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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 South Carolina: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity

3%gap between the best and worst of 5 South Carolina cities in yearly solar output (PVWatts), rank 48 of 51

Across 5 South Carolina cities, yearly output runs from 1,417 kWh per kW in Greenville to 1,463 in Rock Hill. May is the best month at 150 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 94. South Carolina pays back in 13.7 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 27 of 51), 0.2 years longer than the middle state. 1,463 kWh per kW (rank 14) at 14.96 ¢ (rank 31 from the top): sunshine drives it. Utility-scale solar in South Carolina: 1,956 MW in 127 plants, 3.1% of 2025 generation; 1,756 MW more under construction or planned.

Sun inside South Carolina: 5 cities, 3% apart

Solar output in 5 cities of South Carolina
South Carolina citykWh per kW a yearAgainst state pointSun, kWh/m2 a dayPayback at $3.00Residents
Charleston1,455-0.6%5.3413.8152,014
Columbia1,441-1.5%5.1913.9138,019
Rock Hill1,463-0.0%5.3713.774,769
Greenville1,417-3.2%5.2014.271,755
Florence1,449-0.9%5.2013.840,205

South Carolina state point 33.92, -80.92; city points Charleston 32.83, -79.97; Columbia 34.04, -80.91; Rock Hill 34.94, -81.02; Greenville 34.84, -82.36; Florence 34.18, -79.79. Panel and method: solar method.

Output by month in South Carolina cities: 12 rows
South Carolina monthCharlestonColumbiaRock HillGreenvilleFlorence
Jan100.699.7102.099.3100.3
Feb98.991.9101.898.9106.5
Mar132.4123.4127.1123.5126.7
Apr133.9137.5136.9132.0138.2
May147.3148.7145.0147.1142.7
Jun137.2134.9143.8127.5136.1
Jul137.6134.2142.5136.7135.2
Aug132.8137.4135.1133.9133.2
Sep119.6123.8127.2111.7127.0
Oct119.9112.5110.6122.9115.5
Nov105.8104.9103.6100.398.1
Dec88.792.287.282.989.7

South Carolina: 5 cities, best month 149 and worst 83 kWh per kW across them.

CSV

Best and worst month in South Carolina: May 150, Dec 94 kWh per kW

South Carolina output and value by month
South Carolina monthkWh per kWPrice ¢Value per kWkWh per kW per sun unit
Jan102.013.88$14.160.81
Feb95.614.50$13.860.79
Mar125.715.27$19.190.78
Apr138.415.86$21.950.76
May150.215.41$23.150.73
Jun137.314.79$20.310.72
Jul140.014.70$20.580.72
Aug130.414.98$19.530.72
Sep128.915.34$19.770.73
Oct114.615.65$17.930.75
Nov106.315.53$16.510.79
Dec93.914.82$13.920.80

South Carolina: December to February give 20% of a year (rank 45 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 1.6 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.81) 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 South Carolina is not modelled separately.

South Carolina: payback 13.7 years, rank 27 of 51

Solar measures for South Carolina
MeasureValueRank of 51Median state
Output of 1 kW a year, kWh1,463141,372
Home price, ¢ per kWh14.963115.37
Value of 1 kW a year$21927$222
Payback at $3.00 a watt13.7 years2713.5 years

EIA-861 (2024): 25,555 home net-metered systems in South Carolina, 9.9 per 1,000 accounts (rank 33), average 7.3 kW.

Utility-scale solar in South Carolina: 1,956 MW

South Carolina: 1,956 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 127 plants across 33 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 19 of 51; 375 W per resident, rank 21. Solar made 3.1% of South Carolina's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 29, -3.7 points against the national share. Biggest plants: SR Lambert II in Georgetown County, 100 MW (2025); SR Lambert I, LLC in Georgetown County, 100 MW (2025); Palmetto Plains in Orangeburg County, 75 MW (2019). By county: Orangeburg 271 MW, Lexington 207 MW, Georgetown 200 MW, Calhoun 172 MW. Proposed: 132 MW under construction (3 plants) and 1,625 MW planned (23 plants); batteries 88 MW running and 379 MW proposed.

