What is the solar score for Virginia?

Virginia has a solar score of 27/100 (Limited), ranking #29 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (4.8 kWh/m²/day, 40%), incentive density (30%), and modeled payback (30%).

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

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Virginia is 15 years, ranking #29 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $17,400 system cost and $1,161/year modeled savings, that implies +$11,625 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Virginia?

A 6 kW residential system in Virginia averages $17,400 before incentives, or $2.90 per watt. Virginia has 3 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Virginia?

A 6 kW system in Virginia produces an estimated 8,410 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 4.8 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Virginia?

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

Does Virginia have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #29 of 51

Solar in Virginia: mid payback · average sun

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

Virginia sits in the middle of the payback pack at 15 yr (#29), so irradiance (4.8 kWh/m²/day) and the 3 tracked programs matter more than ranking alone.

4.8
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 13.8¢
avg electricity rate: 15 yr
payback (#29): 3
incentive programs

27 Limited

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NREL/EIA solar strip

Nameplate VA · Virginia score #29/51

Virginia | 27/100 | 15 yr payback | 4.7 GW

RANK 27/100
SUN #29/51
RATE 4.8 kWh
PAY 13.8c/kWh
CAP 15 yr
PROG 4.7 GW
NEM 3 programs
PHOTO near Louisiana

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): 0.8 yr slower

GA

15
UT

15
VA

15
WY

15
DE

15
OK

16

What this shows Virginia sits at 15 years among nearest payback peers (0.8 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Mid-pack 25-year ROI · Virginia

$17,400

system cost

$1,161/yr

modeled savings

15 yr

break-even

+$11,625

25-year net

Mid-band math for Virginia: $17,400 system cost vs $1,161/yr savings. Incentive stacking usually decides the edge case. Run a personalized estimate →

Installed solar capacity in Virginia, 1990–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Virginia reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems.

Virginia now has about 4.7 GW of installed solar capacity across 124 reported facilities.

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

Virginia's national sun-vs-payback seat

Irradiance 4.8 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 15-yr payback (mid band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Virginia (highlighted): 4.8 kWh/m²/day, 15-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 (100% by 2045)
Installed cost / watt: $2.90/W
Annual production (6 kW): 8,410 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 4.7 GW
Notable programs: Dominion Energy Solar Loan, VCEA Incentives

Top incentive programs

3 programs available for Virginia residents

Tax exemption VA Solar Property Tax Exemption · Property tax exemption (by locality) Net metering VA Net Metering · Full retail rate credit Rebate Dominion Energy VA Community Solar · Bill credits for subscribers

All Virginia solar incentives (3)

Tax exemption

VA Solar Property Tax Exemption

Property tax exemption (by locality)

Virginia localities may exempt solar energy equipment from property taxes.

Net metering

VA Net Metering

Full retail rate credit

Virginia requires Dominion Energy and APCo to offer full retail net metering for residential systems.

Rebate

Dominion Energy VA Community Solar

Bill credits for subscribers

Dominion Energy offers community solar subscription options for eligible customers.

Score and payback neighbors for Virginia

Two non-geographic peer sets for Virginia: 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 (27/100 here).

Louisiana · score 27/100
Illinois · score 28/100
Minnesota · score 26/100
Wyoming · score 28/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (15 yr modeled here).

Delaware · 15.4 yr payback
Georgia · 14.5 yr payback
Oklahoma · 15.5 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