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

1,241 kWha year from 1 kW of panels in Pennsylvania, rank 46 of 51 (1 = sunniest), PVWatts at the state's population centre

Across 5 Pennsylvania cities, yearly output runs from 1,191 kWh per kW in Pittsburgh to 1,348 in Philadelphia. Jul is the best month at 139 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 63. Pennsylvania pays back in 12.5 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 19 of 51), 1.0 years shorter than the middle state. 1,241 kWh per kW (rank 46) at 19.30 ¢ (rank 15 from the top): price of power drives it. Utility-scale solar in Pennsylvania: 1,132 MW in 74 plants, 0.7% of 2025 generation; 2,049 MW more under construction or planned.

Sun inside Pennsylvania: 5 cities, 13% apart

Solar output in 5 cities of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania citykWh per kW a yearAgainst state pointSun, kWh/m2 a dayPayback at $3.00Residents
Philadelphia1,348+8.6%4.7711.51,582,432
Pittsburgh1,191-4.1%4.3913.1303,620
Allentown1,276+2.9%4.6312.2125,320
Erie1,204-3.0%4.3312.994,156
Scranton1,195-3.7%4.3913.076,074

Pennsylvania state point 40.42, -76.85; city points Philadelphia 40.01, -75.13; Pittsburgh 40.44, -79.98; Allentown 40.59, -75.48; Erie 42.12, -80.07; Scranton 41.40, -75.67. Panel and method: solar method.

Output by month in Pennsylvania cities: 12 rows
Pennsylvania monthPhiladelphiaPittsburghAllentownErieScranton
Jan81.464.373.049.164.7
Feb94.073.892.267.287.2
Mar113.1100.8118.2104.8111.8
Apr134.7114.3123.7124.8117.7
May135.2134.6130.9146.0120.5
Jun137.6129.4126.5143.5129.5
Jul146.4134.5134.8152.8132.9
Aug126.5122.5131.9132.3115.5
Sep122.2109.0112.2111.0110.1
Oct99.088.392.678.485.3
Nov88.164.077.754.063.1
Dec69.655.362.639.956.1

Pennsylvania: 5 cities, best month 153 and worst 40 kWh per kW across them.

CSV

Best and worst month in Pennsylvania: Jul 139, Dec 63 kWh per kW

Pennsylvania output and value by month
Pennsylvania monthkWh per kWPrice ¢Value per kWkWh per kW per sun unit
Jan71.017.56$12.470.84
Feb89.618.00$16.130.82
Mar112.118.42$20.650.80
Apr116.618.96$22.110.76
May117.519.29$22.670.74
Jun131.719.69$25.930.72
Jul138.719.51$27.060.71
Aug127.019.93$25.310.71
Sep110.120.46$22.530.73
Oct89.420.49$18.320.77
Nov74.820.16$15.080.80
Dec62.720.08$12.590.83

Pennsylvania: December to February give 18% of a year (rank 24 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 2.2 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.84) 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 Pennsylvania is not modelled separately.

Pennsylvania: payback 12.5 years, rank 19 of 51

Solar measures for Pennsylvania
MeasureValueRank of 51Median state
Output of 1 kW a year, kWh1,241461,372
Home price, ¢ per kWh19.301515.37
Value of 1 kW a year$24019$222
Payback at $3.00 a watt12.5 years1913.5 years

EIA-861 (2024): 81,937 home net-metered systems in Pennsylvania, 14.8 per 1,000 accounts (rank 26), average 8.3 kW.

Sizes and prices per watt in Pennsylvania

Systems of 4 to 12 kW in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania kWkWh a yearValue a yearCost at $2.50At $3.00At $3.50t CO2
44,964$958$10,000$12,000$14,0001.5
67,446$1,437$15,000$18,000$21,0002.2
89,928$1,916$20,000$24,000$28,0002.9
1012,410$2,395$25,000$30,000$35,0003.6
1214,892$2,874$30,000$36,000$42,0004.4
Payback in Pennsylvania by price and retail share
Pennsylvania $ per watt100% retail75%50%25%
$2.008.411.116.733.4
$2.5010.413.920.941.8
$3.0012.516.725.150.1
$3.5014.619.529.258.5
$4.0016.722.333.466.8

Pennsylvania: 1,241 kWh/kW × 19.30 ¢ = 240 a year per kW; the 30% column (8.8 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.

