What is the solar score for Ohio?

Ohio has a solar score of 18/100 (Marginal), ranking #47 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (4.2 kWh/m²/day, 40%), incentive density (30%), and modeled payback (30%).

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

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Ohio is 16.3 years, ranking #38 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $17,400 system cost and $1,067/year modeled savings, that implies +$9,275 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Ohio?

A 6 kW residential system in Ohio averages $17,400 before incentives, or $2.90 per watt. Ohio has 2 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Ohio?

A 6 kW system in Ohio produces an estimated 7,358 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 4.2 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Ohio?

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

Does Ohio have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #47 of 51

Solar in Ohio: slow payback · modest sun

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

Ohio's 16.3-yr modeled payback (#38 of 51) is on the slow side of the corpus; rates (14.5¢/kWh) and 2 programs decide whether sun (4.2 kWh/m²/day) still pays.

4.2
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 14.5¢
avg electricity rate: 16.3 yr
payback (#38): 2
incentive programs

18 Marginal

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Form 860 capacity strip

Nameplate OH · Ohio score #47/51

Ohio | 18/100 | 16.3 yr payback | 3.2 GW

BOOK 18/100
VS-AVG #47/51
GW 4.2 kWh
IRR 14.5c/kWh
STRIP 16.3 yr
FORM860 3.2 GW
MW 2 programs
SCORE near Michigan

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): 2.1 yr slower

MN

16
OH

16
MT

16
NE

16
IA

17
TN

17

What this shows Ohio sits at 16.3 years among nearest payback peers (2.1 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Slow-band 25-year ROI · Ohio

$17,400

system cost

$1,067/yr

modeled savings

16.3 yr

break-even

+$9,275

25-year net

Slow-band math: $17,400 in vs $1,067/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 Ohio, 2010–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Ohio reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 30x (2 to 60) between 2010 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 7 MW to 54 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Ohio now has about 3.2 GW of installed solar capacity across 60 reported facilities.

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

Ohio's national sun-vs-payback seat

Irradiance 4.2 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 16.3-yr payback (slow band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Ohio (highlighted): 4.2 kWh/m²/day, 16.3-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 (8.5% by 2026)
Installed cost / watt: $2.90/W
Annual production (6 kW): 7,358 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 3.2 GW

Top incentive programs

2 programs available for Ohio residents

Tax exemption OH Renewable Energy Property Tax Exemption · Full property tax exemption Net metering OH Net Metering · Retail rate credit

All Ohio solar incentives (2)

Tax exemption

OH Renewable Energy Property Tax Exemption

Full property tax exemption

Solar energy systems are fully exempt from Ohio property taxes.

Net metering

OH Net Metering

Retail rate credit

Ohio IOUs offer full retail net metering for residential systems up to 25 kW.

Slower-payback neighbors for Ohio

Two non-geographic peer sets for Ohio: 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).

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

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (16.3 yr modeled here).

Montana · 16.3 yr payback
Nebraska · 16.4 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