The best hours to sell, city by city
Where the money is on a typical day, and why it is never at noon.
Ask any seller when they earn the most and the answer is the same: not when the sun is highest.
The two curves
Solar output peaks around noon. Demand peaks around dinner. Prices follow demand, so the best-paying blocks arrive after the sun has started to drop. On a typical summer day the board looks like this:
- Midnight to 6am — low prices, few sellers. Wind and grid-charged batteries own it.
- 6am to noon — prices rise as offices open. Output rises faster, so prices stay modest.
- Noon to 3pm — maximum output, minimum price. This is the trough.
- 3pm to 9pm — the peak. Output falls, demand climbs, prices double or better.
By city
| City | Peak hours | Typical peak price |
|---|---|---|
| Sacramento | 5–9pm | $0.24 |
| San Diego | 4–9pm | $0.26 |
| Austin | 2–7pm | $0.19 |
| Phoenix | 5–8pm | $0.18 |
| Brooklyn | 5–10pm | $0.29 |
What to do about it
If you have solar only, set a floor that skips the trough. You will list fewer blocks but the ones that clear will be worth it. If you have a battery, do nothing: the app already charges at the trough and sells at the peak.