CSV

Utility-scale solar in Pennsylvania: 1,132 MW

Pennsylvania: 1,132 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 74 plants across 37 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 29 of 51; 87 W per resident, rank 45. Solar made 0.7% of Pennsylvania's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 45, -6.1 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Great Cove Solar II in Franklin County, 150 MW (2023); Aspen Road Solar in Franklin County, 100 MW (2025); CPV Maple Hill Solar in Cambria County, 100 MW (2023). By county: Franklin 359 MW, Cambria 100 MW, Northumberland 85 MW, Adams 80 MW. Proposed: 194 MW under construction (34 plants) and 1,855 MW planned (28 plants); batteries 35 MW running and 21 MW proposed.

Utility-scale solar added in Pennsylvania by year
Pennsylvania yearMW addedCumulative share of today's MW
2019202%
2020688%
202178%
20222010%
202351656%
202418672%
202525495%

Net metering and CO2 in Pennsylvania

EIA-861 (2024): 81,937 home net-metered systems in Pennsylvania, 14.8 per 1,000 accounts (rank 26), average 8.3 kW.

6 kW in Pennsylvania: 7,446 kWh a year displaces 2.2 t CO2 at 0.293 kg per kWh, -0.8 t against the average state.

Pennsylvania utilities and solar payback

Solar payback by utility in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania utilityHomesPrice ¢Value of 1 kWPayback at $3.00
FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co1,802,61215.45$19215.6 yr
PECO Energy Co1,535,81814.74$18316.4 yr
PPL Electric Utilities Corp1,295,88312.34$15319.6 yr
Duquesne Light Co550,40519.47$24212.4 yr
UGI Utilities, Inc55,01118.82$23412.8 yr
Adams Electric Cooperative Inc32,23114.42$17916.8 yr
Central Electric Coop, Inc23,62917.03$21114.2 yr
REA Energy Coop Inc20,93214.53$18016.6 yr
Tri-County Rural Elec Coop Inc (PA)18,20620.08$24912.0 yr
Northwestern Rural E C A, Inc18,19015.58$19315.5 yr
Valley Rural Electric Coop Inc18,18014.87$18516.3 yr
Claverack Rural Elec Coop Inc16,74218.25$22613.2 yr

Pennsylvania among its neighbours

Closest states to Pennsylvania
Closest to PennsylvaniaPayback, yearskWh per kWPrice, ¢Utility-scale solar, points of generationMiles away
Pennsylvania (this page)12.51,24119.300.7-
Maryland-1.4+147+0.18+2.889
Delaware+0.1+142-2.17+2.498
District of Columbia-2.7+150+2.64+17.7105
New Jersey-2.5+83+3.33+1.9130
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

Pennsylvania against its neighbours in the payback ranking

  • -1 places, Colorado -0.2 years against Pennsylvania
  • +0 places, Wisconsin -0.1 years against Pennsylvania
  • Pennsylvania, rank 19: 12.5 years
  • +2 places, Nevada +0.0 years against Pennsylvania
  • +3 places, Delaware +0.1 years against Pennsylvania

Your numbers for Pennsylvania

    Limits in Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 8.8 years instead of 12.5, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Pennsylvania export rates in our data: output counts at 19.30 ¢. All limits.

    Sources for Pennsylvania

    More about Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania electricity hub, Pennsylvania EV charging: 2,073 stations, where Pennsylvania ranks for rooftop solar, 12.5 years against 51 states, Pennsylvania calculators.

    Questions

    Pennsylvania sunshine for solar panels?

    1,241 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 46 of 51; from 1,191 in Pittsburgh to 1,348 in Philadelphia.

    Pennsylvania utility-scale solar capacity?

    1,132 MW in 74 plants (EIA-860), 87 W per resident, rank 45; 2,049 MW proposed.

    Pennsylvania electricity from solar, what share?

    0.7% of 2025 net generation, rank 45 of 51, -6.1 points against the nation.

    Where in Pennsylvania is solar best?

    Yes: 13% between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in yearly output.

    Solar payback in Pennsylvania?

    12.5 years at $3.00 a watt; 10.4 at $2.50; 14.6 at $3.50; 1,241 kWh per kW at 19.30 ¢.

    Winter cut in Pennsylvania solar output?

    December to February give 18% of the year; Jul makes 139 kWh per kW and Dec 63.

    Net metering in Pennsylvania?

    81,937 systems, 14.8 per 1,000 accounts, rank 26.

    Pennsylvania pays half price for exports?

    Payback 25.1 years at a 50% retail share.

    CO2 displaced in Pennsylvania?

    2.2 t a year on 6 kW at 0.293 kg per kWh.

    Federal solar credit in Pennsylvania: still available?

    Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Pennsylvania payback would be 8.8 years, not 12.5.

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    1,241 kWh a year from 1 kW of panels in Pennsylvania, rank 46 of 51 (1 = sunniest), PVWatts at the state's population centre