What is the solar score for Nebraska?

Nebraska has a solar score of 23/100 (Marginal), ranking #41 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (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 Nebraska?

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Nebraska is 16.4 years, ranking #39 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $16,500 system cost and $1,007/year modeled savings, that implies +$8,675 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Nebraska?

A 6 kW residential system in Nebraska averages $16,500 before incentives, or $2.75 per watt. Nebraska has 1 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Nebraska?

A 6 kW system in Nebraska produces an estimated 8,760 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 5 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Nebraska?

Nebraska offers 1 solar incentive programs including net metering. Net metering here is classified as full.

Does Nebraska have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #41 of 51

Solar in Nebraska: slow payback despite sun

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

Nebraska's 16.4-yr modeled payback (#39 of 51) is on the slow side of the corpus; rates (11.5¢/kWh) and 1 programs decide whether sun (5 kWh/m²/day) still pays.

5
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 11.5¢
avg electricity rate: 16.4 yr
payback (#39): 1
incentive programs

23 Marginal

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NREL/EIA solar strip

Nameplate NE · Nebraska score #41/51

Nebraska | 23/100 | 16.4 yr payback | 138 MW

NEM 23/100
PHOTO #41/51
BOOK 5 kWh
VS-AVG 11.5c/kWh
GW 16.4 yr
IRR 138 MW
STRIP 1 programs
FORM860 near Mississippi

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): 2.2 yr slower

MN

16
MT

16
OH

16
NE

16
IA

17
TN

17

What this shows Nebraska sits at 16.4 years among nearest payback peers (2.2 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Slow-band 25-year ROI · Nebraska

$16,500

system cost

$1,007/yr

modeled savings

16.4 yr

break-even

+$8,675

25-year net

Slow-band math: $16,500 in vs $1,007/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 Nebraska, 2016–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Nebraska reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 10x (2 to 20) between 2016 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 3 MW to 7 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Nebraska now has about 138 MW of installed solar capacity across 20 reported facilities.

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

Nebraska: sunny but slow to break even

Irradiance 5 kWh/m²/day (at/above the 4.8 national mean) vs 16.4-yr payback (slow band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Nebraska (highlighted): 5 kWh/m²/day, 16.4-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: None
Installed cost / watt: $2.75/W
Annual production (6 kW): 8,760 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 138 MW

Top incentive programs

1 programs available for Nebraska residents

Net metering NE Net Metering · Retail rate credit

All Nebraska solar incentives (1)

Net metering

NE Net Metering

Retail rate credit

Nebraska public power districts offer net metering for residential solar systems.

Slower-payback neighbors for Nebraska

Two non-geographic peer sets for Nebraska: 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 (23/100 here).

Mississippi · score 23/100
South Dakota · score 23/100
Alabama · score 24/100
Arkansas · score 24/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (16.4 yr modeled here).

Montana · 16.3 yr payback
Ohio · 16.3 yr payback
Iowa · 16.7 yr payback
Tennessee · 16.7 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