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Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, EIA retail sales, EIA-860/923, NREL PVWatts · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Solar in Georgia: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity

20%of a year's solar output in Georgia falls in December to February, rank 44 of 51 (1 = least winter)

Across 5 Georgia cities, yearly output runs from 1,398 kWh per kW in Columbus to 1,453 in Augusta. May is the best month at 148 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 88. Georgia pays back in 14.4 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 31 of 51), 0.9 years longer than the middle state. 1,413 kWh per kW (rank 16) at 14.73 ¢ (rank 32 from the top): sunshine drives it. Utility-scale solar in Georgia: 5,414 MW in 152 plants, 7.6% of 2025 generation; 4,130 MW more under construction or planned.

Best and worst month in Georgia: May 148, Dec 88 kWh per kW

Georgia output and value by month
Georgia monthkWh per kWPrice ¢Value per kWkWh per kW per sun unit
Jan97.113.50$13.110.79
Feb92.813.56$12.580.77
Mar122.314.69$17.970.76
Apr131.814.82$19.530.74
May147.514.98$22.100.72
Jun139.415.96$22.250.71
Jul134.015.56$20.850.70
Aug128.415.43$19.810.70
Sep118.215.30$18.080.71
Oct112.914.53$16.400.74
Nov100.414.42$14.480.77
Dec87.913.67$12.020.79

Georgia: December to February give 20% of a year (rank 44 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 1.7 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.79) and lowest in Jul (0.70); PVWatts lowers cell output when the panel is hot, and the sun angle changes with the season. Our runs use one fixed 14% loss figure for every place, so snow or soiling in Georgia is not modelled separately.

Sun inside Georgia: 5 cities, 4% apart

Solar output in 5 cities of Georgia
Georgia citykWh per kW a yearAgainst state pointSun, kWh/m2 a dayPayback at $3.00Residents
Atlanta1,416+0.2%5.1814.4499,287
Columbus1,398-1.1%5.3114.6204,383
Augusta1,453+2.9%5.2914.0201,504
Macon1,414+0.1%5.3514.4156,543
Savannah1,436+1.6%5.3414.2147,546

Georgia state point 33.28, -83.81; city points Atlanta 33.76, -84.42; Columbus 32.51, -84.88; Augusta 33.37, -82.07; Macon 32.81, -83.69; Savannah 32.02, -81.20. Panel and method: solar method.

Output by month in Georgia cities: 12 rows
Georgia monthAtlantaColumbusAugustaMaconSavannah
Jan91.696.998.496.199.3
Feb94.290.1100.494.7100.0
Mar118.2118.6125.3123.3134.7
Apr136.1127.4147.0133.7130.4
May145.2146.5150.5146.5146.7
Jun134.3130.0134.1135.3134.8
Jul139.6134.9137.9133.1138.5
Aug134.0127.4128.8130.7127.9
Sep119.4119.5122.5120.1116.6
Oct119.3117.1119.3116.1119.9
Nov95.8100.7103.198.7104.5
Dec87.988.786.185.782.5

Georgia: 5 cities, best month 150 and worst 82 kWh per kW across them.

CSV

Georgia: payback 14.4 years, rank 31 of 51

Solar measures for Georgia
MeasureValueRank of 51Median state
Output of 1 kW a year, kWh1,413161,372
Home price, ¢ per kWh14.733215.37
Value of 1 kW a year$20831$222
Payback at $3.00 a watt14.4 years3113.5 years

EIA-861 (2024): 22,579 home net-metered systems in Georgia, 4.7 per 1,000 accounts (rank 42), average 6.5 kW.

Sizes and prices per watt in Georgia

Systems of 4 to 12 kW in Georgia
Georgia kWkWh a yearValue a yearCost at $2.50At $3.00At $3.50t CO2
45,651$832$10,000$12,000$14,0001.8
68,477$1,249$15,000$18,000$21,0002.7
811,302$1,665$20,000$24,000$28,0003.7
1014,128$2,081$25,000$30,000$35,0004.6
1216,954$2,497$30,000$36,000$42,0005.5
Payback in Georgia by price and retail share
Georgia $ per watt100% retail75%50%25%
$2.009.612.819.238.4
$2.5012.016.024.048.1
$3.0014.419.228.857.7
$3.5016.822.433.667.3
$4.0019.225.638.476.9

Georgia: 1,413 kWh/kW × 14.73 ¢ = 208 a year per kW; the 30% column (10.1 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.

CSV

Utility-scale solar in Georgia: 5,414 MW

Georgia: 5,414 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 152 plants across 75 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 7 of 51; 500 W per resident, rank 15. Solar made 7.6% of Georgia's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 17, +0.8 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Wadley Solar in Jefferson County, 260 MW (2025); SR Toombs, LLC in Montgomery County, 250 MW (2025); Cool Springs Solar (Hybrid) in Decatur County, 213 MW (2021). By county: Decatur 517 MW, Mitchell 440 MW, Jeff Davis 412 MW, Taylor 406 MW. Proposed: 82 MW under construction (2 plants) and 4,048 MW planned (17 plants); batteries 146 MW running and 1,251 MW proposed.

Utility-scale solar added in Georgia by year
Georgia yearMW addedCumulative share of today's MW
20194428%
202073222%
202187038%
202256348%
202350858%
202463869%
202565081%

Net metering and CO2 in Georgia

EIA-861 (2024): 22,579 home net-metered systems in Georgia, 4.7 per 1,000 accounts (rank 42), average 6.5 kW.

