What is the solar score for Maine?

Maine has a solar score of 36/100 (Limited), ranking #14 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (4.3 kWh/m²/day, 40%), incentive density (30%), and modeled payback (30%).

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

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Maine is 9.3 years, ranking #5 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $18,300 system cost and $1,959/year modeled savings, that implies +$30,675 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Maine?

A 6 kW residential system in Maine averages $18,300 before incentives, or $3.05 per watt. Maine has 2 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Maine?

A 6 kW system in Maine produces an estimated 7,534 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 4.3 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Maine?

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

Does Maine have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #14 of 51

Solar in Maine: fast payback · high rates

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

Maine clears a modeled 9.3-yr break-even (#5 of 51) at 26¢/kWh and 4.3 kWh/m²/day, with 2 DSIRE programs in the stack.

4.3
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 26¢
avg electricity rate: 9.3 yr
payback (#5): 2
incentive programs

36 Limited

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EIA Form 860 nameplate strip

Nameplate ME · Maine score #14/51

Maine | 36/100 | 9.3 yr payback | 833 MW

VS-AVG 36/100
GW #14/51
IRR 4.3 kWh
STRIP 26c/kWh
FORM860 9.3 yr
MW 833 MW
SCORE 2 programs
RANK near Rhode Island

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): 4.9 yr faster

CT

9
MA

9
ME

9
RI

10
NH

10
AZ

10

What this shows Maine sits at 9.3 years among nearest payback peers (4.9 yr faster vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Fast-band 25-year ROI · Maine

$18,300

system cost

$1,959/yr

modeled savings

9.3 yr

break-even

+$30,675

25-year net

At $18,300 and $1,959/yr, Maine 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 Maine, 2017–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Maine reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 70x (2 to 140) between 2017 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 3 MW to 6 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Maine now has about 833 MW of installed solar capacity across 140 reported facilities.

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

Maine: modest sun, still fast payback

Irradiance 4.3 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 9.3-yr payback (fast band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Maine (highlighted): 4.3 kWh/m²/day, 9.3-yr modeled payback - faster 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 (80% by 2030)
Installed cost / watt: $3.05/W
Annual production (6 kW): 7,534 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 833 MW
Notable programs: Maine Community Solar Program

Top incentive programs

2 programs available for Maine residents

Tax exemption ME Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption · Full property tax exemption Net metering Maine Community Solar Program · Bill credits for subscribers

All Maine solar incentives (2)

Tax exemption

ME Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption

Full property tax exemption

Maine fully exempts residential solar systems from property tax.

Net metering

Maine Community Solar Program

Bill credits for subscribers

Customers can subscribe to a share of community solar for bill credits without rooftop installation.

Other fast-payback peers for Maine

Two non-geographic peer sets for Maine: 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 (36/100 here).

Rhode Island · score 37/100
New Hampshire · score 34/100
New Jersey · score 34/100
New York · score 38/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (9.3 yr modeled here).

Massachusetts · 9.2 yr payback
Connecticut · 8.9 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