Solar in Utah: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity
Utility-scale solar in Utah: 3,052 MW in 57 plants, 17.4% of 2025 generation; 2,188 MW more under construction or planned. Utah pays back in 14.9 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 34 of 51), 1.4 years longer than the middle state. 1,541 kWh per kW (rank 8) at 13.07 ¢ (rank 45 from the top): sunshine drives it. Across 5 Utah cities, yearly output runs from 1,404 kWh per kW in Logan to 1,714 in St. George. Jun is the best month at 168 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 74.
Utility-scale solar in Utah: 3,052 MW
Utah: 3,052 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 57 plants across 18 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 14 of 51; 916 W per resident, rank 5. Solar made 17.4% of Utah's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 4, +10.6 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Faraday Solar in Utah County, 525 MW (2025); Appaloosa Solar I in Iron County, 200 MW (2024); Hornshadow Solar II, LLC in Emery County, 200 MW (2025). By county: Iron 857 MW, Utah 529 MW, Emery 440 MW, Beaver 363 MW. Proposed: 807 MW under construction (4 plants) and 1,381 MW planned (6 plants); batteries 201 MW running and 1,576 MW proposed.
| Utah year | MW added | Cumulative share of today's MW |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 58 | 2% |
| 2020 | 279 | 11% |
| 2021 | 266 | 20% |
| 2022 | 82 | 22% |
| 2023 | 93 | 25% |
| 2024 | 565 | 44% |
| 2025 | 852 | 72% |
Net metering and CO2 in Utah
EIA-861 (2024): 81,190 home net-metered systems in Utah, 63.8 per 1,000 accounts (rank 8), average 7.1 kW.
6 kW in Utah: 9,244 kWh a year displaces 5.9 t CO2 at 0.641 kg per kWh, +2.9 t against the average state.
Utah: payback 14.9 years, rank 34 of 51
| Measure | Value | Rank of 51 | Median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output of 1 kW a year, kWh | 1,541 | 8 | 1,372 |
| Home price, ¢ per kWh | 13.07 | 45 | 15.37 |
| Value of 1 kW a year | $201 | 34 | $222 |
| Payback at $3.00 a watt | 14.9 years | 34 | 13.5 years |
EIA-861 (2024): 81,190 home net-metered systems in Utah, 63.8 per 1,000 accounts (rank 8), average 7.1 kW.
Sun inside Utah: 5 cities, 20% apart
| Utah city | kWh per kW a year | Against state point | Sun, kWh/m2 a day | Payback at $3.00 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | 1,485 | -3.6% | 5.41 | 15.5 | 203,888 |
| Provo | 1,508 | -2.1% | 5.39 | 15.2 | 114,303 |
| St. George | 1,714 | +11.2% | 6.25 | 13.4 | 99,184 |
| Ogden | 1,484 | -3.7% | 5.38 | 15.5 | 86,973 |
| Logan | 1,404 | -8.9% | 5.20 | 16.4 | 53,923 |
Utah state point 40.40, -111.98; city points Salt Lake City 40.78, -111.93; Provo 40.24, -111.64; St. George 37.08, -113.58; Ogden 41.23, -111.97; Logan 41.74, -111.84. Panel and method: solar method.
Output by month in Utah cities: 12 rows
| Utah month | Salt Lake City | Provo | St. George | Ogden | Logan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74.0 | 79.1 | 103.8 | 80.1 | 65.0 |
| Feb | 85.7 | 92.6 | 111.5 | 87.4 | 72.8 |
| Mar | 124.3 | 127.2 | 155.2 | 127.3 | 122.8 |
| Apr | 142.6 | 143.6 | 165.0 | 140.8 | 129.0 |
| May | 159.2 | 158.4 | 175.8 | 159.7 | 149.6 |
| Jun | 165.5 | 161.1 | 170.1 | 166.5 | 160.8 |
| Jul | 165.9 | 163.4 | 167.8 | 164.3 | 164.6 |
| Aug | 152.1 | 156.7 | 160.9 | 160.8 | 152.6 |
| Sep | 137.6 | 142.6 | 154.5 | 138.7 | 130.8 |
| Oct | 123.9 | 122.8 | 138.5 | 117.1 | 109.9 |
| Nov | 87.4 | 89.2 | 109.6 | 82.9 | 81.6 |
| Dec | 67.1 | 71.7 | 101.1 | 58.2 | 64.3 |
Utah: 5 cities, best month 176 and worst 58 kWh per kW across them.
CSVBest and worst month in Utah: Jun 168, Dec 74 kWh per kW
| Utah month | kWh per kW | Price ¢ | Value per kW | kWh per kW per sun unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82.7 | 12.11 | $10.01 | 0.82 |
| Feb | 87.2 | 12.39 | $10.80 | 0.81 |
| Mar | 135.4 | 12.39 | $16.78 | 0.79 |
| Apr | 142.9 | 12.50 | $17.86 | 0.77 |
| May | 161.9 | 12.60 | $20.40 | 0.74 |
| Jun | 168.0 | 13.10 | $22.01 | 0.71 |
| Jul | 165.7 | 13.45 | $22.29 | 0.70 |
| Aug | 160.6 | 13.68 | $21.97 | 0.71 |
| Sep | 141.5 | 14.12 | $19.98 | 0.73 |
| Oct | 125.1 | 13.69 | $17.13 | 0.77 |
| Nov | 95.6 | 13.07 | $12.49 | 0.80 |
| Dec | 74.2 | 12.99 | $9.64 | 0.83 |
Utah: December to February give 16% of a year (rank 11 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 2.3 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Dec (0.83) and lowest in Jul (0.70); 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 Utah is not modelled separately.
