What is the solar score for Washington?

Washington has a solar score of 14/100 (Marginal), ranking #50 of 51. The composite blends solar irradiance (3.5 kWh/m²/day, 40%), incentive density (30%), and modeled payback (30%).

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

The estimated payback for a 6 kW system in Washington is 26.6 years, ranking #51 of 51 for speed to break-even. At a $17,100 system cost and $644/year modeled savings, that implies -$1,000 net over 25 years before rate escalation.

How much does a solar system cost in Washington?

A 6 kW residential system in Washington averages $17,100 before incentives, or $2.85 per watt. Washington has 3 tracked state and utility incentive programs that can lower net cost.

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Washington?

A 6 kW system in Washington produces an estimated 6,132 kWh/year, based on average irradiance of 3.5 kWh/m²/day. Actual output varies with roof orientation, shading, and panel efficiency.

What solar incentives are available in Washington?

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

Does Washington have net metering for solar?

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

State solar profile · #50 of 51

Solar in Washington: slow payback · modest sun

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

Washington's 26.6-yr modeled payback (#51 of 51) is on the slow side of the corpus; rates (10.5¢/kWh) and 3 programs decide whether sun (3.5 kWh/m²/day) still pays.

3.5
kWh/m²/day irradiance: 10.5¢
avg electricity rate: 26.6 yr
payback (#51): 3
incentive programs

14 Marginal

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NREL/EIA solar strip

Nameplate WA · Washington score #50/51

Washington | 14/100 | 26.6 yr payback | 268 MW

PROG 14/100
NEM #50/51
PHOTO 3.5 kWh
BOOK 10.5c/kWh
VS-AVG 26.6 yr
GW 268 MW
IRR 3 programs
STRIP near Indiana

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): 12.4 yr slower

KY

18
LA

18
ND

18
WV

19
ID

20
WA

27

What this shows Washington sits at 26.6 years among nearest payback peers (12.4 yr slower vs the 14.2-yr U.S. average).

Slow-band 25-year ROI · Washington

$17,100

system cost

$644/yr

modeled savings

26.6 yr

break-even

-$1,000

25-year net

Slow-band math: $17,100 in vs $644/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 Washington, 2007–2024

Total solar nameplate capacity in Washington reported to the EIA, utility-scale and reported distributed systems. The number of reporting facilities grew 9x (1 to 9) between 2007 and 2024, and the average site size grew from 1 MW to 30 MW per site, a shift toward larger utility-scale installations.

Washington now has about 268 MW of installed solar capacity across 9 reported facilities.

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

Washington's national sun-vs-payback seat

Irradiance 3.5 kWh/m²/day (below the 4.8 national mean) vs 26.6-yr payback (slow band vs 14.2-yr mean). Crosshairs mark those means.

Washington (highlighted): 3.5 kWh/m²/day, 26.6-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: $2.85/W
Annual production (6 kW): 6,132 kWh
Installed capacity (EIA 2024): 268 MW
Notable programs: Bonneville Power Admin Incentive, PSE Solar

Top incentive programs

3 programs available for Washington residents

Tax exemption WA Solar Property Tax Exemption · Property tax exemption Tax exemption WA Solar Sales Tax Exemption · Sales tax exemption Net metering WA Net Metering · Retail rate credit

All Washington solar incentives (3)

Tax exemption

WA Solar Property Tax Exemption

Property tax exemption

Washington provides a property tax exemption for qualifying solar energy systems.

Tax exemption

WA Solar Sales Tax Exemption

Sales tax exemption

Washington exempts solar energy systems from retail sales and use taxes.

Net metering

WA Net Metering

Retail rate credit

Washington utilities offer net metering for systems up to 100 kW.

Slower-payback neighbors for Washington

Two non-geographic peer sets for Washington: 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 (14/100 here).

Indiana · score 17/100
Alaska · score 10/100
Michigan · score 18/100
Ohio · score 18/100

Similar modeled payback

Nearest payback-year peers nationwide (26.6 yr modeled here).

Idaho · 20 yr payback
West Virginia · 19.4 yr payback
North Dakota · 18.2 yr payback
Louisiana · 17.8 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