Electric Consumer

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

12%of a year's solar output in Oregon falls in December to February, rank 2 of 51 (1 = least winter)

Across 5 Oregon cities, yearly output runs from 1,121 kWh per kW in Portland to 1,476 in Bend. Jul is the best month at 159 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 35. Oregon pays back in 17.3 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 47 of 51), 3.8 years longer than the middle state. 1,130 kWh per kW (rank 49) at 15.37 ¢ (rank 26 from the top): price of power drives it. Utility-scale solar in Oregon: 1,295 MW in 149 plants, 4.2% of 2025 generation; 4,704 MW more under construction or planned.

Best and worst month in Oregon: Jul 159, Dec 35 kWh per kW

Oregon output and value by month
Oregon monthkWh per kWPrice ¢Value per kWkWh per kW per sun unit
Jan46.314.47$6.700.81
Feb57.514.65$8.420.79
Mar83.015.16$12.580.78
Apr101.715.41$15.670.76
May122.015.91$19.410.75
Jun130.815.80$20.670.73
Jul159.215.61$24.850.71
Aug145.315.77$22.910.71
Sep114.915.96$18.340.73
Oct83.916.16$13.560.77
Nov50.015.59$7.790.80
Dec35.414.94$5.290.82

Oregon: December to February give 12% of a year (rank 2 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 4.5 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Dec (0.82) and lowest in Aug (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 Oregon is not modelled separately.

Sun inside Oregon: 5 cities, 28% apart

Solar output in 5 cities of Oregon
Oregon citykWh per kW a yearAgainst state pointSun, kWh/m2 a dayPayback at $3.00Residents
Portland1,121-0.8%4.0617.4642,715
Eugene1,176+4.1%4.3816.6177,520
Salem1,205+6.6%4.3116.2176,666
Bend1,476+30.6%5.2413.2101,472
Medford1,357+20.1%5.0914.485,794

Oregon state point 44.83, -122.61; city points Portland 45.54, -122.65; Eugene 44.06, -123.12; Salem 44.92, -123.02; Bend 44.06, -121.31; Medford 42.34, -122.85. Panel and method: solar method.

Output by month in Oregon cities: 12 rows
Oregon monthPortlandEugeneSalemBendMedford
Jan36.747.642.568.860.5
Feb51.658.960.783.676.3
Mar88.490.694.5119.2110.7
Apr106.7114.6115.2142.4128.4
May133.2138.7137.4161.2150.6
Jun131.1141.1144.8171.0156.6
Jul160.3156.3165.8176.5169.4
Aug136.0144.0155.4165.0155.6
Sep118.1122.9123.1138.6133.7
Oct76.680.181.1119.1102.8
Nov45.845.246.868.361.9
Dec36.136.237.362.650.1

Oregon: 5 cities, best month 176 and worst 36 kWh per kW across them.

CSV

Oregon: payback 17.3 years, rank 47 of 51

Solar measures for Oregon
MeasureValueRank of 51Median state
Output of 1 kW a year, kWh1,130491,372
Home price, ¢ per kWh15.372615.37
Value of 1 kW a year$17447$222
Payback at $3.00 a watt17.3 years4713.5 years

EIA-861 (2024): 32,987 home net-metered systems in Oregon, 17.7 per 1,000 accounts (rank 22), average 7.5 kW.

Sizes and prices per watt in Oregon

Systems of 4 to 12 kW in Oregon
Oregon kWkWh a yearValue a yearCost at $2.50At $3.00At $3.50t CO2
44,520$695$10,000$12,000$14,0000.7
66,780$1,042$15,000$18,000$21,0001.1
89,040$1,389$20,000$24,000$28,0001.5
1011,300$1,737$25,000$30,000$35,0001.9
1213,560$2,084$30,000$36,000$42,0002.2
Payback in Oregon by price and retail share
Oregon $ per watt100% retail75%50%25%
$2.0011.515.423.046.1
$2.5014.419.228.857.6
$3.0017.323.034.569.1
$3.5020.226.940.380.6
$4.0023.030.746.192.1

Oregon: 1,130 kWh/kW × 15.37 ¢ = 174 a year per kW; the 30% column (12.1 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.