Sizes and prices per watt in Utah
| Utah kW | kWh a year | Value a year | Cost at $2.50 | At $3.00 | At $3.50 | t CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 6,163 | $805 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $14,000 | 3.9 |
| 6 | 9,244 | $1,208 | $15,000 | $18,000 | $21,000 | 5.9 |
| 8 | 12,326 | $1,611 | $20,000 | $24,000 | $28,000 | 7.9 |
| 10 | 15,407 | $2,014 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | 9.9 |
| 12 | 18,488 | $2,416 | $30,000 | $36,000 | $42,000 | 11.8 |
| Utah $ per watt | 100% retail | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | 9.9 | 13.2 | 19.9 | 39.7 |
| $2.50 | 12.4 | 16.6 | 24.8 | 49.7 |
| $3.00 | 14.9 | 19.9 | 29.8 | 59.6 |
| $3.50 | 17.4 | 23.2 | 34.8 | 69.5 |
| $4.00 | 19.9 | 26.5 | 39.7 | 79.5 |
Utah: 1,541 kWh/kW × 13.07 ¢ = 201 a year per kW; the 30% column (10.4 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.
CSVUtah utilities and solar payback
| Utah utility | Homes | Price ¢ | Value of 1 kW | Payback at $3.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PacifiCorp | 947,246 | 12.52 | $193 | 15.6 yr |
| Provo City Corp | 35,299 | 11.39 | $175 | 17.1 yr |
| City of St George | 28,436 | 11.40 | $176 | 17.1 yr |
| Lehi City Corporation | 27,459 | 10.95 | $169 | 17.8 yr |
| Dixie Escalante R E A, Inc | 26,906 | 8.92 | $137 | 21.8 yr |
| City of Logan | 19,455 | 12.82 | $198 | 15.2 yr |
| City of Murray | 17,000 | 11.06 | $170 | 17.6 yr |
| City of Bountiful | 15,709 | 12.97 | $200 | 15.0 yr |
| Spanish Fork City Corporation | 13,988 | 10.10 | $156 | 19.3 yr |
| Moon Lake Electric Assn Inc | 13,275 | 8.98 | $138 | 21.7 yr |
| Garkane Energy Coop, Inc | 11,653 | 11.45 | $176 | 17.0 yr |
| City of Springville | 10,852 | 12.75 | $196 | 15.3 yr |
Utah among its neighbours
| Closest to Utah | Payback, years | kWh per kW | Price, ¢ | Utility-scale solar, points of generation | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah (this page) | 14.9 | 1,541 | 13.07 | 17.4 | - |
| Wyoming | -0.4 | +8 | +0.31 | -16.3 | 300 |
| Idaho | +3.6 | -170 | -1.25 | -9.3 | 311 |
| Nevada | -2.3 | +277 | +0.08 | +13.4 | 327 |
| Colorado | -2.6 | -7 | +2.78 | -7.4 | 368 |
Utah against its neighbours in the payback ranking
- -1 places, Wyoming -0.4 years against Utah
- +0 places, Virginia -0.3 years against Utah
- Utah, rank 34: 14.9 years
- +2 places, North Carolina +0.3 years against Utah
- +3 places, Oklahoma +0.4 years against Utah
Your numbers for Utah
Limits in Utah
Utah: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 10.4 years instead of 14.9, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Utah export rates in our data: output counts at 13.07 ¢. All limits.
Sources for Utah
- PVWatts v8 (NLR), 5 Utah cities and one state point: 1,541 kWh per kW
- EIA-860 2025 and EIA-923 2025: 3,052 MW of solar in Utah
- EIA-861 2024: 81,190 net-metered systems in Utah
- EIA retail sales 2025: 13.07 ¢ per kWh in Utah
- IRS 25D (ended 2025): 10.4 years in Utah with it; licences and periods for Utah
More about Utah
Utah electricity hub, Utah EV charging: 1,009 stations, where Utah ranks for rooftop solar, 14.9 years against 51 states, Utah calculators.
Questions
Utah electricity from solar, what share?
17.4% of 2025 net generation, rank 4 of 51, +10.6 points against the nation.
Utah utility-scale solar capacity?
3,052 MW in 57 plants (EIA-860), 916 W per resident, rank 5; 2,188 MW proposed.
Where in Utah is solar best?
Yes: 20% between Logan and St. George in yearly output.
Utah sunshine for solar panels?
1,541 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 8 of 51; from 1,404 in Logan to 1,714 in St. George.
Net metering in Utah?
81,190 systems, 63.8 per 1,000 accounts, rank 8.
Winter cut in Utah solar output?
December to February give 16% of the year; Jun makes 168 kWh per kW and Dec 74.
Solar payback in Utah?
14.9 years at $3.00 a watt; 12.4 at $2.50; 17.4 at $3.50; 1,541 kWh per kW at 13.07 ¢.
Utah pays half price for exports?
Payback 29.8 years at a 50% retail share.
CO2 displaced in Utah?
5.9 t a year on 6 kW at 0.641 kg per kWh.
Federal solar credit in Utah: still available?
Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Utah payback would be 10.4 years, not 14.9.