Solar in Kentucky: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity
Kentucky pays back in 16.9 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 45 of 51), 3.4 years longer than the middle state. 1,340 kWh per kW (rank 32) at 13.24 ¢ (rank 40 from the top): sunshine drives it. Across 5 Kentucky cities, yearly output runs from 1,272 kWh per kW in Covington to 1,365 in Owensboro. Jul is the best month at 145 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 71. Utility-scale solar in Kentucky: 1,140 MW in 19 plants, 2.2% of 2025 generation; 2,321 MW more under construction or planned.
Kentucky: payback 16.9 years, rank 45 of 51
| Measure | Value | Rank of 51 | Median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output of 1 kW a year, kWh | 1,340 | 32 | 1,372 |
| Home price, ¢ per kWh | 13.24 | 40 | 15.37 |
| Value of 1 kW a year | $177 | 45 | $222 |
| Payback at $3.00 a watt | 16.9 years | 45 | 13.5 years |
EIA-861 (2024): 10,137 home net-metered systems in Kentucky, 4.9 per 1,000 accounts (rank 40), average 8.4 kW.
Sizes and prices per watt in Kentucky
| Kentucky kW | kWh a year | Value a year | Cost at $2.50 | At $3.00 | At $3.50 | t CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5,360 | $710 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $14,000 | 4.2 |
| 6 | 8,040 | $1,064 | $15,000 | $18,000 | $21,000 | 6.3 |
| 8 | 10,720 | $1,419 | $20,000 | $24,000 | $28,000 | 8.4 |
| 10 | 13,400 | $1,774 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | 10.5 |
| 12 | 16,080 | $2,129 | $30,000 | $36,000 | $42,000 | 12.7 |
| Kentucky $ per watt | 100% retail | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | 11.3 | 15.0 | 22.5 | 45.1 |
| $2.50 | 14.1 | 18.8 | 28.2 | 56.4 |
| $3.00 | 16.9 | 22.5 | 33.8 | 67.6 |
| $3.50 | 19.7 | 26.3 | 39.5 | 78.9 |
| $4.00 | 22.5 | 30.1 | 45.1 | 90.2 |
Kentucky: 1,340 kWh/kW × 13.24 ¢ = 177 a year per kW; the 30% column (11.8 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.
CSVSun inside Kentucky: 5 cities, 7% apart
| Kentucky city | kWh per kW a year | Against state point | Sun, kWh/m2 a day | Payback at $3.00 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | 1,344 | +0.3% | 4.79 | 16.9 | 627,210 |
| Lexington | 1,342 | +0.1% | 4.76 | 16.9 | 321,122 |
| Bowling Green | 1,349 | +0.6% | 4.84 | 16.8 | 73,638 |
| Owensboro | 1,365 | +1.9% | 4.90 | 16.6 | 60,112 |
| Covington | 1,272 | -5.1% | 4.69 | 17.8 | 40,902 |
Kentucky state point 37.99, -85.36; city points Louisville 38.16, -85.65; Lexington 38.04, -84.46; Bowling Green 36.98, -86.44; Owensboro 37.76, -87.12; Covington 39.03, -84.52. Panel and method: solar method.
Output by month in Kentucky cities: 12 rows
| Kentucky month | Louisville | Lexington | Bowling Green | Owensboro | Covington |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78.9 | 80.5 | 70.1 | 77.8 | 76.4 |
| Feb | 82.4 | 86.3 | 87.2 | 89.3 | 82.7 |
| Mar | 115.0 | 106.8 | 108.2 | 113.0 | 101.6 |
| Apr | 122.2 | 122.6 | 122.8 | 126.9 | 115.4 |
| May | 134.1 | 142.7 | 140.8 | 143.7 | 128.9 |
| Jun | 141.2 | 141.0 | 141.2 | 143.4 | 140.5 |
| Jul | 141.6 | 141.8 | 141.5 | 145.7 | 133.1 |
| Aug | 138.9 | 141.6 | 139.6 | 136.9 | 131.9 |
| Sep | 127.9 | 119.4 | 116.0 | 123.8 | 118.1 |
| Oct | 105.3 | 108.5 | 115.8 | 107.1 | 102.2 |
| Nov | 82.8 | 83.2 | 88.3 | 82.7 | 75.8 |
| Dec | 73.3 | 67.5 | 77.2 | 74.6 | 65.3 |
Kentucky: 5 cities, best month 146 and worst 65 kWh per kW across them.
CSVBest and worst month in Kentucky: Jul 145, Dec 71 kWh per kW
| Kentucky month | kWh per kW | Price ¢ | Value per kW | kWh per kW per sun unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 79.2 | 12.43 | $9.84 | 0.83 |
| Feb | 81.7 | 12.82 | $10.47 | 0.82 |
| Mar | 110.2 | 13.20 | $14.55 | 0.79 |
| Apr | 126.2 | 13.69 | $17.28 | 0.76 |
| May | 130.8 | 13.85 | $18.12 | 0.75 |
| Jun | 144.2 | 13.40 | $19.32 | 0.73 |
| Jul | 144.6 | 13.13 | $18.99 | 0.72 |
| Aug | 142.3 | 13.17 | $18.74 | 0.72 |
| Sep | 121.0 | 13.56 | $16.41 | 0.74 |
| Oct | 103.5 | 13.62 | $14.10 | 0.76 |
| Nov | 85.6 | 13.70 | $11.73 | 0.81 |
| Dec | 70.8 | 13.22 | $9.36 | 0.84 |
Kentucky: December to February give 17% of a year (rank 21 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 2.0 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Dec (0.84) and lowest in Jul (0.72); 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 Kentucky is not modelled separately.
