What is the solar score for Delaware?

Delaware has a solar score of 24/100 (Marginal), ranking #34 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (4.5 kWh/m²/day, 40%), incentive density (30%), and modeled payback (30%).

How long does it take for solar panels to pay for themselves in Delaware?

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Delaware is 15.4 years, ranking #31 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $18,000 system cost and $1,167/year modeled savings, that implies +$11,175 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Delaware?

A 6 kW residential system in Delaware averages $18,000 before incentives, or $3.00 per watt. Delaware has 3 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Delaware?

A 6 kW system in Delaware produces an estimated 7,884 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 4.5 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Delaware?

Delaware offers 3 solar incentive programs including net metering, rebate, srec / renewable credit. Net metering here is classified as full.

Does Delaware have net metering for solar?

Delaware's net-metering policy is classified as "full." Homeowners receive full retail credit for excess solar exported to the grid.

State solar profile · #34 of 51

Solar in Delaware: mid payback · average sun

Name: Delaware Solar Data, Cost, Incentives & ROI
Creator: PlainSolarData
Published: 2024-10-01
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Delaware sits in the middle of the payback pack at 15.4 yr (#31), so irradiance (4.5 kWh/m²/day) and the 3 tracked programs matter more than ranking alone.

4.5
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 14.8¢
avg electricity rate: 15.4 yr
payback (#31): 3
incentive programs

24 Marginal

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State solar nameplate strip

Nameplate DE · Delaware score #34/51

Delaware | 24/100 | 15.4 yr payback | 97 MW

STRIP 24/100
FORM860 #34/51
MW 4.5 kWh
SCORE 14.8c/kWh
RANK 15.4 yr
SUN 97 MW
RATE 3 programs
PAY near Alabama

Stamps derive from this state's NREL irradiance, EIA Form 860 / Electric Power Monthly nameplate, and DSIRE incentive row (score, rank, sun, rate, payback, capacity, programs, peer), not a quote or site assessment. Modeled figures use a typical 6 kW system; your roof, shading, and utility tariff decide the real return. See our disclaimer. Verify with EIA Form 860 → · Read with methodology → · Net-metering guide → · Personalized estimate → · All state rows → · States ranked → · Payback vs U.S. avg (14.2 yr): 1.2 yr slower

WY

15
DE

15
OK

16
MO

16
MS

16
IN

16

What this shows Delaware sits at 15.4 years among nearest payback peers (1.2 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Mid-pack 25-year ROI · Delaware

$18,000

system cost

$1,167/yr

modeled savings

15.4 yr

break-even

+$11,175

25-year net

Mid-band math for Delaware: $18,000 system cost vs $1,167/yr savings. Incentive stacking usually decides the edge case. Run a personalized estimate →

Installed solar capacity in Delaware, 2011–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Delaware reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 5x (3 to 15) between 2011 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 4 MW to 6 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Delaware now has about 97 MW of installed solar capacity across 15 reported facilities.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, installed solar nameplate capacity As of 2024

Delaware's national sun-vs-payback seat

Irradiance 4.5 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 15.4-yr payback (mid band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Delaware (highlighted): 4.5 kWh/m²/day, 15.4-yr modeled payback - slower than the national average.

Source: PlainSolarData model, NREL irradiance + EIA rates As of 2024

Solar & grid details

Net-metering policy: full
Renewable portfolio standard: Mandatory (25% by 2025)
Installed cost / watt: $3.00/W
Annual production (6 kW): 7,884 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 97 MW
Notable programs: Delaware SREC Program

Top incentive programs

3 programs available for Delaware residents

Net metering DE Net Metering · Retail rate credit Rebate Delaware Green Energy Fund Rebate · $1,000 for residential systems SREC / renewable credit Delaware SREC Program · Market rate per MWh

All Delaware solar incentives (3)

Net metering

DE Net Metering

Retail rate credit

Delaware provides net metering at full retail rate for systems up to 25 kW.

Rebate

Delaware Green Energy Fund Rebate

$1,000 for residential systems

Grant administered by Sustainable Energy Utility for residential solar installations.

SREC / renewable credit

Delaware SREC Program

Market rate per MWh

Delaware solar owners earn SRECs for each MWh produced, tradeable to utilities meeting RPS requirements.

Score and payback neighbors for Delaware

Two non-geographic peer sets for Delaware: composite score neighbors and payback-year neighbors (deduped so each row links a distinct comparison).

Similar composite solar score

Nearest nationwide matches on the NREL/EIA/DSIRE blend (24/100 here).

Alabama · score 24/100
Arkansas · score 24/100
Missouri · score 24/100
North Dakota · score 24/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (15.4 yr modeled here).

Oklahoma · 15.5 yr payback
Wyoming · 15.3 yr payback
Mississippi · 15.7 yr payback

Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published composite scores and modeled 6 kW payback years; rankings above use the same fields but sort the full corpus.

Solar resource from NREL; electricity rates and installed capacity from the U.S. EIA; incentive programs from DSIRE. See our methodology.

Compiled from official public sources by the publisher. · Updated July 2026