What is the solar score for Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania has a solar score of 24/100 (Marginal), ranking #38 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (4.3 kWh/m²/day, 40%), incentive density (30%), and modeled payback (30%).

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

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Pennsylvania is 14.2 years, ranking #21 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $17,700 system cost and $1,243/year modeled savings, that implies +$13,375 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Pennsylvania?

A 6 kW residential system in Pennsylvania averages $17,700 before incentives, or $2.95 per watt. Pennsylvania has 3 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Pennsylvania?

A 6 kW system in Pennsylvania produces an estimated 7,534 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 4.3 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania offers 3 solar incentive programs including tax exemption, net metering, srec / renewable credit. Net metering here is classified as full.

Does Pennsylvania have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #38 of 51

Solar in Pennsylvania: mid payback · average sun

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

Pennsylvania sits in the middle of the payback pack at 14.2 yr (#21), so irradiance (4.3 kWh/m²/day) and the 3 tracked programs matter more than ranking alone.

4.3
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 16.5¢
avg electricity rate: 14.2 yr
payback (#21): 3
incentive programs

24 Marginal

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NREL/EIA solar strip

Nameplate PA · Pennsylvania score #38/51

Pennsylvania | 24/100 | 14.2 yr payback | 876 MW

PAY 24/100
CAP #38/51
PROG 4.3 kWh
NEM 16.5c/kWh
PHOTO 14.2 yr
BOOK 876 MW
VS-AVG 3 programs
GW 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): at U.S. avg

IL

14
SC

14
PA

14
WI

14
MD

14
AL

14

What this shows Pennsylvania sits at 14.2 years among nearest payback peers (at U.S. avg vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Mid-pack 25-year ROI · Pennsylvania

$17,700

system cost

$1,243/yr

modeled savings

14.2 yr

break-even

+$13,375

25-year net

Mid-band math for Pennsylvania: $17,700 system cost vs $1,243/yr savings. Incentive stacking usually decides the edge case. Run a personalized estimate →

Installed solar capacity in Pennsylvania, 2008–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Pennsylvania reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 62x (1 to 62) between 2008 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 3 MW to 14 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Pennsylvania now has about 876 MW of installed solar capacity across 62 reported facilities.

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

Pennsylvania's national sun-vs-payback seat

Irradiance 4.3 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 14.2-yr payback (mid band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Pennsylvania (highlighted): 4.3 kWh/m²/day, 14.2-yr modeled payback - faster 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 (18% by 2020)
Installed cost / watt: $2.95/W
Annual production (6 kW): 7,534 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 876 MW
Notable programs: PA SREC Market, PECO Solar Incentive

Top incentive programs

3 programs available for Pennsylvania residents

Tax exemption PA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption · Property tax exemption Net metering PA Net Metering · Retail rate credit SREC / renewable credit Pennsylvania SREC Market · Market rate ~$35/SREC

All Pennsylvania solar incentives (3)

Tax exemption

PA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption

Property tax exemption

Pennsylvania law exempts solar energy systems from property tax assessment.

Net metering

PA Net Metering

Retail rate credit

Pennsylvania IOUs offer full retail net metering for systems up to 50 kW.

SREC / renewable credit

Pennsylvania SREC Market

Market rate ~$35/SREC

PA solar owners earn SRECs (Solar Alternative Energy Credits) for each MWh produced.

Score and payback neighbors for Pennsylvania

Two non-geographic peer sets for Pennsylvania: 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
Missouri · score 24/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (14.2 yr modeled here).

Wisconsin · 14.2 yr payback
Maryland · 14.3 yr payback
Illinois · 14 yr payback
South Carolina · 14 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