What is the solar score for Missouri?

Missouri has a solar score of 24/100 (Marginal), ranking #35 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (4.8 kWh/m²/day, 40%), incentive density (30%), and modeled payback (30%).

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

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Missouri is 15.6 years, ranking #33 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $16,800 system cost and $1,076/year modeled savings, that implies +$10,100 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Missouri?

A 6 kW residential system in Missouri averages $16,800 before incentives, or $2.80 per watt. Missouri has 2 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Missouri?

A 6 kW system in Missouri produces an estimated 8,410 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 4.8 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Missouri?

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

Does Missouri have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #35 of 51

Solar in Missouri: mid payback · average sun

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

Missouri sits in the middle of the payback pack at 15.6 yr (#33), so irradiance (4.8 kWh/m²/day) and the 2 tracked programs matter more than ranking alone.

4.8
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 12.8¢
avg electricity rate: 15.6 yr
payback (#33): 2
incentive programs

24 Marginal

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State solar nameplate strip

Nameplate MO · Missouri score #35/51

Missouri | 24/100 | 15.6 yr payback | 470 MW

STRIP 24/100
FORM860 #35/51
MW 4.8 kWh
SCORE 12.8c/kWh
RANK 15.6 yr
SUN 470 MW
RATE 2 programs
PAY near Alabama

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): 1.4 yr slower

WY

15
DE

15
OK

16
MO

16
MS

16
IN

16

What this shows Missouri sits at 15.6 years among nearest payback peers (1.4 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Mid-pack 25-year ROI · Missouri

$16,800

system cost

$1,076/yr

modeled savings

15.6 yr

break-even

+$10,100

25-year net

Mid-band math for Missouri: $16,800 system cost vs $1,076/yr savings. Incentive stacking usually decides the edge case. Run a personalized estimate →

Installed solar capacity in Missouri, 2014–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Missouri reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 14x (2 to 28) between 2014 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 4 MW to 17 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Missouri now has about 470 MW of installed solar capacity across 28 reported facilities.

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

Missouri's national sun-vs-payback seat

Irradiance 4.8 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 15.6-yr payback (mid band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Missouri (highlighted): 4.8 kWh/m²/day, 15.6-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 (15% by 2021)
Installed cost / watt: $2.80/W
Annual production (6 kW): 8,410 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 470 MW

Top incentive programs

2 programs available for Missouri residents

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

All Missouri solar incentives (2)

Tax exemption

MO Renewable Energy Property Tax Exemption

Property tax exemption

Missouri provides partial or full property tax exemption for solar energy systems.

Net metering

MO Net Metering

Retail rate credit

Missouri IOUs offer full retail net metering for residential systems up to 100 kW.

Score and payback neighbors for Missouri

Two non-geographic peer sets for Missouri: 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 (24/100 here).

Alabama · score 24/100
Arkansas · score 24/100
Delaware · score 24/100
North Dakota · score 24/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (15.6 yr modeled here).

Mississippi · 15.7 yr payback
Oklahoma · 15.5 yr payback
Indiana · 15.8 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