Utility-scale solar added in South Carolina by year
South Carolina yearMW addedCumulative share of today's MW
201930516%
202045739%
20212740%
202219951%
202322262%
20248366%
202530982%

Sizes and prices per watt in South Carolina

Systems of 4 to 12 kW in South Carolina
South Carolina kWkWh a yearValue a yearCost at $2.50At $3.00At $3.50t CO2
45,852$876$10,000$12,000$14,0001.5
68,779$1,313$15,000$18,000$21,0002.2
811,705$1,751$20,000$24,000$28,0003.0
1014,631$2,189$25,000$30,000$35,0003.7
1217,557$2,627$30,000$36,000$42,0004.4
Payback in South Carolina by price and retail share
South Carolina $ per watt100% retail75%50%25%
$2.009.112.218.336.5
$2.5011.415.222.845.7
$3.0013.718.327.454.8
$3.5016.021.332.064.0
$4.0018.324.436.573.1

South Carolina: 1,463 kWh/kW × 14.96 ¢ = 219 a year per kW; the 30% column (9.6 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.

CSV

Net metering and CO2 in South Carolina

EIA-861 (2024): 25,555 home net-metered systems in South Carolina, 9.9 per 1,000 accounts (rank 33), average 7.3 kW.

6 kW in South Carolina: 8,779 kWh a year displaces 2.2 t CO2 at 0.253 kg per kWh, -0.8 t against the average state.

South Carolina among its neighbours

Closest states to South Carolina
Closest to South CarolinaPayback, yearskWh per kWPrice, ¢Utility-scale solar, points of generationMiles away
South Carolina (this page)13.71,46314.963.1-
North Carolina+1.5-52-0.94+5.8132
Georgia+0.7-50-0.23+4.5172
Virginia+0.9-120+0.32+5.1335
West Virginia+2.5-264+0.45-2.7340
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

South Carolina against its neighbours in the payback ranking

  • -1 places, Alabama -0.2 years against South Carolina
  • +0 places, Indiana -0.2 years against South Carolina
  • South Carolina, rank 27: 13.7 years
  • +2 places, Kansas +0.2 years against South Carolina
  • +3 places, Minnesota +0.3 years against South Carolina

South Carolina utilities and solar payback

Solar payback by utility in South Carolina
South Carolina utilityHomesPrice ¢Value of 1 kWPayback at $3.00
Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc696,38514.59$21314.1 yr
South Carolina Public Service Authority185,52911.38$16718.0 yr
Berkeley Electric Coop Inc115,11714.93$21913.7 yr
Horry Electric Coop Inc86,72613.23$19415.5 yr
Palmetto Electric Coop Inc68,33812.79$18716.0 yr
Blue Ridge Electric Coop Inc67,55318.94$27710.8 yr
York Electric Coop Inc65,24412.65$18516.2 yr
Laurens Electric Coop, Inc58,43814.66$21414.0 yr
Mid-Carolina Electric Coop Inc56,46314.88$21813.8 yr
Aiken Electric Coop Inc49,46015.53$22713.2 yr
City of Rock Hill36,49212.55$18416.3 yr
Santee Electric Coop, Inc35,23514.74$21613.9 yr

Your numbers for South Carolina

    Limits in South Carolina

    South Carolina: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 9.6 years instead of 13.7, so the calculator starts at 0%. No South Carolina export rates in our data: output counts at 14.96 ¢. All limits.

    Sources for South Carolina

    More about South Carolina

    South Carolina electricity hub, South Carolina EV charging: 699 stations, where South Carolina ranks for rooftop solar, 13.7 years against 51 states, South Carolina calculators.

    Questions

    Where in South Carolina is solar best?

    Yes: 3% between Greenville and Rock Hill in yearly output.

    Winter cut in South Carolina solar output?

    December to February give 20% of the year; May makes 150 kWh per kW and Dec 94.

    South Carolina sunshine for solar panels?

    1,463 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 14 of 51; from 1,417 in Greenville to 1,463 in Rock Hill.

    Net metering in South Carolina?

    25,555 systems, 9.9 per 1,000 accounts, rank 33.

    South Carolina utility-scale solar capacity?

    1,956 MW in 127 plants (EIA-860), 375 W per resident, rank 21; 1,756 MW proposed.

    South Carolina electricity from solar, what share?

    3.1% of 2025 net generation, rank 29 of 51, -3.7 points against the nation.

    Solar payback in South Carolina?

    13.7 years at $3.00 a watt; 11.4 at $2.50; 16.0 at $3.50; 1,463 kWh per kW at 14.96 ¢.

    South Carolina pays half price for exports?

    Payback 27.4 years at a 50% retail share.

    CO2 displaced in South Carolina?

    2.2 t a year on 6 kW at 0.253 kg per kWh.

    Federal solar credit in South Carolina: still available?

    Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it South Carolina payback would be 9.6 years, not 13.7.

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    3% gap between the best and worst of 5 South Carolina cities in yearly solar output (PVWatts), rank 48 of 51