Solar in Virginia: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity
Utility-scale solar in Virginia: 5,180 MW in 142 plants, 8.2% of 2025 generation; 3,559 MW more under construction or planned. Virginia pays back in 14.6 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 33 of 51), 1.1 years longer than the middle state. 1,343 kWh per kW (rank 31) at 15.28 ¢ (rank 28 from the top): sun and price equally drives it. Across 5 Virginia cities, yearly output runs from 1,288 kWh per kW in Roanoke to 1,434 in Virginia Beach. Jul is the best month at 140 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 73.
Utility-scale solar in Virginia: 5,180 MW
Virginia: 5,180 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 142 plants across 61 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 8 of 51; 598 W per resident, rank 11. Solar made 8.2% of Virginia's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 15, +1.5 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Pleinmont Solar 2 in Spotsylvania County, 240 MW (2021); Skipjack Solar Center in Charles City County, 175 MW (2022); Highlander Solar Energy Station 1 in Spotsylvania County, 165 MW (2020). By county: Halifax 527 MW, Spotsylvania 500 MW, Surry 390 MW, Greensville 320 MW. Proposed: 827 MW under construction (14 plants) and 2,733 MW planned (29 plants); batteries 81 MW running and 341 MW proposed.
| Virginia year | MW added | Cumulative share of today's MW |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 163 | 3% |
| 2020 | 679 | 16% |
| 2021 | 888 | 33% |
| 2022 | 648 | 46% |
| 2023 | 830 | 62% |
| 2024 | 1000 | 81% |
| 2025 | 490 | 91% |
Virginia: payback 14.6 years, rank 33 of 51
| Measure | Value | Rank of 51 | Median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output of 1 kW a year, kWh | 1,343 | 31 | 1,372 |
| Home price, ¢ per kWh | 15.28 | 28 | 15.37 |
| Value of 1 kW a year | $205 | 33 | $222 |
| Payback at $3.00 a watt | 14.6 years | 33 | 13.5 years |
EIA-861 (2024): 69,562 home net-metered systems in Virginia, 19.0 per 1,000 accounts (rank 21), average 7.4 kW.
Sun inside Virginia: 5 cities, 11% apart
| Virginia city | kWh per kW a year | Against state point | Sun, kWh/m2 a day | Payback at $3.00 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | 1,434 | +6.8% | 5.05 | 13.7 | 457,066 |
| Richmond | 1,344 | +0.1% | 4.90 | 14.6 | 227,595 |
| Newport News | 1,403 | +4.4% | 4.97 | 14.0 | 184,774 |
| Alexandria | 1,375 | +2.4% | 4.86 | 14.3 | 156,788 |
| Roanoke | 1,288 | -4.1% | 4.84 | 15.2 | 98,677 |
Virginia state point 37.90, -77.50; city points Virginia Beach 36.78, -76.03; Richmond 37.53, -77.48; Newport News 37.08, -76.52; Alexandria 38.82, -77.08; Roanoke 37.28, -79.96. Panel and method: solar method.
Output by month in Virginia cities: 12 rows
| Virginia month | Virginia Beach | Richmond | Newport News | Alexandria | Roanoke |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88.6 | 85.7 | 85.2 | 88.8 | 83.7 |
| Feb | 95.3 | 94.8 | 95.0 | 101.7 | 90.8 |
| Mar | 125.5 | 114.1 | 109.9 | 120.5 | 107.3 |
| Apr | 144.6 | 126.3 | 135.0 | 132.6 | 122.7 |
| May | 152.8 | 129.0 | 149.3 | 132.1 | 125.0 |
| Jun | 144.6 | 137.4 | 144.7 | 139.6 | 131.1 |
| Jul | 146.1 | 140.1 | 146.1 | 138.2 | 125.8 |
| Aug | 136.4 | 132.5 | 133.0 | 130.6 | 124.0 |
| Sep | 120.1 | 107.8 | 121.9 | 120.0 | 104.9 |
| Oct | 109.6 | 107.0 | 111.6 | 107.0 | 105.2 |
| Nov | 93.1 | 91.7 | 93.1 | 85.6 | 92.5 |
| Dec | 77.8 | 77.8 | 78.1 | 78.5 | 75.3 |
Virginia: 5 cities, best month 153 and worst 75 kWh per kW across them.
