Solar in Texas: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity
Utility-scale solar in Texas: 30,767 MW in 226 plants, 11.0% of 2025 generation; 43,793 MW more under construction or planned. Texas pays back in 12.9 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 23 of 51), 0.5 years shorter than the middle state. 1,498 kWh per kW (rank 10) at 15.47 ¢ (rank 24 from the top): sunshine drives it. Across 5 Texas cities, yearly output runs from 1,421 kWh per kW in Houston to 1,535 in Fort Worth. Aug is the best month at 151 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 96.
Utility-scale solar in Texas: 30,767 MW
Texas: 30,767 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 226 plants across 93 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 1 of 51; 1038 W per resident, rank 3. Solar made 11.0% of Texas's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 7, +4.2 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Hornet Solar (TX) in Swisher County, 600 MW (2025); Hecate Energy Outpost Solar LLC in Webb County, 515 MW (2025); Hecate Energy Frye Solar LLC in Swisher County, 500 MW (2024). By county: Pecos 2,178 MW, Lamar 1,460 MW, Fort Bend 1,221 MW, Hopkins 1,106 MW. Proposed: 14,770 MW under construction (68 plants) and 29,023 MW planned (126 plants); batteries 14,109 MW running and 28,847 MW proposed.
| Texas year | MW added | Cumulative share of today's MW |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 699 | 2% |
| 2020 | 2273 | 10% |
| 2021 | 3973 | 23% |
| 2022 | 2528 | 31% |
| 2023 | 3707 | 43% |
| 2024 | 7398 | 67% |
| 2025 | 8280 | 94% |
Texas: payback 12.9 years, rank 23 of 51
| Measure | Value | Rank of 51 | Median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output of 1 kW a year, kWh | 1,498 | 10 | 1,372 |
| Home price, ¢ per kWh | 15.47 | 24 | 15.37 |
| Value of 1 kW a year | $232 | 23 | $222 |
| Payback at $3.00 a watt | 12.9 years | 23 | 13.5 years |
EIA-861 (2024): 137,201 home net-metered systems in Texas, 10.9 per 1,000 accounts (rank 30), average 8.0 kW.
Sun inside Texas: 5 cities, 8% apart
| Texas city | kWh per kW a year | Against state point | Sun, kWh/m2 a day | Payback at $3.00 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 1,421 | -5.1% | 5.22 | 13.6 | 2,300,419 |
| San Antonio | 1,504 | +0.4% | 5.49 | 12.9 | 1,458,954 |
| Dallas | 1,500 | +0.1% | 5.41 | 12.9 | 1,299,553 |
| Austin | 1,483 | -1.0% | 5.40 | 13.1 | 967,862 |
| Fort Worth | 1,535 | +2.5% | 5.54 | 12.6 | 941,311 |
Texas state point 31.02, -97.51; city points Houston 29.79, -95.39; San Antonio 29.46, -98.53; Dallas 32.79, -96.77; Austin 30.30, -97.75; Fort Worth 32.78, -97.35. Panel and method: solar method.
Output by month in Texas cities: 12 rows
| Texas month | Houston | San Antonio | Dallas | Austin | Fort Worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 92.8 | 101.6 | 101.7 | 101.5 | 107.5 |
| Feb | 87.7 | 96.0 | 100.7 | 94.0 | 103.0 |
| Mar | 128.7 | 122.9 | 123.0 | 119.0 | 127.6 |
| Apr | 126.6 | 129.5 | 135.6 | 134.9 | 136.1 |
| May | 137.5 | 139.6 | 142.4 | 138.6 | 137.1 |
| Jun | 134.7 | 140.8 | 151.7 | 140.7 | 151.6 |
| Jul | 139.6 | 150.7 | 144.0 | 150.6 | 158.2 |
| Aug | 134.2 | 151.5 | 143.6 | 153.5 | 148.5 |
| Sep | 122.8 | 128.3 | 138.6 | 130.8 | 135.2 |
| Oct | 121.7 | 129.3 | 120.2 | 122.9 | 121.0 |
| Nov | 109.1 | 115.1 | 101.7 | 97.5 | 109.1 |
| Dec | 86.0 | 98.1 | 96.5 | 99.1 | 100.5 |
Texas: 5 cities, best month 158 and worst 86 kWh per kW across them.
CSVBest and worst month in Texas: Aug 151, Dec 96 kWh per kW
| Texas month | kWh per kW | Price ¢ | Value per kW | kWh per kW per sun unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 108.4 | 14.67 | $15.90 | 0.80 |
| Feb | 100.0 | 14.88 | $14.88 | 0.78 |
| Mar | 119.7 | 15.28 | $18.29 | 0.77 |
| Apr | 125.0 | 15.52 | $19.40 | 0.76 |
| May | 137.2 | 15.53 | $21.31 | 0.74 |
| Jun | 147.3 | 15.26 | $22.48 | 0.72 |
| Jul | 150.0 | 15.36 | $23.04 | 0.72 |
| Aug | 150.8 | 15.46 | $23.31 | 0.72 |
| Sep | 132.7 | 15.83 | $21.01 | 0.73 |
| Oct | 124.4 | 16.10 | $20.03 | 0.75 |
| Nov | 105.9 | 16.04 | $16.99 | 0.79 |
| Dec | 96.4 | 15.87 | $15.30 | 0.81 |
Texas: December to February give 20% of a year (rank 48 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 1.6 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Dec (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 Texas is not modelled separately.