6 kW in Georgia: 8,477 kWh a year displaces 2.7 t CO2 at 0.324 kg per kWh, -0.3 t against the average state.

Georgia utilities and solar payback

Solar payback by utility in Georgia
Georgia utilityHomesPrice ¢Value of 1 kWPayback at $3.00
Georgia Power Co2,452,48815.49$21913.7 yr
Jackson Electric Member Corp239,55811.38$16118.7 yr
Cobb Electric Membership Corp200,60111.41$16118.6 yr
Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation181,60011.54$16318.4 yr
GreyStone Power Corporation139,02812.22$17317.4 yr
Walton Electric Member Corp131,91512.99$18316.4 yr
Snapping Shoals El Member Corp105,25312.37$17517.2 yr
North Georgia Elec Member Corp90,18212.18$17217.4 yr
Flint Electric Membership Corp83,73913.57$19215.7 yr
Coweta-Fayette El Member Corp83,00112.80$18116.6 yr
Colquitt Electric Membership Corp65,74313.20$18616.1 yr
Central Georgia El Member Corp61,15512.24$17317.3 yr

Georgia among its neighbours

Closest states to Georgia
Closest to GeorgiaPayback, yearskWh per kWPrice, ¢Utility-scale solar, points of generationMiles away
Georgia (this page)14.41,41314.737.6-
Alabama-0.9-30+1.37-6.7170
South Carolina-0.7+50+0.23-4.5172
Tennessee+2.0-28-1.55-6.0239
North Carolina+0.7-1-0.71+1.3283
Simple solar payback by state at $3.00 a wattNew Mexico: 11.2 yrTexas: 12.9 yrKentucky: 16.9 yrOhio: 14.2 yrGeorgia: 14.4 yrArkansas: 17.0 yrOregon: 17.3 yrPennsylvania: 12.5 yrMissouri: 16.0 yrNorth Carolina: 15.2 yrUtah: 14.9 yrVirginia: 14.6 yrWyoming: 14.5 yrWest Virginia: 16.2 yrNew York: 8.9 yrIndiana: 13.5 yrKansas: 13.9 yrIdaho: 18.5 yrNevada: 12.6 yrIllinois: 13.0 yrVermont: 10.7 yrNew Jersey: 10.0 yrMinnesota: 14.0 yrMaryland: 11.1 yrIowa: 15.9 yrHawaii: 4.3 yrNew Hampshire: 9.7 yrRhode Island: 7.9 yrConnecticut: 8.0 yrMontana: 17.6 yrArizona: 11.2 yrNebraska: 16.9 yrWashington: 21.6 yrSouth Dakota: 16.0 yrCalifornia: 5.5 yrAlabama: 13.5 yrWisconsin: 12.5 yrMississippi: 15.6 yrColorado: 12.3 yrOklahoma: 15.3 yrTennessee: 16.4 yrLouisiana: 16.1 yrMichigan: 11.7 yrMassachusetts: 7.7 yrFlorida: 12.7 yrAlaska: 11.3 yrNorth Dakota: 19.2 yrSouth Carolina: 13.7 yrMaine: 8.5 yrDelaware: 12.7 yrDistrict of Columbia: 9.8 yr

Georgia against its neighbours in the payback ranking

  • -1 places, Minnesota -0.4 years against Georgia
  • +0 places, Ohio -0.2 years against Georgia
  • Georgia, rank 31: 14.4 years
  • +2 places, Wyoming +0.1 years against Georgia
  • +3 places, Virginia +0.2 years against Georgia

Your numbers for Georgia

    Limits in Georgia

    Georgia: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 10.1 years instead of 14.4, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Georgia export rates in our data: output counts at 14.73 ¢. All limits.

    Sources for Georgia

    More about Georgia

    Georgia electricity hub, Georgia EV charging: 2,378 stations, where Georgia ranks for rooftop solar, 14.4 years against 51 states, Georgia calculators.

    Questions

    Winter cut in Georgia solar output?

    December to February give 20% of the year; May makes 148 kWh per kW and Dec 88.

    Where in Georgia is solar best?

    Yes: 4% between Columbus and Augusta in yearly output.

    Net metering in Georgia?

    22,579 systems, 4.7 per 1,000 accounts, rank 42.

    Georgia utility-scale solar capacity?

    5,414 MW in 152 plants (EIA-860), 500 W per resident, rank 15; 4,130 MW proposed.

    Georgia sunshine for solar panels?

    1,413 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 16 of 51; from 1,398 in Columbus to 1,453 in Augusta.

    Georgia electricity from solar, what share?

    7.6% of 2025 net generation, rank 17 of 51, +0.8 points against the nation.

    Solar payback in Georgia?

    14.4 years at $3.00 a watt; 12.0 at $2.50; 16.8 at $3.50; 1,413 kWh per kW at 14.73 ¢.

    Georgia pays half price for exports?

    Payback 28.8 years at a 50% retail share.

    CO2 displaced in Georgia?

    2.7 t a year on 6 kW at 0.324 kg per kWh.

    Federal solar credit in Georgia: still available?

    Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Georgia payback would be 10.1 years, not 14.4.

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    20% of a year's solar output in Georgia falls in December to February, rank 44 of 51 (1 = least winter)