Solar in Nebraska: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity
Nebraska pays back in 16.9 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 44 of 51), 3.4 years longer than the middle state. 1,439 kWh per kW (rank 15) at 12.34 ¢ (rank 49 from the top): sunshine drives it. Across 5 Nebraska cities, yearly output runs from 1,412 kWh per kW in Norfolk to 1,511 in Kearney. Jul is the best month at 162 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 73. Utility-scale solar in Nebraska: 160 MW in 28 plants, 0.7% of 2025 generation; 100 MW more under construction or planned.
Nebraska: payback 16.9 years, rank 44 of 51
| Measure | Value | Rank of 51 | Median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output of 1 kW a year, kWh | 1,439 | 15 | 1,372 |
| Home price, ¢ per kWh | 12.34 | 49 | 15.37 |
| Value of 1 kW a year | $178 | 44 | $222 |
| Payback at $3.00 a watt | 16.9 years | 44 | 13.5 years |
EIA-861 (2024): 3,686 home net-metered systems in Nebraska, 4.1 per 1,000 accounts (rank 43), average 7.5 kW.
Nebraska utilities and solar payback
| Nebraska utility | Homes | Price ¢ | Value of 1 kW | Payback at $3.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha Public Power District | 362,918 | 12.36 | $178 | 16.9 yr |
| Lincoln Electric System | 134,912 | 10.86 | $156 | 19.2 yr |
| Nebraska Public Power District | 73,650 | 10.63 | $153 | 19.6 yr |
| City of Grand Island | 22,799 | 10.93 | $157 | 19.1 yr |
| Norris Public Power District | 18,387 | 9.61 | $138 | 21.7 yr |
| Loup River Public Power Dist | 16,292 | 10.59 | $152 | 19.7 yr |
| Dawson Power District | 16,080 | 11.41 | $164 | 18.3 yr |
| Southern Public Power District | 15,215 | 9.21 | $133 | 22.6 yr |
| City of Fremont | 14,077 | 11.97 | $172 | 17.4 yr |
| City of North Platte | 11,906 | 11.36 | $164 | 18.3 yr |
| City of Hastings | 11,611 | 11.32 | $163 | 18.4 yr |
| Cornhusker Public Power Dist | 7,385 | 10.84 | $156 | 19.2 yr |
Sizes and prices per watt in Nebraska
| Nebraska kW | kWh a year | Value a year | Cost at $2.50 | At $3.00 | At $3.50 | t CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5,758 | $710 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $14,000 | 2.7 |
| 6 | 8,636 | $1,066 | $15,000 | $18,000 | $21,000 | 4.0 |
| 8 | 11,515 | $1,421 | $20,000 | $24,000 | $28,000 | 5.3 |
| 10 | 14,394 | $1,776 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | 6.6 |
| 12 | 17,273 | $2,131 | $30,000 | $36,000 | $42,000 | 8.0 |
| Nebraska $ per watt | 100% retail | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | 11.3 | 15.0 | 22.5 | 45.0 |
| $2.50 | 14.1 | 18.8 | 28.1 | 56.3 |
| $3.00 | 16.9 | 22.5 | 33.8 | 67.6 |
| $3.50 | 19.7 | 26.3 | 39.4 | 78.8 |
| $4.00 | 22.5 | 30.0 | 45.0 | 90.1 |
Nebraska: 1,439 kWh/kW × 12.34 ¢ = 178 a year per kW; the 30% column (11.8 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.
CSVNet metering and CO2 in Nebraska
EIA-861 (2024): 3,686 home net-metered systems in Nebraska, 4.1 per 1,000 accounts (rank 43), average 7.5 kW.
6 kW in Nebraska: 8,636 kWh a year displaces 4.0 t CO2 at 0.462 kg per kWh, +1.0 t against the average state.
Sun inside Nebraska: 5 cities, 7% apart
| Nebraska city | kWh per kW a year | Against state point | Sun, kWh/m2 a day | Payback at $3.00 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha | 1,431 | -0.6% | 5.00 | 17.0 | 488,197 |
| Lincoln | 1,471 | +2.2% | 5.14 | 16.5 | 291,932 |
| Grand Island | 1,457 | +1.2% | 5.08 | 16.7 | 52,761 |
| Kearney | 1,511 | +5.0% | 5.28 | 16.1 | 34,024 |
| Norfolk | 1,412 | -1.9% | 4.91 | 17.2 | 25,962 |
Nebraska state point 41.15, -97.15; city points Omaha 41.26, -96.05; Lincoln 40.81, -96.68; Grand Island 40.92, -98.36; Kearney 40.70, -99.08; Norfolk 42.03, -97.43. Panel and method: solar method.
Output by month in Nebraska cities: 12 rows
| Nebraska month | Omaha | Lincoln | Grand Island | Kearney | Norfolk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83.5 | 91.5 | 90.1 | 87.9 | 81.2 |
| Feb | 97.8 | 105.3 | 94.9 | 101.6 | 86.0 |
| Mar | 124.4 | 126.3 | 123.6 | 131.3 | 128.8 |
| Apr | 129.2 | 135.4 | 136.0 | 137.9 | 130.4 |
| May | 144.8 | 151.7 | 142.7 | 154.3 | 153.6 |
| Jun | 152.1 | 151.1 | 155.3 | 158.7 | 146.1 |
| Jul | 156.4 | 156.4 | 158.5 | 158.2 | 154.8 |
| Aug | 136.9 | 139.4 | 148.4 | 148.1 | 140.8 |
| Sep | 130.5 | 132.2 | 130.9 | 135.4 | 126.3 |
| Oct | 111.8 | 112.7 | 115.0 | 122.8 | 102.2 |
| Nov | 88.4 | 89.2 | 86.3 | 93.2 | 86.4 |
| Dec | 75.4 | 79.6 | 74.8 | 81.6 | 75.1 |
Nebraska: 5 cities, best month 159 and worst 75 kWh per kW across them.
