What is the solar score for Michigan?

Michigan has a solar score of 18/100 (Marginal), ranking #46 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (4 kWh/m²/day, 40%), incentive density (30%), and modeled payback (30%).

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

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Michigan is 14.4 years, ranking #26 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $17,700 system cost and $1,226/year modeled savings, that implies +$12,950 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Michigan?

A 6 kW residential system in Michigan averages $17,700 before incentives, or $2.95 per watt. Michigan has 2 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Michigan?

A 6 kW system in Michigan produces an estimated 7,008 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 4 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Michigan?

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

Does Michigan have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #46 of 51

Solar in Michigan: mid payback · average sun

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

Michigan sits in the middle of the payback pack at 14.4 yr (#26), so irradiance (4 kWh/m²/day) and the 2 tracked programs matter more than ranking alone.

4
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 17.5¢
avg electricity rate: 14.4 yr
payback (#26): 2
incentive programs

18 Marginal

Subscribe (RSS)

EIA Form 860 nameplate strip

Nameplate MI · Michigan score #46/51

Michigan | 18/100 | 14.4 yr payback | 1.2 GW

VS-AVG 18/100
GW #46/51
IRR 4 kWh
STRIP 17.5c/kWh
FORM860 14.4 yr
MW 1.2 GW
SCORE 2 programs
RANK near Ohio

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): 0.2 yr slower

MD

14
MI

14
AL

14
NC

14
GA

15
UT

15

What this shows Michigan sits at 14.4 years among nearest payback peers (0.2 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Mid-pack 25-year ROI · Michigan

$17,700

system cost

$1,226/yr

modeled savings

14.4 yr

break-even

+$12,950

25-year net

Mid-band math for Michigan: $17,700 system cost vs $1,226/yr savings. Incentive stacking usually decides the edge case. Run a personalized estimate →

Installed solar capacity in Michigan, 2015–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Michigan reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 30.5x (2 to 61) between 2015 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 1 MW to 19 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Michigan now has about 1.2 GW of installed solar capacity across 61 reported facilities.

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

Michigan's national sun-vs-payback seat

Irradiance 4 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 14.4-yr payback (mid band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Michigan (highlighted): 4 kWh/m²/day, 14.4-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 2035)
Installed cost / watt: $2.95/W
Annual production (6 kW): 7,008 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 1.2 GW
Notable programs: Consumers Energy CleanRate

Top incentive programs

2 programs available for Michigan residents

Tax exemption MI Renewable Energy Property Tax Exemption · Property tax exemption Net metering MI Net Metering · Retail rate credit

All Michigan solar incentives (2)

Tax exemption

MI Renewable Energy Property Tax Exemption

Property tax exemption

Michigan exempts solar energy systems from property tax assessment.

Net metering

MI Net Metering

Retail rate credit

Michigan utilities offer net metering for residential systems up to 150 kW.

Score and payback neighbors for Michigan

Two non-geographic peer sets for Michigan: 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 (18/100 here).

Ohio · score 18/100
West Virginia · score 18/100
Indiana · score 17/100
Idaho · score 20/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (14.4 yr modeled here).

Alabama · 14.4 yr payback
North Carolina · 14.4 yr payback
Georgia · 14.5 yr payback
Maryland · 14.3 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