Solar in Michigan: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity
Across 5 Michigan cities, yearly output runs from 1,267 kWh per kW in Grand Rapids to 1,295 in Detroit. Jul is the best month at 154 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 51. Michigan pays back in 11.7 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 16 of 51), 1.8 years shorter than the middle state. 1,280 kWh per kW (rank 40) at 20.01 ¢ (rank 13 from the top): price of power drives it. Utility-scale solar in Michigan: 1,967 MW in 70 plants, 2.2% of 2025 generation; 4,726 MW more under construction or planned.
Sun inside Michigan: 5 cities, 2% apart
| Michigan city | kWh per kW a year | Against state point | Sun, kWh/m2 a day | Payback at $3.00 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 1,295 | +1.2% | 4.49 | 11.6 | 636,644 |
| Grand Rapids | 1,267 | -1.0% | 4.39 | 11.8 | 197,768 |
| Ann Arbor | 1,285 | +0.4% | 4.45 | 11.7 | 121,179 |
| Lansing | 1,277 | -0.2% | 4.43 | 11.7 | 112,546 |
| Flint | 1,271 | -0.7% | 4.40 | 11.8 | 80,835 |
Michigan state point 42.76, -84.08; city points Detroit 42.38, -83.10; Grand Rapids 42.96, -85.66; Ann Arbor 42.28, -83.73; Lansing 42.71, -84.56; Flint 43.02, -83.69. Panel and method: solar method.
Output by month in Michigan cities: 12 rows
| Michigan month | Detroit | Grand Rapids | Ann Arbor | Lansing | Flint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64.1 | 60.7 | 60.7 | 64.8 | 63.1 |
| Feb | 82.9 | 72.2 | 79.2 | 79.1 | 82.1 |
| Mar | 117.9 | 110.6 | 113.7 | 113.8 | 116.1 |
| Apr | 126.4 | 130.6 | 127.6 | 123.6 | 127.3 |
| May | 138.9 | 135.9 | 136.3 | 135.3 | 138.6 |
| Jun | 148.7 | 144.2 | 148.6 | 141.5 | 144.7 |
| Jul | 150.2 | 153.7 | 151.9 | 155.8 | 154.6 |
| Aug | 137.8 | 140.6 | 134.4 | 141.5 | 136.9 |
| Sep | 119.2 | 118.7 | 122.2 | 115.4 | 116.7 |
| Oct | 91.8 | 82.2 | 88.7 | 84.8 | 82.4 |
| Nov | 66.4 | 61.2 | 69.6 | 68.5 | 64.1 |
| Dec | 50.8 | 56.1 | 52.2 | 53.2 | 43.9 |
Michigan: 5 cities, best month 156 and worst 44 kWh per kW across them.
CSVBest and worst month in Michigan: Jul 154, Dec 51 kWh per kW
| Michigan month | kWh per kW | Price ¢ | Value per kW | kWh per kW per sun unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58.1 | 18.48 | $10.74 | 0.87 |
| Feb | 83.5 | 18.89 | $15.77 | 0.85 |
| Mar | 115.4 | 19.35 | $22.33 | 0.83 |
| Apr | 124.7 | 19.93 | $24.85 | 0.80 |
| May | 137.8 | 20.23 | $27.88 | 0.77 |
| Jun | 145.5 | 20.82 | $30.29 | 0.76 |
| Jul | 154.4 | 20.55 | $31.73 | 0.75 |
| Aug | 140.8 | 20.73 | $29.19 | 0.75 |
| Sep | 114.8 | 21.20 | $24.34 | 0.77 |
| Oct | 87.0 | 20.46 | $17.80 | 0.81 |
| Nov | 66.8 | 19.94 | $13.32 | 0.83 |
| Dec | 51.2 | 19.53 | $10.00 | 0.84 |
Michigan: December to February give 15% of a year (rank 7 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 3.0 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.87) and lowest in Jul (0.75); 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 Michigan is not modelled separately.
Michigan: payback 11.7 years, rank 16 of 51
| Measure | Value | Rank of 51 | Median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output of 1 kW a year, kWh | 1,280 | 40 | 1,372 |
| Home price, ¢ per kWh | 20.01 | 13 | 15.37 |
| Value of 1 kW a year | $256 | 16 | $222 |
| Payback at $3.00 a watt | 11.7 years | 16 | 13.5 years |
EIA-861 (2024): 25,962 home net-metered systems in Michigan, 5.7 per 1,000 accounts (rank 39), average 6.6 kW.
Utility-scale solar in Michigan: 1,967 MW
Michigan: 1,967 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 70 plants across 33 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 18 of 51; 196 W per resident, rank 33. Solar made 2.2% of Michigan's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 35, -4.6 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Calhoun Solar in Calhoun County, 200 MW (2022); Coldwater River Solar in Branch County, 150 MW (2025); Sauk Solar Park in Branch County, 150 MW (2025). By county: Calhoun 596 MW, Branch 323 MW, Shiawassee 279 MW, Gratiot 180 MW. Proposed: 4,126 MW under construction (28 plants) and 601 MW planned (5 plants); batteries 120 MW running and 420 MW proposed.
