What is the solar score for South Dakota?

South Dakota has a solar score of 23/100 (Marginal), ranking #42 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 South Dakota?

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in South Dakota is 17.1 years, ranking #44 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $16,500 system cost and $964/year modeled savings, that implies +$7,600 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in South Dakota?

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

How much electricity do solar panels produce in South Dakota?

A 6 kW system in South Dakota 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 South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #42 of 51

Solar in South Dakota: slow payback despite sun

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

South Dakota's 17.1-yr modeled payback (#44 of 51) is on the slow side of the corpus; rates (11¢/kWh) and 1 programs decide whether sun (5 kWh/m²/day) still pays.

5
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 11¢
avg electricity rate: 17.1 yr
payback (#44): 1
incentive programs

23 Marginal

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EIA nameplate inventory

Nameplate SD · South Dakota score #42/51

South Dakota | 23/100 | 17.1 yr payback | 209 MW

PHOTO 23/100
BOOK #42/51
VS-AVG 5 kWh
GW 11c/kWh
IRR 17.1 yr
STRIP 209 MW
FORM860 1 programs
MW 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): 2.9 yr slower

IA

17
TN

17
OR

17
AK

17
SD

17
AR

17

What this shows South Dakota sits at 17.1 years among nearest payback peers (2.9 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Slow-band 25-year ROI · South Dakota

$16,500

system cost

$964/yr

modeled savings

17.1 yr

break-even

+$7,600

25-year net

Slow-band math: $16,500 in vs $964/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 South Dakota, 2016–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in South Dakota reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 3x (1 to 3) between 2016 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 1 MW to 70 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

South Dakota now has about 209 MW of installed solar capacity across 3 reported facilities.

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

South Dakota: sunny but slow to break even

Irradiance 5 kWh/m²/day (at/above the 4.8 national mean) vs 17.1-yr payback (slow band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

South Dakota (highlighted): 5 kWh/m²/day, 17.1-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: Voluntary (10% by 2015)
Installed cost / watt: $2.75/W
Annual production (6 kW): 8,760 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 209 MW

Top incentive programs

1 programs available for South Dakota residents

Net metering SD Net Metering · Retail rate credit

All South Dakota solar incentives (1)

Net metering

SD Net Metering

Retail rate credit

South Dakota utilities offer net metering for residential solar systems.

Slower-payback neighbors for South Dakota

Two non-geographic peer sets for South Dakota: 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
Nebraska · score 23/100
Alabama · score 24/100
Arkansas · score 24/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (17.1 yr modeled here).

Alaska · 17 yr payback
Oregon · 16.9 yr payback
Iowa · 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