Net metering and CO2 in Texas
EIA-861 (2024): 137,201 home net-metered systems in Texas, 10.9 per 1,000 accounts (rank 30), average 8.0 kW.
6 kW in Texas: 8,986 kWh a year displaces 3.1 t CO2 at 0.348 kg per kWh, +0.1 t against the average state.
Sizes and prices per watt in Texas
| Texas kW | kWh a year | Value a year | Cost at $2.50 | At $3.00 | At $3.50 | t CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5,990 | $927 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $14,000 | 2.1 |
| 6 | 8,986 | $1,390 | $15,000 | $18,000 | $21,000 | 3.1 |
| 8 | 11,981 | $1,853 | $20,000 | $24,000 | $28,000 | 4.2 |
| 10 | 14,976 | $2,317 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | 5.2 |
| 12 | 17,971 | $2,780 | $30,000 | $36,000 | $42,000 | 6.3 |
| Texas $ per watt | 100% retail | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | 8.6 | 11.5 | 17.3 | 34.5 |
| $2.50 | 10.8 | 14.4 | 21.6 | 43.2 |
| $3.00 | 12.9 | 17.3 | 25.9 | 51.8 |
| $3.50 | 15.1 | 20.1 | 30.2 | 60.4 |
| $4.00 | 17.3 | 23.0 | 34.5 | 69.1 |
Texas: 1,498 kWh/kW × 15.47 ¢ = 232 a year per kW; the 30% column (9.1 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.
CSVTexas among its neighbours
| Closest to Texas | Payback, years | kWh per kW | Price, ¢ | Utility-scale solar, points of generation | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (this page) | 12.9 | 1,498 | 15.47 | 11.0 | - |
| Oklahoma | +2.4 | -3 | -2.35 | -10.2 | 319 |
| Louisiana | +3.1 | -13 | -2.90 | -8.7 | 365 |
| Arkansas | +4.1 | -126 | -2.63 | -4.1 | 401 |
| Mississippi | +2.7 | -128 | -1.44 | -7.3 | 476 |
Texas against its neighbours in the payback ranking
Texas utilities and solar payback
| Texas utility | Homes | Price ¢ | Value of 1 kW | Payback at $3.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliant Energy Retail Services | 1,548,250 | 17.38 | $260 | 11.5 yr |
| TXU Energy Retail Co, LLC | 1,446,391 | 18.70 | $280 | 10.7 yr |
| City of San Antonio | 865,914 | 12.43 | $186 | 16.1 yr |
| Austin Energy | 507,291 | 12.58 | $188 | 15.9 yr |
| Entergy Texas Inc. | 457,369 | 13.66 | $205 | 14.7 yr |
| US Retailers, LLC | 412,301 | 14.60 | $219 | 13.7 yr |
| Just Energy | 407,723 | 15.15 | $227 | 13.2 yr |
| Pedernales Electric Coop, Inc | 405,587 | 12.22 | $183 | 16.4 yr |
| Ambit Energy Holdings, LLC | 360,476 | 18.77 | $281 | 10.7 yr |
| El Paso Electric Co | 312,576 | 13.46 | $202 | 14.9 yr |
| Denton County Elec Coop, Inc | 298,734 | 13.77 | $206 | 14.5 yr |
| Green Mountain Energy Company | 292,172 | 17.52 | $262 | 11.4 yr |
Your numbers for Texas
Limits in Texas
Texas: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 9.1 years instead of 12.9, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Texas export rates in our data: output counts at 15.47 ¢. All limits.
Sources for Texas
- PVWatts v8 (NLR), 5 Texas cities and one state point: 1,498 kWh per kW
- EIA-860 2025 and EIA-923 2025: 30,767 MW of solar in Texas
- EIA-861 2024: 137,201 net-metered systems in Texas
- EIA retail sales 2025: 15.47 ¢ per kWh in Texas
- IRS 25D (ended 2025): 9.1 years in Texas with it; licences and periods for Texas
More about Texas
Texas electricity hub, Texas EV charging: 3,780 stations, where Texas ranks for rooftop solar, 12.9 years against 51 states, Texas calculators.
Questions
Texas utility-scale solar capacity?
30,767 MW in 226 plants (EIA-860), 1038 W per resident, rank 3; 43,793 MW proposed.
Winter cut in Texas solar output?
December to February give 20% of the year; Aug makes 151 kWh per kW and Dec 96.
Texas electricity from solar, what share?
11.0% of 2025 net generation, rank 7 of 51, +4.2 points against the nation.
Texas sunshine for solar panels?
1,498 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 10 of 51; from 1,421 in Houston to 1,535 in Fort Worth.
Net metering in Texas?
137,201 systems, 10.9 per 1,000 accounts, rank 30.
Solar payback in Texas?
12.9 years at $3.00 a watt; 10.8 at $2.50; 15.1 at $3.50; 1,498 kWh per kW at 15.47 ¢.
Where in Texas is solar best?
Yes: 8% between Houston and Fort Worth in yearly output.
Texas pays half price for exports?
Payback 25.9 years at a 50% retail share.
CO2 displaced in Texas?
3.1 t a year on 6 kW at 0.348 kg per kWh.
Federal solar credit in Texas: still available?
Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Texas payback would be 9.1 years, not 12.9.