CSVBest and worst month in Nebraska: Jul 162, Dec 73 kWh per kW
| Nebraska month | kWh per kW | Price ¢ | Value per kW | kWh per kW per sun unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80.8 | 10.53 | $8.51 | 0.86 |
| Feb | 90.9 | 10.85 | $9.86 | 0.83 |
| Mar | 120.6 | 11.71 | $14.12 | 0.82 |
| Apr | 132.9 | 13.06 | $17.36 | 0.79 |
| May | 151.5 | 13.15 | $19.92 | 0.77 |
| Jun | 156.0 | 13.14 | $20.50 | 0.75 |
| Jul | 161.6 | 12.84 | $20.75 | 0.73 |
| Aug | 147.0 | 13.16 | $19.35 | 0.74 |
| Sep | 126.2 | 13.85 | $17.48 | 0.76 |
| Oct | 111.3 | 13.13 | $14.61 | 0.80 |
| Nov | 87.5 | 12.52 | $10.96 | 0.83 |
| Dec | 73.2 | 11.57 | $8.47 | 0.85 |
Nebraska: December to February give 17% of a year (rank 19 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 2.2 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.86) and lowest in Jul (0.73); 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 Nebraska is not modelled separately.
Utility-scale solar in Nebraska: 160 MW
Nebraska: 160 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 28 plants across 20 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 45 of 51; 81 W per resident, rank 46. Solar made 0.7% of Nebraska's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 46, -6.1 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Platteview Solar LLC in Saunders County, 81 MW (2024); Museum Drive East Solar in Hall County, 10 MW (2024); South 49th 013445 SCS Norfolk, LLC in Madison County, 8 MW (2022). By county: Saunders 81 MW, Hall 11 MW, Madison 10 MW, Box Butte 9 MW. Proposed: 0 MW under construction (0 plants) and 100 MW planned (1 plant); batteries 6 MW running and 53 MW proposed.
| Nebraska year | MW added | Cumulative share of today's MW |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 6 | 4% |
| 2020 | 5 | 7% |
| 2021 | 4 | 10% |
| 2022 | 8 | 16% |
| 2023 | 5 | 19% |
| 2024 | 91 | 76% |
| 2025 | 19 | 88% |
Nebraska among its neighbours
| Closest to Nebraska | Payback, years | kWh per kW | Price, ¢ | Utility-scale solar, points of generation | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska (this page) | 16.9 | 1,439 | 12.34 | 0.7 | - |
| Kansas | -3.0 | +43 | +2.22 | +0.0 | 189 |
| South Dakota | -0.9 | -39 | +1.04 | +1.4 | 212 |
| Iowa | -1.0 | -67 | +1.38 | +1.1 | 219 |
| Missouri | -0.8 | -53 | +1.15 | +1.5 | 315 |
Nebraska against its neighbours in the payback ranking
- -1 places, West Virginia -0.7 years against Nebraska
- +0 places, Tennessee -0.5 years against Nebraska
- Nebraska, rank 44: 16.9 years
- +2 places, Kentucky +0.0 years against Nebraska
- +3 places, Arkansas +0.1 years against Nebraska
Your numbers for Nebraska
Limits in Nebraska
Nebraska: 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 Nebraska export rates in our data: output counts at 12.34 ¢. All limits.
Sources for Nebraska
- PVWatts v8 (NLR), 5 Nebraska cities and one state point: 1,439 kWh per kW
- EIA-860 2025 and EIA-923 2025: 160 MW of solar in Nebraska
- EIA-861 2024: 3,686 net-metered systems in Nebraska
- EIA retail sales 2025: 12.34 ¢ per kWh in Nebraska
- IRS 25D (ended 2025): 11.8 years in Nebraska with it; licences and periods for Nebraska
More about Nebraska
Nebraska electricity hub, Nebraska EV charging: 327 stations, where Nebraska ranks for rooftop solar, 16.9 years against 51 states, Nebraska calculators.
Questions
Nebraska utility-scale solar capacity?
160 MW in 28 plants (EIA-860), 81 W per resident, rank 46; 100 MW proposed.
Nebraska electricity from solar, what share?
0.7% of 2025 net generation, rank 46 of 51, -6.1 points against the nation.
Solar payback in Nebraska?
16.9 years at $3.00 a watt; 14.1 at $2.50; 19.7 at $3.50; 1,439 kWh per kW at 12.34 ¢.
Net metering in Nebraska?
3,686 systems, 4.1 per 1,000 accounts, rank 43.
Nebraska sunshine for solar panels?
1,439 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 15 of 51; from 1,412 in Norfolk to 1,511 in Kearney.
Winter cut in Nebraska solar output?
December to February give 17% of the year; Jul makes 162 kWh per kW and Dec 73.
Where in Nebraska is solar best?
Yes: 7% between Norfolk and Kearney in yearly output.
Nebraska pays half price for exports?
Payback 33.8 years at a 50% retail share.
CO2 displaced in Nebraska?
4.0 t a year on 6 kW at 0.462 kg per kWh.
Federal solar credit in Nebraska: still available?
Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Nebraska payback would be 11.8 years, not 16.9.