Solar in Mississippi: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity
Mississippi pays back in 15.6 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 37 of 51), 2.1 years longer than the middle state. 1,370 kWh per kW (rank 29) at 14.03 ¢ (rank 34 from the top): sun and price equally drives it. Across 5 Mississippi cities, yearly output runs from 1,374 kWh per kW in Hattiesburg to 1,520 in Gulfport. May is the best month at 136 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 80. Utility-scale solar in Mississippi: 1,524 MW in 25 plants, 3.7% of 2025 generation; 1,606 MW more under construction or planned.
Net metering and CO2 in Mississippi
EIA-861 (2024): 1,790 home net-metered systems in Mississippi, 1.3 per 1,000 accounts (rank 45), average 6.1 kW.
6 kW in Mississippi: 8,217 kWh a year displaces 3.1 t CO2 at 0.375 kg per kWh, +0.1 t against the average state.
Mississippi: payback 15.6 years, rank 37 of 51
| Measure | Value | Rank of 51 | Median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output of 1 kW a year, kWh | 1,370 | 29 | 1,372 |
| Home price, ¢ per kWh | 14.03 | 34 | 15.37 |
| Value of 1 kW a year | $192 | 37 | $222 |
| Payback at $3.00 a watt | 15.6 years | 37 | 13.5 years |
EIA-861 (2024): 1,790 home net-metered systems in Mississippi, 1.3 per 1,000 accounts (rank 45), average 6.1 kW.
Utility-scale solar in Mississippi: 1,524 MW
Mississippi: 1,524 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 25 plants across 18 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 21 of 51; 517 W per resident, rank 14. Solar made 3.7% of Mississippi's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 25, -3.1 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Golden Triangle in Lowndes County, 200 MW (2025); Pearl River Solar Park LLC in Scott County, 175 MW (2024); Golden Triangle II in Lowndes County, 150 MW (2024). By county: Lowndes 350 MW, Sunflower 199 MW, Scott 175 MW, Lamar 104 MW. Proposed: 200 MW under construction (1 plant) and 1,406 MW planned (11 plants); batteries 102 MW running and 195 MW proposed.
| Mississippi year | MW added | Cumulative share of today's MW |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 58 | 4% |
| 2020 | 0 | 4% |
| 2021 | 1 | 4% |
| 2022 | 100 | 10% |
| 2023 | 106 | 17% |
| 2024 | 794 | 69% |
| 2025 | 305 | 89% |
Sizes and prices per watt in Mississippi
| Mississippi kW | kWh a year | Value a year | Cost at $2.50 | At $3.00 | At $3.50 | t CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5,478 | $769 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $14,000 | 2.1 |
| 6 | 8,217 | $1,153 | $15,000 | $18,000 | $21,000 | 3.1 |
| 8 | 10,956 | $1,537 | $20,000 | $24,000 | $28,000 | 4.1 |
| 10 | 13,695 | $1,921 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | 5.1 |
| 12 | 16,434 | $2,306 | $30,000 | $36,000 | $42,000 | 6.2 |
| Mississippi $ per watt | 100% retail | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | 10.4 | 13.9 | 20.8 | 41.6 |
| $2.50 | 13.0 | 17.3 | 26.0 | 52.0 |
| $3.00 | 15.6 | 20.8 | 31.2 | 62.5 |
| $3.50 | 18.2 | 24.3 | 36.4 | 72.9 |
| $4.00 | 20.8 | 27.8 | 41.6 | 83.3 |
Mississippi: 1,370 kWh/kW × 14.03 ¢ = 192 a year per kW; the 30% column (10.9 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.
CSVSun inside Mississippi: 5 cities, 10% apart
| Mississippi city | kWh per kW a year | Against state point | Sun, kWh/m2 a day | Payback at $3.00 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | 1,428 | +4.2% | 5.32 | 15.0 | 149,827 |
| Gulfport | 1,520 | +11.0% | 5.47 | 14.1 | 72,533 |
| Southaven | 1,422 | +3.8% | 5.10 | 15.0 | 55,531 |
| Hattiesburg | 1,374 | +0.3% | 5.30 | 15.6 | 48,507 |
| Tupelo | 1,419 | +3.6% | 5.16 | 15.1 | 37,825 |
Mississippi state point 32.56, -89.60; city points Jackson 32.32, -90.21; Gulfport 30.42, -89.07; Southaven 34.95, -89.98; Hattiesburg 31.31, -89.32; Tupelo 34.27, -88.73. Panel and method: solar method.
Output by month in Mississippi cities: 12 rows
| Mississippi month | Jackson | Gulfport | Southaven | Hattiesburg | Tupelo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 91.9 | 100.7 | 88.4 | 86.3 | 92.9 |
| Feb | 89.8 | 99.1 | 86.7 | 97.5 | 86.7 |
| Mar | 125.0 | 132.7 | 121.8 | 115.3 | 120.8 |
| Apr | 131.2 | 143.9 | 131.4 | 123.3 | 133.1 |
| May | 143.1 | 147.2 | 149.3 | 132.8 | 144.2 |
| Jun | 138.6 | 139.4 | 144.4 | 129.4 | 137.2 |
| Jul | 136.2 | 138.2 | 135.8 | 125.9 | 139.1 |
| Aug | 133.5 | 139.8 | 143.2 | 126.4 | 141.4 |
| Sep | 127.3 | 130.1 | 129.0 | 117.5 | 129.1 |
| Oct | 127.0 | 132.1 | 114.7 | 122.4 | 116.7 |
| Nov | 100.7 | 120.7 | 95.0 | 106.0 | 98.3 |
| Dec | 83.3 | 95.8 | 82.0 | 91.3 | 78.9 |
Mississippi: 5 cities, best month 149 and worst 79 kWh per kW across them.