| Michigan year | MW added | Cumulative share of today's MW |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | 0% |
| 2020 | 123 | 6% |
| 2021 | 128 | 13% |
| 2022 | 355 | 31% |
| 2023 | 268 | 45% |
| 2024 | 183 | 54% |
| 2025 | 808 | 95% |
Sizes and prices per watt in Michigan
| Michigan kW | kWh a year | Value a year | Cost at $2.50 | At $3.00 | At $3.50 | t CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5,120 | $1,024 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $14,000 | 1.8 |
| 6 | 7,679 | $1,537 | $15,000 | $18,000 | $21,000 | 2.8 |
| 8 | 10,239 | $2,049 | $20,000 | $24,000 | $28,000 | 3.7 |
| 10 | 12,799 | $2,561 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | 4.6 |
| 12 | 15,359 | $3,073 | $30,000 | $36,000 | $42,000 | 5.5 |
| Michigan $ per watt | 100% retail | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | 7.8 | 10.4 | 15.6 | 31.2 |
| $2.50 | 9.8 | 13.0 | 19.5 | 39.0 |
| $3.00 | 11.7 | 15.6 | 23.4 | 46.9 |
| $3.50 | 13.7 | 18.2 | 27.3 | 54.7 |
| $4.00 | 15.6 | 20.8 | 31.2 | 62.5 |
Michigan: 1,280 kWh/kW × 20.01 ¢ = 256 a year per kW; the 30% column (8.2 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.
CSVNet metering and CO2 in Michigan
EIA-861 (2024): 25,962 home net-metered systems in Michigan, 5.7 per 1,000 accounts (rank 39), average 6.6 kW.
6 kW in Michigan: 7,679 kWh a year displaces 2.8 t CO2 at 0.360 kg per kWh, -0.3 t against the average state.
Michigan among its neighbours
| Closest to Michigan | Payback, years | kWh per kW | Price, ¢ | Utility-scale solar, points of generation | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan (this page) | 11.7 | 1,280 | 20.01 | 2.2 | - |
| Ohio | +2.5 | -36 | -3.05 | +3.4 | 170 |
| Indiana | +1.8 | +90 | -3.78 | +4.0 | 210 |
| Illinois | +1.3 | +28 | -2.32 | +1.3 | 235 |
| Wisconsin | +0.8 | +44 | -1.85 | +3.9 | 246 |
Michigan against its neighbours in the payback ranking
Michigan utilities and solar payback
| Michigan utility | Homes | Price ¢ | Value of 1 kW | Payback at $3.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTE Electric Company | 2,067,779 | 20.13 | $258 | 11.6 yr |
| Consumers Energy Co | 1,657,843 | 19.11 | $245 | 12.3 yr |
| Great Lakes Energy Coop | 120,645 | 19.17 | $245 | 12.2 yr |
| City of Lansing | 87,301 | 19.78 | $253 | 11.8 yr |
| Upper Peninsula Power Company | 47,660 | 27.64 | $354 | 8.5 yr |
| Cloverland Electric Co-op | 36,086 | 14.37 | $184 | 16.3 yr |
| Cherryland Electric Coop Inc | 35,100 | 16.36 | $209 | 14.3 yr |
| Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp. | 33,252 | 14.76 | $189 | 15.9 yr |
| Presque Isle Elec & Gas Coop | 32,446 | 20.99 | $269 | 11.2 yr |
| Midwest Energy Cooperative | 29,283 | 19.91 | $255 | 11.8 yr |
| City of Holland | 26,608 | 11.68 | $149 | 20.1 yr |
| Tri-County Electric Coop (MI) | 23,034 | 18.04 | $231 | 13.0 yr |
Your numbers for Michigan
Limits in Michigan
Michigan: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 8.2 years instead of 11.7, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Michigan export rates in our data: output counts at 20.01 ¢. All limits.
Sources for Michigan
- PVWatts v8 (NLR), 5 Michigan cities and one state point: 1,280 kWh per kW
- EIA-860 2025 and EIA-923 2025: 1,967 MW of solar in Michigan
- EIA-861 2024: 25,962 net-metered systems in Michigan
- EIA retail sales 2025: 20.01 ¢ per kWh in Michigan
- IRS 25D (ended 2025): 8.2 years in Michigan with it; licences and periods for Michigan
More about Michigan
Michigan electricity hub, Michigan EV charging: 2,061 stations, where Michigan ranks for rooftop solar, 11.7 years against 51 states, Michigan calculators.
Questions
Where in Michigan is solar best?
Yes: 2% between Grand Rapids and Detroit in yearly output.
Winter cut in Michigan solar output?
December to February give 15% of the year; Jul makes 154 kWh per kW and Dec 51.
Michigan sunshine for solar panels?
1,280 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 40 of 51; from 1,267 in Grand Rapids to 1,295 in Detroit.
Net metering in Michigan?
25,962 systems, 5.7 per 1,000 accounts, rank 39.
Solar payback in Michigan?
11.7 years at $3.00 a watt; 9.8 at $2.50; 13.7 at $3.50; 1,280 kWh per kW at 20.01 ¢.
Michigan electricity from solar, what share?
2.2% of 2025 net generation, rank 35 of 51, -4.6 points against the nation.
Michigan utility-scale solar capacity?
1,967 MW in 70 plants (EIA-860), 196 W per resident, rank 33; 4,726 MW proposed.
Michigan pays half price for exports?
Payback 23.4 years at a 50% retail share.
CO2 displaced in Michigan?
2.8 t a year on 6 kW at 0.360 kg per kWh.
Federal solar credit in Michigan: still available?
Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Michigan payback would be 8.2 years, not 11.7.