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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 New York: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity

8.9 yearssimple payback of rooftop solar in New York, rank 7 of 51 (1 = shortest), $3.00 a watt, output valued at retail

New York pays back in 8.9 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 7 of 51), 4.6 years shorter than the middle state. 1,273 kWh per kW (rank 42) at 26.39 ¢ (rank 7 from the top): price of power drives it. Across 5 New York cities, yearly output runs from 1,185 kWh per kW in Syracuse to 1,353 in New York. Jul is the best month at 139 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 65. Utility-scale solar in New York: 3,123 MW in 723 plants, 3.2% of 2025 generation; 3,890 MW more under construction or planned.

New York: payback 8.9 years, rank 7 of 51

Solar measures for New York
MeasureValueRank of 51Median state
Output of 1 kW a year, kWh1,273421,372
Home price, ¢ per kWh26.39715.37
Value of 1 kW a year$3367$222
Payback at $3.00 a watt8.9 years713.5 years

EIA-861 (2024): 227,691 home net-metered systems in New York, 30.7 per 1,000 accounts (rank 14), average 6.9 kW.

Sizes and prices per watt in New York

Systems of 4 to 12 kW in New York
New York kWkWh a yearValue a yearCost at $2.50At $3.00At $3.50t CO2
45,092$1,344$10,000$12,000$14,0001.1
67,639$2,016$15,000$18,000$21,0001.6
810,185$2,688$20,000$24,000$28,0002.1
1012,731$3,360$25,000$30,000$35,0002.7
1215,277$4,032$30,000$36,000$42,0003.2
Payback in New York by price and retail share
New York $ per watt100% retail75%50%25%
$2.006.07.911.923.8
$2.507.49.914.929.8
$3.008.911.917.935.7
$3.5010.413.920.841.7
$4.0011.915.923.847.6

New York: 1,273 kWh/kW × 26.39 ¢ = 336 a year per kW; the 30% column (6.3 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.

CSV

Sun inside New York: 5 cities, 14% apart

Solar output in 5 cities of New York
New York citykWh per kW a yearAgainst state pointSun, kWh/m2 a dayPayback at $3.00Residents
New York1,353+6.3%4.708.48,516,202
Buffalo1,202-5.5%4.279.5276,397
Rochester1,199-5.8%4.349.5209,720
Syracuse1,185-6.9%4.329.6146,211
Albany1,214-4.6%4.449.4100,081

New York state point 41.20, -74.36; city points New York 40.66, -73.94; Buffalo 42.89, -78.86; Rochester 43.17, -77.62; Syracuse 43.04, -76.14; Albany 42.67, -73.80. Panel and method: solar method.

Output by month in New York cities: 12 rows
New York monthNew YorkBuffaloRochesterSyracuseAlbany
Jan81.656.152.852.869.7
Feb100.069.774.570.682.5
Mar114.7106.1104.1110.6118.3
Apr115.5119.9122.1112.7119.7
May143.4139.4140.5136.7125.2
Jun133.8137.4128.8130.2127.7
Jul148.9144.1153.5142.4134.7
Aug127.2138.4128.5129.4129.2
Sep122.4116.7113.7112.4105.6
Oct107.280.483.778.583.0
Nov88.451.357.460.463.8
Dec70.342.939.648.754.9

New York: 5 cities, best month 154 and worst 40 kWh per kW across them.

CSV

Best and worst month in New York: Jul 139, Dec 65 kWh per kW

New York output and value by month
New York monthkWh per kWPrice ¢Value per kWkWh per kW per sun unit
Jan77.325.34$19.590.84
Feb91.026.22$23.860.84
Mar114.425.45$29.110.81
Apr122.525.69$31.470.77
May133.426.69$35.600.75
Jun129.426.55$34.360.73
Jul138.826.22$36.390.72
Aug122.426.67$32.640.72
Sep113.127.23$30.800.74
Oct95.726.95$25.790.78
Nov69.626.42$18.390.81
Dec65.427.39$17.910.84

New York: December to February give 18% of a year (rank 29 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 2.1 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (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 New York is not modelled separately.

