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

1.1net-metered home systems per 1,000 accounts in South Dakota, EIA-861 2024, rank 46 of 51

South Dakota pays back in 16.0 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 39 of 51), 2.5 years longer than the middle state. 1,400 kWh per kW (rank 18) at 13.38 ¢ (rank 38 from the top): sunshine drives it. Across 5 South Dakota cities, yearly output runs from 1,333 kWh per kW in Watertown to 1,460 in Rapid City. Jul is the best month at 164 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 62. Utility-scale solar in South Dakota: 217 MW in 4 plants, 2.0% of 2025 generation; 104 MW more under construction or planned.

Net metering and CO2 in South Dakota

EIA-861 (2024): 487 home net-metered systems in South Dakota, 1.1 per 1,000 accounts (rank 46), average 8.5 kW.

6 kW in South Dakota: 8,400 kWh a year displaces 1.3 t CO2 at 0.151 kg per kWh, -1.8 t against the average state.

South Dakota: payback 16.0 years, rank 39 of 51

Solar measures for South Dakota
MeasureValueRank of 51Median state
Output of 1 kW a year, kWh1,400181,372
Home price, ¢ per kWh13.383815.37
Value of 1 kW a year$18739$222
Payback at $3.00 a watt16.0 years3913.5 years

EIA-861 (2024): 487 home net-metered systems in South Dakota, 1.1 per 1,000 accounts (rank 46), average 8.5 kW.

Utility-scale solar in South Dakota: 217 MW

South Dakota: 217 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 4 plants across 4 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 43 of 51; 242 W per resident, rank 28. Solar made 2.0% of South Dakota's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 36, -4.7 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Wild Springs in Pennington County, 128 MW (2024); Fall River Solar, LLC in Fall River County, 80 MW (2023); RE Solar, LLC in Spink County, 8 MW (2024). By county: Pennington 128 MW, Fall River 80 MW, Spink 8 MW, Hughes 1 MW. Proposed: 5 MW under construction (1 plant) and 99 MW planned (1 plant); batteries 1 MW running and 0 MW proposed.

Utility-scale solar added in South Dakota by year
South Dakota yearMW addedCumulative share of today's MW
201900%
202000%
202100%
202200%
20238037%
2024136100%
20250100%

Sizes and prices per watt in South Dakota

Systems of 4 to 12 kW in South Dakota
South Dakota kWkWh a yearValue a yearCost at $2.50At $3.00At $3.50t CO2
45,600$749$10,000$12,000$14,0000.8
68,400$1,124$15,000$18,000$21,0001.3
811,200$1,499$20,000$24,000$28,0001.7
1014,000$1,873$25,000$30,000$35,0002.1
1216,800$2,248$30,000$36,000$42,0002.5
Payback in South Dakota by price and retail share
South Dakota $ per watt100% retail75%50%25%
$2.0010.714.221.442.7
$2.5013.317.826.753.4
$3.0016.021.432.064.1
$3.5018.724.937.474.7
$4.0021.428.542.785.4

South Dakota: 1,400 kWh/kW × 13.38 ¢ = 187 a year per kW; the 30% column (11.2 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.

CSV

Sun inside South Dakota: 5 cities, 9% apart

Solar output in 5 cities of South Dakota
South Dakota citykWh per kW a yearAgainst state pointSun, kWh/m2 a dayPayback at $3.00Residents
Sioux Falls1,409+0.6%4.8615.9197,642
Rapid City1,460+4.3%5.1515.476,836
Aberdeen1,366-2.4%4.7316.428,297
Brookings1,400-0.0%4.8216.023,710
Watertown1,333-4.8%4.5916.822,859

South Dakota state point 43.96, -98.82; city points Sioux Falls 43.54, -96.73; Rapid City 44.07, -103.22; Aberdeen 45.47, -98.47; Brookings 44.30, -96.79; Watertown 44.91, -97.16. Panel and method: solar method.

Output by month in South Dakota cities: 12 rows
South Dakota monthSioux FallsRapid CityAberdeenBrookingsWatertown
Jan82.281.769.975.166.7
Feb96.796.882.396.088.9
Mar122.5127.8122.4122.6119.6
Apr141.2140.0142.1136.6129.6
May137.3156.5153.9146.5144.0
Jun149.0153.7151.8151.2144.5
Jul164.0156.2161.7169.0163.6
Aug139.0156.0137.9138.3138.2
Sep123.2130.9120.2119.9118.2
Oct104.5108.291.9103.591.6
Nov82.580.173.276.671.3
Dec66.871.959.064.256.4

South Dakota: 5 cities, best month 169 and worst 56 kWh per kW across them.