Utility-scale solar in Kentucky: 1,140 MW
Kentucky: 1,140 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 19 plants across 14 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 28 of 51; 253 W per resident, rank 27. Solar made 2.2% of Kentucky's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 34, -4.6 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Sebree Solar I in Henderson County, 250 MW (2025); Green River Solar in Meade County, 200 MW (2025); SR Russellville in Logan County, 173 MW (2024). By county: Henderson 410 MW, Meade 200 MW, Logan 173 MW, Martin 111 MW. Proposed: 724 MW under construction (6 plants) and 1,597 MW planned (11 plants); batteries 0 MW running and 125 MW proposed.
| Kentucky year | MW added | Cumulative share of today's MW |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | 0% |
| 2020 | 0 | 0% |
| 2021 | 0 | 0% |
| 2022 | 50 | 5% |
| 2023 | 4 | 5% |
| 2024 | 344 | 35% |
| 2025 | 710 | 97% |
Net metering and CO2 in Kentucky
EIA-861 (2024): 10,137 home net-metered systems in Kentucky, 4.9 per 1,000 accounts (rank 40), average 8.4 kW.
6 kW in Kentucky: 8,040 kWh a year displaces 6.3 t CO2 at 0.787 kg per kWh, +3.3 t against the average state.
Kentucky utilities and solar payback
| Kentucky utility | Homes | Price ¢ | Value of 1 kW | Payback at $3.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Utilities Co | 450,673 | 11.85 | $159 | 18.9 yr |
| Louisville Gas & Electric Co | 384,902 | 12.28 | $165 | 18.2 yr |
| Duke Energy Kentucky | 139,405 | 13.44 | $180 | 16.7 yr |
| Kentucky Power Co | 130,852 | 15.07 | $202 | 14.9 yr |
| South Kentucky Rural E C C | 64,877 | 12.92 | $173 | 17.3 yr |
| Owen Electric Coop Inc | 63,984 | 12.55 | $168 | 17.8 yr |
| Warren Rural Elec Coop Corp | 60,701 | 11.98 | $161 | 18.7 yr |
| Blue Grass Energy Coop Corp | 60,641 | 12.32 | $165 | 18.2 yr |
| Salt River Electric Coop Corp | 53,479 | 10.88 | $146 | 20.6 yr |
| Jackson Energy Coop Corp | 49,423 | 13.66 | $183 | 16.4 yr |
| Kenergy Corp | 47,292 | 15.15 | $203 | 14.8 yr |
| Pennyrile Rural Electric Coop | 40,645 | 13.16 | $176 | 17.0 yr |
Kentucky among its neighbours
| Closest to Kentucky | Payback, years | kWh per kW | Price, ¢ | Utility-scale solar, points of generation | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky (this page) | 16.9 | 1,340 | 13.24 | 2.2 | - |
| Indiana | -3.4 | +30 | +2.99 | +4.0 | 159 |
| Tennessee | -0.5 | +45 | -0.06 | -0.5 | 168 |
| Ohio | -2.7 | -96 | +3.72 | +3.3 | 220 |
| West Virginia | -0.7 | -141 | +2.17 | -1.7 | 248 |
Kentucky against its neighbours in the payback ranking
Your numbers for Kentucky
Limits in Kentucky
Kentucky: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 11.8 years instead of 16.9, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Kentucky export rates in our data: output counts at 13.24 ¢. All limits.
Sources for Kentucky
- PVWatts v8 (NLR), 5 Kentucky cities and one state point: 1,340 kWh per kW
- EIA-860 2025 and EIA-923 2025: 1,140 MW of solar in Kentucky
- EIA-861 2024: 10,137 net-metered systems in Kentucky
- EIA retail sales 2025: 13.24 ¢ per kWh in Kentucky
- IRS 25D (ended 2025): 11.8 years in Kentucky with it; licences and periods for Kentucky
More about Kentucky
Kentucky electricity hub, Kentucky EV charging: 409 stations, where Kentucky ranks for rooftop solar, 16.9 years against 51 states, Kentucky calculators.
Questions
Solar payback in Kentucky?
16.9 years at $3.00 a watt; 14.1 at $2.50; 19.7 at $3.50; 1,340 kWh per kW at 13.24 ¢.
Net metering in Kentucky?
10,137 systems, 4.9 per 1,000 accounts, rank 40.
Kentucky electricity from solar, what share?
2.2% of 2025 net generation, rank 34 of 51, -4.6 points against the nation.
Kentucky sunshine for solar panels?
1,340 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 32 of 51; from 1,272 in Covington to 1,365 in Owensboro.
Winter cut in Kentucky solar output?
December to February give 17% of the year; Jul makes 145 kWh per kW and Dec 71.
Where in Kentucky is solar best?
Yes: 7% between Covington and Owensboro in yearly output.
Kentucky utility-scale solar capacity?
1,140 MW in 19 plants (EIA-860), 253 W per resident, rank 27; 2,321 MW proposed.
Kentucky pays half price for exports?
Payback 33.8 years at a 50% retail share.
CO2 displaced in Kentucky?
6.3 t a year on 6 kW at 0.787 kg per kWh.
Federal solar credit in Kentucky: still available?
Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Kentucky payback would be 11.8 years, not 16.9.