What is the solar score for Hawaii?

Hawaii has a solar score of 67/100 (Strong), ranking #1 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (5.9 kWh/m²/day, 40%), incentive density (30%), and modeled payback (30%).

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

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Hawaii is 5.2 years, ranking #1 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $20,400 system cost and $3,928/year modeled savings, that implies +$77,800 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Hawaii?

A 6 kW residential system in Hawaii averages $20,400 before incentives, or $3.40 per watt. Hawaii has 3 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Hawaii?

A 6 kW system in Hawaii produces an estimated 10,337 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 5.9 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Hawaii?

Hawaii offers 3 solar incentive programs including tax exemption, loan program, net metering. Net metering here is classified as partial.

Does Hawaii have net metering for solar?

Hawaii's net-metering policy is classified as "partial." Homeowners receive partial (often avoided-cost) credit for excess exports.

Is solar payback in Hawaii fast or slow compared to other states?

Hawaii's 5.2-yr modeled payback is faster than 98% of the 51 tracked states, the shortest modeled break-even in the corpus. This reflects the same electricity rates, irradiance, and incentive stack already factored into the 5.2-year figure.

State solar profile · #1 of 51

Solar in Hawaii: fast payback · high rates

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

Hawaii clears a modeled 5.2-yr break-even (#1 of 51) at 38¢/kWh and 5.9 kWh/m²/day, with 3 DSIRE programs in the stack.

5.9
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 38¢
avg electricity rate: 5.2 yr
payback (#1): 3
incentive programs

67 Strong

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EIA nameplate inventory

Nameplate HI · Hawaii score #1/51

Hawaii | 67/100 | 5.2 yr payback | 467 MW

STRIP 67/100
FORM860 #1/51
MW 5.9 kWh
SCORE 38c/kWh
RANK 5.2 yr
SUN 467 MW
RATE 3 programs
PAY near California

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 → · Tax credits and incentives → · Personalized estimate → · All state rows → · States ranked → · Payback vs U.S. avg (14.2 yr): 9 yr faster

HI

5
CA

6
CT

9
MA

9
ME

9
RI

10

What this shows Hawaii sits at 5.2 years among nearest payback peers (9 yr faster vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Fast-band 25-year ROI · Hawaii

$20,400

system cost

$3,928/yr

modeled savings

5.2 yr

break-even

+$77,800

25-year net

At $20,400 and $3,928/yr, Hawaii is already in the faster third of modeled paybacks. Roof, shading, and tariff still move the real number. Run a personalized estimate →

Installed solar capacity in Hawaii, 2008–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Hawaii reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 32x (1 to 32) between 2008 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 1 MW to 15 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Hawaii now has about 467 MW of installed solar capacity across 32 reported facilities.

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

Hawaii on the sun-and-speed corner

Irradiance 5.9 kWh/m²/day (at/above the 4.8 national mean) vs 5.2-yr payback (fast band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Hawaii (highlighted): 5.9 kWh/m²/day, 5.2-yr modeled payback - faster than the national average.

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

Hawaii's payback ranks among the nation's fastest

Hawaii's 5.2-yr modeled break-even beats 98% of the 51 tracked states.

Payback distribution: Hawaii among all 51 states

2-year payback bands across the full 50-state-plus-DC model.

5 Among the fastest faster than 98% of 51 states

all tracked states, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainSolarData model, NREL irradiance + EIA rates · 2024

Solar & grid details

Net-metering policy: partial
Renewable portfolio standard: Mandatory (100% by 2045)
Installed cost / watt: $3.40/W
Annual production (6 kW): 10,337 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 467 MW
Notable programs: Smart Export Tariff (SET)

Top incentive programs

3 programs available for Hawaii residents

Tax exemption HI Solar Property Tax Exemption · Property tax exemption Loan program Hawaii Green Infrastructure Loan (GEMS) · Low-interest on-bill financing Net metering Hawaii Smart Export Tariff (SET) · Time-of-use export rates

All Hawaii solar incentives (3)

Tax exemption

HI Solar Property Tax Exemption

Property tax exemption

Hawaii exempts solar energy systems from property tax assessment.

Loan program

Hawaii Green Infrastructure Loan (GEMS)

Low-interest on-bill financing

GEMS (Green Energy Money Saver) provides on-bill financing for solar and energy efficiency.

Net metering

Hawaii Smart Export Tariff (SET)

Time-of-use export rates

Under SET, solar exports are credited at time-of-use rates. Battery storage maximizes value.

States alongside Hawaii on fast payback

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

Peer states by composite solar score

Nearest nationwide matches on the NREL/EIA/DSIRE blend (67/100 here).

California · score 66/100
Arizona · score 61/100
New Mexico · score 57/100
Nevada · score 53/100

Closest match: modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (5.2 yr modeled here).

Connecticut · 8.9 yr payback
Massachusetts · 9.2 yr payback
Maine · 9.3 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