CSV

Best and worst month in South Dakota: Jul 164, Dec 62 kWh per kW

South Dakota output and value by month
South Dakota monthkWh per kWPrice ¢Value per kWkWh per kW per sun unit
Jan80.012.08$9.660.87
Feb89.311.84$10.570.85
Mar118.012.75$15.040.82
Apr139.113.37$18.600.80
May143.514.33$20.560.77
Jun155.614.22$22.130.75
Jul164.414.52$23.870.74
Aug150.613.98$21.050.75
Sep122.914.76$18.140.77
Oct95.914.09$13.510.81
Nov78.613.81$10.850.84
Dec62.012.51$7.760.86

South Dakota: December to February give 17% of a year (rank 15 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 2.7 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.87) and lowest in Jul (0.74); 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 Dakota is not modelled separately.

South Dakota utilities and solar payback

Solar payback by utility in South Dakota
South Dakota utilityHomesPrice ¢Value of 1 kWPayback at $3.00
Black Hills Power, Inc.60,95114.37$20114.9 yr
NorthWestern Energy51,46712.56$17617.1 yr
Sioux Valley SW Elec Coop22,21312.94$18116.6 yr
Southeastern Electric Coop Inc20,16012.41$17417.3 yr
West River Electric Assn Inc18,42314.25$20015.0 yr
Watertown Municipal Utilities11,6339.30$13023.0 yr
City of Brookings10,54411.12$15619.3 yr
Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc9,22714.76$20714.5 yr
Central Electric Coop, Inc6,48313.64$19115.7 yr
City of Pierre6,12610.65$14920.1 yr
Northern Electric Coop, Inc5,75711.29$15819.0 yr
Rosebud Electric Coop Inc4,85610.63$14920.2 yr

South Dakota among its neighbours

Closest states to South Dakota
Closest to South DakotaPayback, yearskWh per kWPrice, ¢Utility-scale solar, points of generationMiles away
South Dakota (this page)16.01,40013.382.0-
Nebraska+0.9+39-1.04-1.4212
North Dakota+3.1-74-1.57-2.0232
Minnesota-2.0-47+2.44+3.0275
Iowa-0.1-27+0.34-0.3324
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 Dakota against its neighbours in the payback ranking

  • -1 places, Mississippi -0.4 years against South Dakota
  • +0 places, Iowa -0.1 years against South Dakota
  • South Dakota, rank 39: 16.0 years
  • +2 places, Missouri +0.0 years against South Dakota
  • +3 places, Louisiana +0.1 years against South Dakota

Your numbers for South Dakota

    Limits in South Dakota

    South Dakota: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 11.2 years instead of 16.0, so the calculator starts at 0%. No South Dakota export rates in our data: output counts at 13.38 ¢. All limits.

    Sources for South Dakota

    More about South Dakota

    South Dakota electricity hub, South Dakota EV charging: 115 stations, where South Dakota ranks for rooftop solar, 16.0 years against 51 states, South Dakota calculators.

    Questions

    Net metering in South Dakota?

    487 systems, 1.1 per 1,000 accounts, rank 46.

    Solar payback in South Dakota?

    16.0 years at $3.00 a watt; 13.3 at $2.50; 18.7 at $3.50; 1,400 kWh per kW at 13.38 ¢.

    Winter cut in South Dakota solar output?

    December to February give 17% of the year; Jul makes 164 kWh per kW and Dec 62.

    South Dakota electricity from solar, what share?

    2.0% of 2025 net generation, rank 36 of 51, -4.7 points against the nation.

    South Dakota sunshine for solar panels?

    1,400 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 18 of 51; from 1,333 in Watertown to 1,460 in Rapid City.

    Where in South Dakota is solar best?

    Yes: 9% between Watertown and Rapid City in yearly output.

    South Dakota utility-scale solar capacity?

    217 MW in 4 plants (EIA-860), 242 W per resident, rank 28; 104 MW proposed.

    South Dakota pays half price for exports?

    Payback 32.0 years at a 50% retail share.

    CO2 displaced in South Dakota?

    1.3 t a year on 6 kW at 0.151 kg per kWh.

    Federal solar credit in South Dakota: still available?

    Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it South Dakota payback would be 11.2 years, not 16.0.

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    1.1 net-metered home systems per 1,000 accounts in South Dakota, EIA-861 2024, rank 46 of 51