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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 Ohio: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity

15%of a year's solar output in Ohio falls in December to February, rank 6 of 51 (1 = least winter)

Across 5 Ohio cities, yearly output runs from 1,255 kWh per kW in Cleveland to 1,336 in Dayton. Jul is the best month at 152 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 52. Ohio pays back in 14.2 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 30 of 51), 0.7 years longer than the middle state. 1,244 kWh per kW (rank 45) at 16.96 ¢ (rank 19 from the top): price of power drives it. Utility-scale solar in Ohio: 4,486 MW in 75 plants, 5.5% of 2025 generation; 3,226 MW more under construction or planned.

Best and worst month in Ohio: Jul 152, Dec 52 kWh per kW

Ohio output and value by month
Ohio monthkWh per kWPrice ¢Value per kWkWh per kW per sun unit
Jan59.215.62$9.250.86
Feb73.015.83$11.560.83
Mar101.316.10$16.310.82
Apr117.716.32$19.210.78
May131.817.09$22.520.76
Jun133.817.50$23.410.74
Jul151.617.38$26.350.73
Aug135.117.59$23.760.74
Sep124.717.61$21.960.75
Oct94.717.85$16.900.79
Nov69.117.66$12.200.82
Dec51.617.31$8.930.84

Ohio: December to February give 15% of a year (rank 6 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 2.9 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 Ohio is not modelled separately.

Sun inside Ohio: 5 cities, 6% apart

Solar output in 5 cities of Ohio
Ohio citykWh per kW a yearAgainst state pointSun, kWh/m2 a dayPayback at $3.00Residents
Columbus1,296+4.2%4.5413.6906,480
Cleveland1,255+0.9%4.3714.1367,523
Cincinnati1,273+2.4%4.6813.9309,595
Toledo1,306+5.0%4.5413.5268,461
Dayton1,336+7.4%4.6813.2136,741

Ohio state point 40.49, -82.79; city points Columbus 39.98, -82.98; Cleveland 41.48, -81.68; Cincinnati 39.14, -84.51; Toledo 41.66, -83.58; Dayton 39.78, -84.20. Panel and method: solar method.

Output by month in Ohio cities: 12 rows
Ohio monthColumbusClevelandCincinnatiToledoDayton
Jan73.457.677.173.574.2
Feb84.873.679.784.178.8
Mar101.8112.0101.9106.0107.5
Apr122.9126.3119.5127.0125.4
May140.7140.5127.3139.1143.1
Jun141.2142.0134.9145.4145.3
Jul144.5154.1136.5150.6144.9
Aug136.6144.1134.9136.7140.9
Sep123.7118.0119.6122.6127.1
Oct91.382.2101.995.3103.8
Nov75.061.675.770.382.5
Dec60.342.864.155.762.2

Ohio: 5 cities, best month 154 and worst 43 kWh per kW across them.

CSV

Ohio: payback 14.2 years, rank 30 of 51

Solar measures for Ohio
MeasureValueRank of 51Median state
Output of 1 kW a year, kWh1,244451,372
Home price, ¢ per kWh16.961915.37
Value of 1 kW a year$21130$222
Payback at $3.00 a watt14.2 years3013.5 years

EIA-861 (2024): 24,785 home net-metered systems in Ohio, 4.8 per 1,000 accounts (rank 41), average 7.4 kW.

Sizes and prices per watt in Ohio

Systems of 4 to 12 kW in Ohio
Ohio kWkWh a yearValue a yearCost at $2.50At $3.00At $3.50t CO2
44,974$844$10,000$12,000$14,0002.4
67,462$1,265$15,000$18,000$21,0003.6
89,949$1,687$20,000$24,000$28,0004.8
1012,436$2,109$25,000$30,000$35,0006.0
1214,923$2,531$30,000$36,000$42,0007.2
Payback in Ohio by price and retail share
Ohio $ per watt100% retail75%50%25%
$2.009.512.619.037.9
$2.5011.915.823.747.4
$3.0014.219.028.456.9
$3.5016.622.133.266.4
$4.0019.025.337.975.9

Ohio: 1,244 kWh/kW × 16.96 ¢ = 211 a year per kW; the 30% column (10.0 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.