CSV

Utility-scale solar in Oregon: 1,295 MW

Oregon: 1,295 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 149 plants across 23 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 25 of 51; 305 W per resident, rank 25. Solar made 4.2% of Oregon's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 24, -2.6 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Montague Solar in Gilliam County, 162 MW (2023); Daybreak Solar in Wasco County, 152 MW (2025); Millican Solar Energy LLC in Crook County, 70 MW (2021). By county: Wasco 212 MW, Crook 166 MW, Gilliam 162 MW, Klamath 138 MW. Proposed: 429 MW under construction (8 plants) and 4,274 MW planned (11 plants); batteries 523 MW running and 2,940 MW proposed.

Utility-scale solar added in Oregon by year
Oregon yearMW addedCumulative share of today's MW
2019887%
202017620%
202114832%
20226537%
202328659%
20243962%
202518376%

Net metering and CO2 in Oregon

EIA-861 (2024): 32,987 home net-metered systems in Oregon, 17.7 per 1,000 accounts (rank 22), average 7.5 kW.

6 kW in Oregon: 6,780 kWh a year displaces 1.1 t CO2 at 0.165 kg per kWh, -1.9 t against the average state.

Oregon utilities and solar payback

Solar payback by utility in Oregon
Oregon utilityHomesPrice ¢Value of 1 kWPayback at $3.00
Portland General Electric Co828,85718.19$20614.6 yr
City of Eugene89,58213.07$14820.3 yr
Central Lincoln People's Ut Dt35,90410.93$12424.3 yr
Central Electric Coop Inc34,5629.75$11027.2 yr
City of Springfield29,8828.10$9232.8 yr
Oregon Trail El Cons Coop, Inc25,99710.08$11426.4 yr
Tillamook Peoples Utility Dist20,13311.82$13422.5 yr
Emerald People's Utility Dist19,96811.05$12524.0 yr
Consumers Power, Inc18,75113.01$14720.4 yr
Midstate Electric Coop, Inc18,59410.52$11925.2 yr
Salem Electric18,38511.02$12524.1 yr
City of McMinnville17,1907.56$8535.1 yr

Oregon among its neighbours

Closest states to Oregon
Closest to OregonPayback, yearskWh per kWPrice, ¢Utility-scale solar, points of generationMiles away
Oregon (this page)17.31,13015.374.2-
Washington+4.3-68-2.26-3.5178
Idaho+1.2+241-3.55+3.9361
Montana+0.3+186-2.39-2.9563
Utah-2.4+411-2.30+13.2620
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

Oregon against its neighbours in the payback ranking

  • -1 places, Kentucky -0.4 years against Oregon
  • +0 places, Arkansas -0.2 years against Oregon
  • Oregon, rank 47: 17.3 years
  • +2 places, Montana +0.3 years against Oregon
  • +3 places, Idaho +1.2 years against Oregon

Your numbers for Oregon

    Limits in Oregon

    Oregon: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 12.1 years instead of 17.3, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Oregon export rates in our data: output counts at 15.37 ¢. All limits.

    Sources for Oregon

    More about Oregon

    Oregon electricity hub, Oregon EV charging: 1,674 stations, where Oregon ranks for rooftop solar, 17.3 years against 51 states, Oregon calculators.

    Questions

    Winter cut in Oregon solar output?

    December to February give 12% of the year; Jul makes 159 kWh per kW and Dec 35.

    Oregon sunshine for solar panels?

    1,130 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 49 of 51; from 1,121 in Portland to 1,476 in Bend.

    Where in Oregon is solar best?

    Yes: 28% between Portland and Bend in yearly output.

    Solar payback in Oregon?

    17.3 years at $3.00 a watt; 14.4 at $2.50; 20.2 at $3.50; 1,130 kWh per kW at 15.37 ¢.

    Net metering in Oregon?

    32,987 systems, 17.7 per 1,000 accounts, rank 22.

    Oregon electricity from solar, what share?

    4.2% of 2025 net generation, rank 24 of 51, -2.6 points against the nation.

    Oregon utility-scale solar capacity?

    1,295 MW in 149 plants (EIA-860), 305 W per resident, rank 25; 4,704 MW proposed.

    Oregon pays half price for exports?

    Payback 34.5 years at a 50% retail share.

    CO2 displaced in Oregon?

    1.1 t a year on 6 kW at 0.165 kg per kWh.

    Federal solar credit in Oregon: still available?

    Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Oregon payback would be 12.1 years, not 17.3.

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    12% of a year's solar output in Oregon falls in December to February, rank 2 of 51 (1 = least winter)