State solar profile · #30 of 51
Solar in Minnesota: slow payback · modest sun
Minnesota's 15.9-yr modeled payback (#36 of 51) is on the slow side of the corpus; rates (14.2¢/kWh) and 4 programs decide whether sun (4.4 kWh/m²/day) still pays.
- 4.4
- kWh/m²/day irradiance
- 14.2¢
- avg electricity rate
- 15.9 yr
- payback (#36)
- 4
- incentive programs
NREL/EIA solar strip
Nameplate MN · Minnesota score #30/51
Minnesota | 26/100 | 15.9 yr payback | 1.7 GW
- PAY 26/100
- CAP #30/51
- PROG 4.4 kWh
- NEM 14.2c/kWh
- PHOTO 15.9 yr
- BOOK 1.7 GW
- VS-AVG 4 programs
- GW near Louisiana
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): 1.7 yr slower
Modeled 6 kW payback · Minnesota and nearest peers
Shorter bars = faster simple payback on the NREL/EIA model
- MO
Missouri
16 years
- MS
Mississippi
16 years
- IN
Indiana
16 years
- MN
Minnesota
16 years
- MT
Montana
16 years
- OH
Ohio
16 years
What this shows Minnesota sits at 15.9 years among nearest payback peers (1.7 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).
Slow-band 25-year ROI · Minnesota
$17,400
system cost
$1,095/yr
modeled savings
15.9 yr
break-even
+$9,975
25-year net
Slow-band math: $17,400 in vs $1,095/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 Minnesota, 2013–2024
Total solar nameplate capacity in Minnesota reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 519x (1 to 519) between 2013 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 2 MW to 3 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.
Minnesota's national sun-vs-payback seat
Irradiance 4.4 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 15.9-yr payback (slow band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.
Solar & grid details
- Net-metering policy
- full
- Renewable portfolio standard
- Mandatory (100% by 2040)
- Installed cost / watt
- $2.90/W
- Annual production (6 kW)
- 7,709 kWh
- Installed capacity (EIA 2024)
- 1.7 GW
- Notable programs
- Xcel Solar Incentive Program, Made in Minnesota
Top incentive programs
4 programs available for Minnesota residents
All Minnesota solar incentives (4)
MN Solar Property Tax Exemption
Full property tax exemption
Minnesota exempts solar energy systems from property tax assessment.
Net meteringMN Value of Solar Tariff
Value-based rate (~$0.08/kWh)
Minnesota allows utilities to compensate solar customers at "value of solar" rate.
Performance incentiveMade in Minnesota Solar Incentive
$0.07-$0.17/kWh for 10 years
Production incentive for solar systems using Minnesota-manufactured components.
RebateXcel Energy Solar Incentive Program (MN)
$125/kW AC installed
Xcel Energy offers upfront rebates for residential solar systems in Minnesota.
Slower-payback neighbors for Minnesota
Two non-geographic peer sets for Minnesota: 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 (26/100 here).
Similar modeled payback
Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (15.9 yr modeled here).
- Indiana · 15.8 yr payback
- Mississippi · 15.7 yr payback
- Missouri · 15.6 yr payback
- Montana · 16.3 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.