CSV

Utility-scale solar in Ohio: 4,486 MW

Ohio: 4,486 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 75 plants across 46 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 10 of 51; 381 W per resident, rank 20. Solar made 5.5% of Ohio's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 22, -1.3 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Fox Squirrel Solar in Madison County, 577 MW (2023); AEUG Union Solar, LLC in Union County, 325 MW (2024); Hecate Energy Highland LLC in Highland County, 300 MW (2024). By county: Madison 957 MW, Highland 667 MW, Hardin 553 MW, Ross 489 MW. Proposed: 1,466 MW under construction (11 plants) and 1,759 MW planned (11 plants); batteries 46 MW running and 266 MW proposed.

Utility-scale solar added in Ohio by year
Ohio yearMW addedCumulative share of today's MW
2019210%
202041%
20213689%
202249%
2023132538%
2024144771%
2025122998%

Net metering and CO2 in Ohio

EIA-861 (2024): 24,785 home net-metered systems in Ohio, 4.8 per 1,000 accounts (rank 41), average 7.4 kW.

6 kW in Ohio: 7,462 kWh a year displaces 3.6 t CO2 at 0.483 kg per kWh, +0.6 t against the average state.

Ohio utilities and solar payback

Solar payback by utility in Ohio
Ohio utilityHomesPrice ¢Value of 1 kWPayback at $3.00
Ohio Power Co1,339,23214.35$17916.8 yr
Ohio Edison Co957,7809.55$11925.3 yr
Duke Energy Ohio Inc693,43510.83$13522.3 yr
Cleveland Electric Illum Co676,0989.41$11725.6 yr
Dayton Power & Light Co478,7418.54$10628.2 yr
The Toledo Edison Co278,81410.24$12723.6 yr
South Central Power Company117,46914.87$18516.2 yr
City of Cleveland64,91414.87$18516.2 yr
City of Hamilton26,96415.44$19215.6 yr
Licking Rural Electric Inc25,82016.88$21014.3 yr
City of Cuyahoga Falls24,34913.02$16218.5 yr
Consolidated Cooperative16,89716.11$20015.0 yr

Ohio among its neighbours

Closest states to Ohio
Closest to OhioPayback, yearskWh per kWPrice, ¢Utility-scale solar, points of generationMiles away
Ohio (this page)14.21,24416.965.5-
West Virginia+2.0-45-1.55-5.1151
Michigan-2.5+36+3.05-3.4170
Indiana-0.7+126-0.73+0.7184
Kentucky+2.7+96-3.72-3.3220
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

Ohio against its neighbours in the payback ranking

  • -1 places, Kansas -0.3 years against Ohio
  • +0 places, Minnesota -0.2 years against Ohio
  • Ohio, rank 30: 14.2 years
  • +2 places, Georgia +0.2 years against Ohio
  • +3 places, Wyoming +0.3 years against Ohio

Your numbers for Ohio

    Limits in Ohio

    Ohio: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 10.0 years instead of 14.2, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Ohio export rates in our data: output counts at 16.96 ¢. All limits.

    Sources for Ohio

    More about Ohio

    Ohio electricity hub, Ohio EV charging: 1,924 stations, where Ohio ranks for rooftop solar, 14.2 years against 51 states, Ohio calculators.

    Questions

    Winter cut in Ohio solar output?

    December to February give 15% of the year; Jul makes 152 kWh per kW and Dec 52.

    Ohio sunshine for solar panels?

    1,244 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 45 of 51; from 1,255 in Cleveland to 1,336 in Dayton.

    Net metering in Ohio?

    24,785 systems, 4.8 per 1,000 accounts, rank 41.

    Ohio utility-scale solar capacity?

    4,486 MW in 75 plants (EIA-860), 381 W per resident, rank 20; 3,226 MW proposed.

    Where in Ohio is solar best?

    Yes: 6% between Cleveland and Dayton in yearly output.

    Solar payback in Ohio?

    14.2 years at $3.00 a watt; 11.9 at $2.50; 16.6 at $3.50; 1,244 kWh per kW at 16.96 ¢.

    Ohio electricity from solar, what share?

    5.5% of 2025 net generation, rank 22 of 51, -1.3 points against the nation.

    Ohio pays half price for exports?

    Payback 28.4 years at a 50% retail share.

    CO2 displaced in Ohio?

    3.6 t a year on 6 kW at 0.483 kg per kWh.

    Federal solar credit in Ohio: still available?

    Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Ohio payback would be 10.0 years, not 14.2.

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    15% of a year's solar output in Ohio falls in December to February, rank 6 of 51 (1 = least winter)