Utility-scale solar in New York: 3,123 MW

New York: 3,123 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 723 plants across 60 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 13 of 51; 157 W per resident, rank 36. Solar made 3.2% of New York's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 28, -3.5 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Morris Ridge Solar in Livingston County, 177 MW (2024); High River Energy Center, LLC in Montgomery County, 90 MW (2024); East Point Energy Center in Schoharie County, 50 MW (2024). By county: Livingston 218 MW, Montgomery 176 MW, Suffolk 161 MW, Orange 123 MW. Proposed: 1,124 MW under construction (55 plants) and 2,766 MW planned (48 plants); batteries 257 MW running and 797 MW proposed.

Utility-scale solar added in New York by year
New York yearMW addedCumulative share of today's MW
20192388%
202022715%
202136026%
202229436%
202334347%
202495978%
202539090%

Net metering and CO2 in New York

EIA-861 (2024): 227,691 home net-metered systems in New York, 30.7 per 1,000 accounts (rank 14), average 6.9 kW.

6 kW in New York: 7,639 kWh a year displaces 1.6 t CO2 at 0.211 kg per kWh, -1.4 t against the average state.

New York utilities and solar payback

Solar payback by utility in New York
New York utilityHomesPrice ¢Value of 1 kWPayback at $3.00
Consolidated Edison Co-NY Inc3,064,03834.24$4366.9 yr
Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.1,532,29416.67$21214.1 yr
Long Island Power Authority1,029,95524.57$3139.6 yr
New York State Elec & Gas Corp792,30017.75$22613.3 yr
Rochester Gas & Electric Corp351,48117.76$22613.3 yr
Central Hudson Gas & Elec Corp270,85923.85$3049.9 yr
Orange & Rockland Utils Inc211,01121.42$27311.0 yr
Village of Fairport16,4626.69$8535.2 yr
Jamestown Board of Public Util15,5628.43$10728.0 yr
Village of Freeport13,35314.12$18016.7 yr
City of Plattsburgh8,8015.02$6447.0 yr
Town of Massena8,1566.19$7938.0 yr

New York among its neighbours

Closest states to New York
Closest to New YorkPayback, yearskWh per kWPrice, ¢Utility-scale solar, points of generationMiles away
New York (this page)8.91,27326.393.2-
New Jersey+1.1+50-3.76-0.650
Connecticut-1.0+9+2.99-1.776
Delaware+3.7+110-9.26-0.2139
Pennsylvania+3.6-32-7.09-2.6140
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

New York against its neighbours in the payback ranking

Your numbers for New York

    Limits in New York

    New York: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 6.3 years instead of 8.9, so the calculator starts at 0%. No New York export rates in our data: output counts at 26.39 ¢. All limits.

    Sources for New York

    More about New York

    New York electricity hub, New York EV charging: 5,644 stations, where New York ranks for rooftop solar, 8.9 years against 51 states, New York calculators.

    Questions

    Solar payback in New York?

    8.9 years at $3.00 a watt; 7.4 at $2.50; 10.4 at $3.50; 1,273 kWh per kW at 26.39 ¢.

    Where in New York is solar best?

    Yes: 14% between Syracuse and New York in yearly output.

    New York sunshine for solar panels?

    1,273 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 42 of 51; from 1,185 in Syracuse to 1,353 in New York.

    Net metering in New York?

    227,691 systems, 30.7 per 1,000 accounts, rank 14.

    New York utility-scale solar capacity?

    3,123 MW in 723 plants (EIA-860), 157 W per resident, rank 36; 3,890 MW proposed.

    Winter cut in New York solar output?

    December to February give 18% of the year; Jul makes 139 kWh per kW and Dec 65.

    New York electricity from solar, what share?

    3.2% of 2025 net generation, rank 28 of 51, -3.5 points against the nation.

    New York pays half price for exports?

    Payback 17.9 years at a 50% retail share.

    CO2 displaced in New York?

    1.6 t a year on 6 kW at 0.211 kg per kWh.

    Federal solar credit in New York: still available?

    Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it New York payback would be 6.3 years, not 8.9.

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    8.9 years simple payback of rooftop solar in New York, rank 7 of 51 (1 = shortest), $3.00 a watt, output valued at retail