Solar in Rhode Island: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity
Rhode Island pays back in 7.9 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 4 of 51), 5.6 years shorter than the middle state. 1,295 kWh per kW (rank 38) at 29.46 ¢ (rank 4 from the top): price of power drives it. Across 4 Rhode Island cities, yearly output runs from 1,285 kWh per kW in Woonsocket to 1,341 in Newport. Jul is the best month at 137 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 69. Utility-scale solar in Rhode Island: 452 MW in 77 plants, 7.1% of 2025 generation; 4 MW more under construction or planned.
Rhode Island: payback 7.9 years, rank 4 of 51
| Measure | Value | Rank of 51 | Median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output of 1 kW a year, kWh | 1,295 | 38 | 1,372 |
| Home price, ¢ per kWh | 29.46 | 4 | 15.37 |
| Value of 1 kW a year | $381 | 4 | $222 |
| Payback at $3.00 a watt | 7.9 years | 4 | 13.5 years |
EIA-861 (2024): 17,335 home net-metered systems in Rhode Island, 37.9 per 1,000 accounts (rank 12), average 6.1 kW.
Sizes and prices per watt in Rhode Island
| Rhode Island kW | kWh a year | Value a year | Cost at $2.50 | At $3.00 | At $3.50 | t CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5,179 | $1,526 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $14,000 | 2.0 |
| 6 | 7,768 | $2,289 | $15,000 | $18,000 | $21,000 | 3.0 |
| 8 | 10,358 | $3,051 | $20,000 | $24,000 | $28,000 | 3.9 |
| 10 | 12,947 | $3,814 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | 4.9 |
| 12 | 15,536 | $4,577 | $30,000 | $36,000 | $42,000 | 5.9 |
| Rhode Island $ per watt | 100% retail | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | 5.2 | 7.0 | 10.5 | 21.0 |
| $2.50 | 6.6 | 8.7 | 13.1 | 26.2 |
| $3.00 | 7.9 | 10.5 | 15.7 | 31.5 |
| $3.50 | 9.2 | 12.2 | 18.4 | 36.7 |
| $4.00 | 10.5 | 14.0 | 21.0 | 41.9 |
Rhode Island: 1,295 kWh/kW × 29.46 ¢ = 381 a year per kW; the 30% column (5.5 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.
CSVSun inside Rhode Island: 4 cities, 4% apart
| Rhode Island city | kWh per kW a year | Against state point | Sun, kWh/m2 a day | Payback at $3.00 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence | 1,294 | -0.1% | 4.70 | 7.9 | 190,214 |
| Warwick | 1,309 | +1.1% | 4.62 | 7.8 | 82,871 |
| Woonsocket | 1,285 | -0.7% | 4.68 | 7.9 | 43,074 |
| Newport | 1,341 | +3.6% | 4.72 | 7.6 | 25,029 |
Rhode Island state point 41.78, -71.44; city points Providence 41.82, -71.42; Warwick 41.70, -71.42; Woonsocket 42.00, -71.50; Newport 41.48, -71.32. Panel and method: solar method.
Output by month in Rhode Island cities: 12 rows
| Rhode Island month | Providence | Warwick | Woonsocket | Newport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83.2 | 81.6 | 78.5 | 81.5 |
| Feb | 87.1 | 87.1 | 90.4 | 93.1 |
| Mar | 118.2 | 120.0 | 122.0 | 117.7 |
| Apr | 128.1 | 129.3 | 126.2 | 130.5 |
| May | 135.1 | 135.4 | 133.3 | 138.0 |
| Jun | 128.8 | 139.9 | 132.1 | 139.8 |
| Jul | 138.2 | 136.2 | 138.6 | 139.4 |
| Aug | 128.2 | 129.7 | 127.8 | 135.9 |
| Sep | 114.1 | 118.3 | 111.6 | 122.0 |
| Oct | 95.4 | 96.3 | 91.7 | 98.6 |
| Nov | 70.9 | 71.5 | 70.2 | 78.0 |
| Dec | 66.4 | 63.5 | 63.1 | 66.4 |
Rhode Island: 4 cities, best month 140 and worst 63 kWh per kW across them.
CSVBest and worst month in Rhode Island: Jul 137, Dec 69 kWh per kW
| Rhode Island month | kWh per kW | Price ¢ | Value per kW | kWh per kW per sun unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84.5 | 31.66 | $26.75 | 0.84 |
| Feb | 85.1 | 33.29 | $28.33 | 0.82 |
| Mar | 118.0 | 32.30 | $38.11 | 0.81 |
| Apr | 126.1 | 28.89 | $36.43 | 0.77 |
| May | 132.7 | 29.00 | $38.48 | 0.75 |
| Jun | 133.5 | 26.84 | $35.83 | 0.73 |
| Jul | 136.9 | 26.18 | $35.84 | 0.72 |
| Aug | 126.7 | 26.52 | $33.60 | 0.72 |
| Sep | 113.7 | 28.30 | $32.18 | 0.74 |
| Oct | 96.5 | 31.16 | $30.07 | 0.77 |
| Nov | 71.9 | 30.82 | $22.16 | 0.81 |
| Dec | 69.1 | 31.15 | $21.52 | 0.83 |
Rhode Island: December to February give 18% of a year (rank 31 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 2.0 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.84) and lowest in Aug (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 Rhode Island is not modelled separately.
