 1,318–1,459 · 1,424 | 80 · 1,371 |
| 2025 | 6 · 1,358–1,506 · 1,426 | 88 · 1,400 |
Northridge and the rest of the Valley
San Fernando Valley places with five or more Cali Energy systems with full years, 2023–2025.
| Place | Monitored systems | Median kWh per kW a year |
|---|---|---|
| Porter Ranch | 19 | 1,524 |
| Northridge | 10 | 1,425 |
| Woodland Hills | 8 | 1,412 |
| Winnetka | 5 | 1,382 |
| Chatsworth | 6 | 1,350 |
| North Hills | 6 | 1,297 |
| North Hollywood | 10 | 1,294 |
| Tarzana | 5 | 1,290 |
| Valley Glen | 5 | 1,282 |
| Encino | 5 | 1,223 |
| Each row is the median of Cali Energy’s own installations in that place: not a random sample, not adjusted for roof direction, tilt or shade, and not a ranking of places. The 95% intervals on these pages are computed for each place separately, without adjustment for multiple comparisons. Solar production by area. | ||
For a Northridge homeowner
Annual energy-equivalent size. Dividing a year’s electricity use by about 1,420 gives the kilowatts of panels whose 2023–2025 output would have matched it on these systems: 10,000 kWh a year comes to about 7.0 kW. The roof, future load and the tariff decide the actual size.
Checking your own system. Compare your system’s median full year over 2023–2025 with the middle half of the monitored Northridge systems, 1,330–1,443 kWh per kW. For a single year, use that year’s range: 1,359–1,446 in 2023, 1,318–1,459 in 2024, 1,358–1,506 in 2025. A figure below the range is a prompt to look at shade, soiling and monitoring, not a diagnosis. See monthly production in Los Angeles.
The utility. Northridge is in the City of Los Angeles, so its rooftop systems connect to LADWP. Solar with LADWP.
Installations here. Cali Energy’s office is in Northridge, at 19201 Parthenia Street. Our Northridge projects.
Methodology
- Sample
- Solar systems in ZIP codes 91324 and 91325 installed and monitored by Cali Energy, on SolarEdge or Enphase monitoring: 10 systems, installed from 2018 to 2024, 5.7 to 9.6 kW DC in the middle half. The sample is drawn by ZIP code, not by the neighborhood boundary.
- Comparison
- The rest of the San Fernando Valley means the Valley and Burbank ZIP codes other than 91324 and 91325: 106 systems.
- Years
- Full calendar years 2023–2025 with all twelve months reporting, under the rules of the platform comparison.
- Downtime
- Each system’s benchmark is the median of its full years 2019–2025; a 2023–2025 year below 75% of it counts as downtime and is left out. None of the Northridge years were, and 3 of 236 elsewhere in the Valley; without the rule the medians are 1,425 and 1,389.
- Output
- kWh per kW of DC panel capacity. Each system’s figure is the median of its full years; a place’s figure is the median across its systems. Across all 257 systems on real-world solar production in Los Angeles the same method gives 1,382; that page’s headline 1,386 is the median of their 569 system-years. Months are medians of all system-months.
- Interval
- 95% interval of the gap from 4,000 bootstrap resamples of systems, each system keeping its years together. Each place’s interval is computed on its own, without adjustment for comparing several places.
- Threshold
- Figures for fewer than five systems are not published.
https://cali-energy.com/research/cities/northridge. Aggregated data are free to use under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page.Frequently asked questions
How much electricity do solar panels produce in Northridge?
On the 10 Northridge systems Cali Energy monitors, a median of 1,425 kWh per kW of panels a year in 2023–2025. For illustration, that median applied to an 8.1 kW system, the typical size among them, gives about 11,500 kWh a year.
How do the monitored Northridge systems compare with the rest of the Valley?
No clear difference in this sample. In 2023–2025 the 10 Northridge systems Cali Energy monitors produced a median 1,425 kWh per kW a year against 1,389 on its 106 systems elsewhere in the San Fernando Valley and Burbank; the difference, +3%, has a 95% interval of −6% to +6%, which includes zero.
What is the best month for solar in Northridge?
On the monitored Northridge systems, July, at a median of 161 kWh per kW; December was the lowest at 68, 42% of July.
Who measured these systems?
Cali Energy, a licensed solar contractor based in Northridge (CSLB #1032379), which installed and monitors them; the method is set out above.
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Prepared by Cali Energy, October 20, 2026. Figures describe systems in our monitoring fleet and are not a guarantee of what any specific roof will produce; orientation, tilt, shade, equipment and weather change results. Not engineering, financial or utility advice. See our Content Disclaimer.