What is the solar score for Utah?

Utah has a solar score of 40/100 (Moderate), ranking #11 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (5.9 kWh/m²/day, 40%), incentive density (30%), and modeled payback (30%).

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

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Utah is 14.5 years, ranking #27 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $16,200 system cost and $1,116/year modeled savings, that implies +$11,700 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Utah?

A 6 kW residential system in Utah averages $16,200 before incentives, or $2.70 per watt. Utah has 3 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Utah?

A 6 kW system in Utah produces an estimated 10,337 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 5.9 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Utah?

Utah offers 3 solar incentive programs including tax exemption, net metering, tax credit. Net metering here is classified as full.

Does Utah have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #11 of 51

Solar in Utah: mid payback · strong sun

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

Utah sits in the middle of the payback pack at 14.5 yr (#27), so irradiance (5.9 kWh/m²/day) and the 3 tracked programs matter more than ranking alone.

5.9
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 10.8¢
avg electricity rate: 14.5 yr
payback (#27): 3
incentive programs

40 Moderate

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NREL/EIA solar strip

Nameplate UT · Utah score #11/51

Utah | 40/100 | 14.5 yr payback | 2.2 GW

SCORE 40/100
RANK #11/51
SUN 5.9 kWh
RATE 10.8c/kWh
PAY 14.5 yr
CAP 2.2 GW
PROG 3 programs
NEM near Connecticut

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): 0.3 yr slower

MD

14
AL

14
MI

14
NC

14
UT

15
GA

15

What this shows Utah sits at 14.5 years among nearest payback peers (0.3 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Mid-pack 25-year ROI · Utah

$16,200

system cost

$1,116/yr

modeled savings

14.5 yr

break-even

+$11,700

25-year net

Mid-band math for Utah: $16,200 system cost vs $1,116/yr savings. Incentive stacking usually decides the edge case. Run a personalized estimate →

Installed solar capacity in Utah, 2012–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Utah reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 54x (1 to 54) between 2012 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 1 MW to 41 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Utah now has about 2.2 GW of installed solar capacity across 54 reported facilities.

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

Utah's national sun-vs-payback seat

Irradiance 5.9 kWh/m²/day (at/above the 4.8 national mean) vs 14.5-yr payback (mid band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Utah (highlighted): 5.9 kWh/m²/day, 14.5-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 (20% by 2025)
Installed cost / watt: $2.70/W
Annual production (6 kW): 10,337 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 2.2 GW
Notable programs: Utah Renewable Energy Systems Tax Credit

Top incentive programs

3 programs available for Utah residents

Tax exemption UT Solar Property Tax Exemption · Property tax exemption Net metering UT Net Metering · Retail rate credit Tax credit UT Residential Clean Energy Tax Credit · 25% of cost, max $800

All Utah solar incentives (3)

Tax exemption

UT Solar Property Tax Exemption

Property tax exemption

Utah exempts solar energy systems from local property tax assessment.

Net metering

UT Net Metering

Retail rate credit

Rocky Mountain Power and other Utah IOUs offer net metering for residential systems.

Tax credit

UT Residential Clean Energy Tax Credit

25% of cost, max $800

Utah income tax credit for residential solar photovoltaic systems.

Score and payback neighbors for Utah

Two non-geographic peer sets for Utah: 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 (40/100 here).

Connecticut · score 41/100
Massachusetts · score 41/100
New York · score 38/100
Rhode Island · score 37/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (14.5 yr modeled here).

Georgia · 14.5 yr payback
Alabama · 14.4 yr payback
Michigan · 14.4 yr payback
North Carolina · 14.4 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