Utility-scale solar in Rhode Island: 452 MW
Rhode Island: 452 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 77 plants across 5 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 38 of 51; 412 W per resident, rank 18. Solar made 7.1% of Rhode Island's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 18, +0.3 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Robin Hollow Solar in Kent County, 41 MW (2023); Dry Bridge Solar (Brown University) in Washington County, 40 MW (2023); University Solar, LLC in Kent County, 24 MW (2019). By county: Kent 133 MW, Providence 131 MW, Washington 131 MW, Newport 41 MW. Proposed: 0 MW under construction (0 plants) and 4 MW planned (1 plant); batteries 3 MW running and 0 MW proposed.
| Rhode Island year | MW added | Cumulative share of today's MW |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 76 | 17% |
| 2020 | 57 | 30% |
| 2021 | 58 | 42% |
| 2022 | 61 | 56% |
| 2023 | 105 | 79% |
| 2024 | 33 | 87% |
| 2025 | 18 | 91% |
Net metering and CO2 in Rhode Island
EIA-861 (2024): 17,335 home net-metered systems in Rhode Island, 37.9 per 1,000 accounts (rank 12), average 6.1 kW.
6 kW in Rhode Island: 7,768 kWh a year displaces 3.0 t CO2 at 0.381 kg per kWh, -0.1 t against the average state.
Rhode Island utilities and solar payback
| Rhode Island utility | Homes | Price ¢ | Value of 1 kW | Payback at $3.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Narragansett Electric Co | 451,381 | 25.08 | $325 | 9.2 yr |
| Pascoag Utility District | 4,373 | 16.52 | $214 | 14.0 yr |
Rhode Island among its neighbours
| Closest to Rhode Island | Payback, years | kWh per kW | Price, ¢ | Utility-scale solar, points of generation | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island (this page) | 7.9 | 1,295 | 29.46 | 7.1 | - |
| Massachusetts | -0.2 | -18 | +1.02 | +2.2 | 36 |
| Connecticut | +0.1 | -12 | -0.08 | -5.6 | 81 |
| New Hampshire | +1.8 | -37 | -4.90 | -7.1 | 95 |
| New York | +1.1 | -22 | -3.07 | -3.8 | 157 |
Rhode Island against its neighbours in the payback ranking
- -1 places, California -2.4 years against Rhode Island
- +0 places, Massachusetts -0.2 years against Rhode Island
- Rhode Island, rank 4: 7.9 years
- +2 places, Connecticut +0.1 years against Rhode Island
- +3 places, Maine +0.7 years against Rhode Island
Your numbers for Rhode Island
Limits in Rhode Island
Rhode Island: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 5.5 years instead of 7.9, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Rhode Island export rates in our data: output counts at 29.46 ¢. All limits.
Sources for Rhode Island
- PVWatts v8 (NLR), 4 Rhode Island cities and one state point: 1,295 kWh per kW
- EIA-860 2025 and EIA-923 2025: 452 MW of solar in Rhode Island
- EIA-861 2024: 17,335 net-metered systems in Rhode Island
- EIA retail sales 2025: 29.46 ¢ per kWh in Rhode Island
- IRS 25D (ended 2025): 5.5 years in Rhode Island with it; licences and periods for Rhode Island
More about Rhode Island
Rhode Island electricity hub, Rhode Island EV charging: 357 stations, where Rhode Island ranks for rooftop solar, 7.9 years against 51 states, Rhode Island calculators.
Questions
Solar payback in Rhode Island?
7.9 years at $3.00 a watt; 6.6 at $2.50; 9.2 at $3.50; 1,295 kWh per kW at 29.46 ¢.
Net metering in Rhode Island?
17,335 systems, 37.9 per 1,000 accounts, rank 12.
Where in Rhode Island is solar best?
Yes: 4% between Woonsocket and Newport in yearly output.
Rhode Island sunshine for solar panels?
1,295 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 38 of 51; from 1,285 in Woonsocket to 1,341 in Newport.
Rhode Island utility-scale solar capacity?
452 MW in 77 plants (EIA-860), 412 W per resident, rank 18; 4 MW proposed.
Rhode Island electricity from solar, what share?
7.1% of 2025 net generation, rank 18 of 51, +0.3 points against the nation.
Winter cut in Rhode Island solar output?
December to February give 18% of the year; Jul makes 137 kWh per kW and Dec 69.
Rhode Island pays half price for exports?
Payback 15.7 years at a 50% retail share.
CO2 displaced in Rhode Island?
3.0 t a year on 6 kW at 0.381 kg per kWh.
Federal solar credit in Rhode Island: still available?
Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Rhode Island payback would be 5.5 years, not 7.9.