What is the solar score for Iowa?

Iowa has a solar score of 21/100 (Marginal), ranking #43 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 Iowa?

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Iowa is 16.7 years, ranking #41 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $16,500 system cost and $986/year modeled savings, that implies +$8,150 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Iowa?

A 6 kW residential system in Iowa averages $16,500 before incentives, or $2.75 per watt. Iowa has 2 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Iowa?

A 6 kW system in Iowa 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 Iowa?

Iowa offers 2 solar incentive programs including net metering, tax credit. Net metering here is classified as full.

Does Iowa have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #43 of 51

Solar in Iowa: slow payback · modest sun

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

Iowa's 16.7-yr modeled payback (#41 of 51) is on the slow side of the corpus; rates (12.5¢/kWh) and 2 programs decide whether sun (4.5 kWh/m²/day) still pays.

4.5
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 12.5¢
avg electricity rate: 16.7 yr
payback (#41): 2
incentive programs

21 Marginal

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EIA nameplate inventory

Nameplate IA · Iowa score #43/51

Iowa | 21/100 | 16.7 yr payback | 678 MW

PROG 21/100
NEM #43/51
PHOTO 4.5 kWh
BOOK 12.5c/kWh
VS-AVG 16.7 yr
GW 678 MW
IRR 2 programs
STRIP near Kentucky

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): 2.5 yr slower

MT

16
NE

16
IA

17
TN

17
OR

17
AK

17

What this shows Iowa sits at 16.7 years among nearest payback peers (2.5 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Slow-band 25-year ROI · Iowa

$16,500

system cost

$986/yr

modeled savings

16.7 yr

break-even

+$8,150

25-year net

Slow-band math: $16,500 in vs $986/yr out. Check net-metering (full) and program stack before treating the 25-year net as settled. Run a personalized estimate →

Installed solar capacity in Iowa, 2016–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Iowa reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 14x (2 to 28) between 2016 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 1 MW to 24 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Iowa now has about 678 MW of installed solar capacity across 28 reported facilities.

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

Iowa's national sun-vs-payback seat

Irradiance 4.5 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 16.7-yr payback (slow band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Iowa (highlighted): 4.5 kWh/m²/day, 16.7-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 (105 MW)
Installed cost / watt: $2.75/W
Annual production (6 kW): 7,884 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 678 MW

Top incentive programs

2 programs available for Iowa residents

Net metering IA Net Metering · Retail rate credit Tax credit IA Residential Energy Credit · 50% of federal credit amount

All Iowa solar incentives (2)

Net metering

IA Net Metering

Retail rate credit

Iowa IOUs offer full retail net metering for customer-owned solar systems up to 500 kW.

Tax credit

IA Residential Energy Credit

50% of federal credit amount

Iowa provides a state income tax credit equal to 50% of the federal residential clean energy credit.

Slower-payback neighbors for Iowa

Two non-geographic peer sets for Iowa: 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 (21/100 here).

Kentucky · score 21/100
Idaho · score 20/100
Mississippi · score 23/100
Nebraska · score 23/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (16.7 yr modeled here).

Tennessee · 16.7 yr payback
Oregon · 16.9 yr payback
Alaska · 17 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