CSVBest and worst month in Mississippi: May 136, Dec 80 kWh per kW
| Mississippi month | kWh per kW | Price ¢ | Value per kW | kWh per kW per sun unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 95.0 | 12.74 | $12.10 | 0.80 |
| Feb | 87.5 | 13.34 | $11.67 | 0.78 |
| Mar | 112.6 | 14.64 | $16.48 | 0.77 |
| Apr | 126.7 | 15.18 | $19.23 | 0.75 |
| May | 135.6 | 14.84 | $20.12 | 0.73 |
| Jun | 132.5 | 14.07 | $18.64 | 0.71 |
| Jul | 134.2 | 13.58 | $18.22 | 0.71 |
| Aug | 133.9 | 13.59 | $18.20 | 0.71 |
| Sep | 118.9 | 13.97 | $16.61 | 0.72 |
| Oct | 114.7 | 14.47 | $16.60 | 0.75 |
| Nov | 98.2 | 15.33 | $15.05 | 0.78 |
| Dec | 79.6 | 14.16 | $11.27 | 0.80 |
Mississippi: December to February give 19% of a year (rank 39 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 1.7 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.80) and lowest in Jul (0.71); 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 Mississippi is not modelled separately.
Mississippi utilities and solar payback
| Mississippi utility | Homes | Price ¢ | Value of 1 kW | Payback at $3.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entergy Mississippi LLC | 384,611 | 13.21 | $181 | 16.6 yr |
| Mississippi Power Co | 157,437 | 14.47 | $198 | 15.1 yr |
| Coast Electric Power Assn | 82,510 | 13.81 | $189 | 15.9 yr |
| Singing River Elec Cooperative | 72,343 | 13.46 | $184 | 16.3 yr |
| Southern Pine Electric Cooperative | 65,176 | 14.01 | $192 | 15.6 yr |
| Pearl River Valley El Pwr Assn | 52,077 | 14.25 | $195 | 15.4 yr |
| 4-County Electric Power Assn | 41,076 | 12.88 | $176 | 17.0 yr |
| Dixie Electric Power Assn | 37,803 | 13.44 | $184 | 16.3 yr |
| Tombigbee Electric Power Assn | 37,296 | 12.23 | $167 | 17.9 yr |
| Magnolia Electric Power Assn | 31,070 | 15.00 | $205 | 14.6 yr |
| Central Electric Power Assn | 30,905 | 12.22 | $167 | 17.9 yr |
| Northcentral Mississippi E P A | 29,136 | 12.52 | $171 | 17.5 yr |
Mississippi among its neighbours
| Closest to Mississippi | Payback, years | kWh per kW | Price, ¢ | Utility-scale solar, points of generation | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi (this page) | 15.6 | 1,370 | 14.03 | 3.7 | - |
| Alabama | -2.1 | +14 | +2.07 | -2.7 | 170 |
| Louisiana | +0.5 | +115 | -1.46 | -1.3 | 170 |
| Arkansas | +1.4 | +2 | -1.19 | +3.2 | 258 |
| Tennessee | +0.8 | +15 | -0.85 | -2.0 | 279 |
Mississippi against its neighbours in the payback ranking
- -1 places, North Carolina -0.5 years against Mississippi
- +0 places, Oklahoma -0.3 years against Mississippi
- Mississippi, rank 37: 15.6 years
- +2 places, Iowa +0.3 years against Mississippi
- +3 places, South Dakota +0.4 years against Mississippi
Your numbers for Mississippi
Limits in Mississippi
Mississippi: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 10.9 years instead of 15.6, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Mississippi export rates in our data: output counts at 14.03 ¢. All limits.
Sources for Mississippi
- PVWatts v8 (NLR), 5 Mississippi cities and one state point: 1,370 kWh per kW
- EIA-860 2025 and EIA-923 2025: 1,524 MW of solar in Mississippi
- EIA-861 2024: 1,790 net-metered systems in Mississippi
- EIA retail sales 2025: 14.03 ¢ per kWh in Mississippi
- IRS 25D (ended 2025): 10.9 years in Mississippi with it; licences and periods for Mississippi
More about Mississippi
Mississippi electricity hub, Mississippi EV charging: 221 stations, where Mississippi ranks for rooftop solar, 15.6 years against 51 states, Mississippi calculators.
Questions
Net metering in Mississippi?
1,790 systems, 1.3 per 1,000 accounts, rank 45.
Winter cut in Mississippi solar output?
December to February give 19% of the year; May makes 136 kWh per kW and Dec 80.
Mississippi utility-scale solar capacity?
1,524 MW in 25 plants (EIA-860), 517 W per resident, rank 14; 1,606 MW proposed.
Solar payback in Mississippi?
15.6 years at $3.00 a watt; 13.0 at $2.50; 18.2 at $3.50; 1,370 kWh per kW at 14.03 ¢.
Where in Mississippi is solar best?
Yes: 10% between Hattiesburg and Gulfport in yearly output.
Mississippi sunshine for solar panels?
1,370 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 29 of 51; from 1,374 in Hattiesburg to 1,520 in Gulfport.
Mississippi electricity from solar, what share?
3.7% of 2025 net generation, rank 25 of 51, -3.1 points against the nation.
Mississippi pays half price for exports?
Payback 31.2 years at a 50% retail share.
CO2 displaced in Mississippi?
3.1 t a year on 6 kW at 0.375 kg per kWh.
Federal solar credit in Mississippi: still available?
Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Mississippi payback would be 10.9 years, not 15.6.