What is the solar score for Maryland?

Maryland has a solar score of 29/100 (Limited), ranking #23 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 Maryland?

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Maryland is 14.3 years, ranking #23 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $18,000 system cost and $1,261/year modeled savings, that implies +$13,525 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Maryland?

A 6 kW residential system in Maryland averages $18,000 before incentives, or $3.00 per watt. Maryland has 4 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Maryland?

A 6 kW system in Maryland 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 Maryland?

Maryland offers 4 solar incentive programs including tax exemption, net metering, rebate, and more. Net metering here is classified as full.

Does Maryland have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #23 of 51

Solar in Maryland: mid payback · average sun

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

Maryland sits in the middle of the payback pack at 14.3 yr (#23), so irradiance (4.5 kWh/m²/day) and the 4 tracked programs matter more than ranking alone.

4.5
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 16¢
avg electricity rate: 14.3 yr
payback (#23): 4
incentive programs

29 Limited

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EIA Form 860 nameplate strip

Nameplate MD · Maryland score #23/51

Maryland | 29/100 | 14.3 yr payback | 680 MW

SCORE 29/100
RANK #23/51
SUN 4.5 kWh
RATE 16c/kWh
PAY 14.3 yr
CAP 680 MW
PROG 4 programs
NEM near Montana

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): 0.1 yr slower

PA

14
WI

14
MD

14
AL

14
MI

14
NC

14

What this shows Maryland sits at 14.3 years among nearest payback peers (0.1 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Mid-pack 25-year ROI · Maryland

$18,000

system cost

$1,261/yr

modeled savings

14.3 yr

break-even

+$13,525

25-year net

Mid-band math for Maryland: $18,000 system cost vs $1,261/yr savings. Incentive stacking usually decides the edge case. Run a personalized estimate →

Installed solar capacity in Maryland, 2010–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Maryland reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 165x (1 to 165) between 2010 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 1 MW to 4 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Maryland now has about 680 MW of installed solar capacity across 165 reported facilities.

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

Maryland's national sun-vs-payback seat

Irradiance 4.5 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 14.3-yr payback (mid band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Maryland (highlighted): 4.5 kWh/m²/day, 14.3-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 (50% by 2030)
Installed cost / watt: $3.00/W
Annual production (6 kW): 7,884 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 680 MW
Notable programs: MD SREC Program, Residential Clean Energy Rebate

Top incentive programs

4 programs available for Maryland residents

Tax exemption MD Solar Property Tax Exemption · Full property tax credit Net metering MD Net Metering · Retail rate credit Rebate MD Residential Clean Energy Rebate · Up to $1,000 SREC / renewable credit Maryland SREC Program · Market rate ~$60/SREC

All Maryland solar incentives (4)

Tax exemption

MD Solar Property Tax Exemption

Full property tax credit

Maryland counties offer property tax credits for solar energy systems.

Net metering

MD Net Metering

Retail rate credit

Maryland offers net metering at retail rate for systems up to 2 MW.

Rebate

MD Residential Clean Energy Rebate

Up to $1,000

Maryland Energy Administration offers rebates for residential solar installations.

SREC / renewable credit

Maryland SREC Program

Market rate ~$60/SREC

Maryland solar owners earn Solar Renewable Energy Certificates for each MWh produced.

Score and payback neighbors for Maryland

Two non-geographic peer sets for Maryland: 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 (29/100 here).

Montana · score 29/100
Oklahoma · score 29/100
Illinois · score 28/100
Wyoming · score 28/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (14.3 yr modeled here).

Alabama · 14.4 yr payback
Michigan · 14.4 yr payback
North Carolina · 14.4 yr payback
Pennsylvania · 14.2 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