CSVBest and worst month in Virginia: Jul 140, Dec 73 kWh per kW
| Virginia month | kWh per kW | Price ¢ | Value per kW | kWh per kW per sun unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81.6 | 13.94 | $11.38 | 0.83 |
| Feb | 93.1 | 14.22 | $13.24 | 0.81 |
| Mar | 116.5 | 14.89 | $17.35 | 0.79 |
| Apr | 133.1 | 15.28 | $20.34 | 0.76 |
| May | 138.1 | 15.26 | $21.07 | 0.74 |
| Jun | 134.8 | 15.23 | $20.53 | 0.73 |
| Jul | 139.5 | 15.78 | $22.01 | 0.72 |
| Aug | 131.8 | 15.83 | $20.86 | 0.72 |
| Sep | 107.3 | 16.62 | $17.83 | 0.74 |
| Oct | 105.0 | 16.36 | $17.18 | 0.77 |
| Nov | 89.2 | 15.94 | $14.22 | 0.80 |
| Dec | 73.3 | 15.27 | $11.19 | 0.82 |
Virginia: December to February give 18% of a year (rank 32 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 1.9 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.83) 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 Virginia is not modelled separately.
Net metering and CO2 in Virginia
EIA-861 (2024): 69,562 home net-metered systems in Virginia, 19.0 per 1,000 accounts (rank 21), average 7.4 kW.
6 kW in Virginia: 8,060 kWh a year displaces 2.0 t CO2 at 0.243 kg per kWh, -1.1 t against the average state.
Sizes and prices per watt in Virginia
| Virginia kW | kWh a year | Value a year | Cost at $2.50 | At $3.00 | At $3.50 | t CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5,373 | $821 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $14,000 | 1.3 |
| 6 | 8,060 | $1,232 | $15,000 | $18,000 | $21,000 | 2.0 |
| 8 | 10,746 | $1,642 | $20,000 | $24,000 | $28,000 | 2.6 |
| 10 | 13,433 | $2,053 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | 3.3 |
| 12 | 16,120 | $2,463 | $30,000 | $36,000 | $42,000 | 3.9 |
| Virginia $ per watt | 100% retail | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | 9.7 | 13.0 | 19.5 | 39.0 |
| $2.50 | 12.2 | 16.2 | 24.4 | 48.7 |
| $3.00 | 14.6 | 19.5 | 29.2 | 58.5 |
| $3.50 | 17.1 | 22.7 | 34.1 | 68.2 |
| $4.00 | 19.5 | 26.0 | 39.0 | 78.0 |
Virginia: 1,343 kWh/kW × 15.28 ¢ = 205 a year per kW; the 30% column (10.2 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.
CSVVirginia among its neighbours
| Closest to Virginia | Payback, years | kWh per kW | Price, ¢ | Utility-scale solar, points of generation | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia (this page) | 14.6 | 1,343 | 15.28 | 8.2 | - |
| District of Columbia | -4.8 | +48 | +6.66 | +10.1 | 74 |
| Maryland | -3.5 | +44 | +4.20 | -4.8 | 93 |
| Delaware | -2.0 | +40 | +1.85 | -5.1 | 147 |
| Pennsylvania | -2.1 | -102 | +4.02 | -7.6 | 178 |
Virginia against its neighbours in the payback ranking
- -1 places, Georgia -0.2 years against Virginia
- +0 places, Wyoming -0.1 years against Virginia
- Virginia, rank 33: 14.6 years
- +2 places, Utah +0.3 years against Virginia
- +3 places, North Carolina +0.5 years against Virginia
Virginia utilities and solar payback
| Virginia utility | Homes | Price ¢ | Value of 1 kW | Payback at $3.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | 2,383,548 | 14.09 | $189 | 15.8 yr |
| Appalachian Power Co | 465,283 | 17.02 | $229 | 13.1 yr |
| Rappahannock Electric Coop | 169,489 | 14.89 | $200 | 15.0 yr |
| Northern Virginia Elec Coop | 167,274 | 11.57 | $155 | 19.3 yr |
| Shenandoah Valley Elec Coop | 85,281 | 13.81 | $186 | 16.2 yr |
| Southside Electric Coop, Inc | 56,846 | 15.48 | $208 | 14.4 yr |
| City of Danville | 37,781 | 15.01 | $202 | 14.9 yr |
| Central Virginia Electric Coop | 34,893 | 16.14 | $217 | 13.8 yr |
| A & N Electric Coop | 33,096 | 13.02 | $175 | 17.2 yr |
| Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative | 30,016 | 14.50 | $195 | 15.4 yr |
| City of Harrisonburg | 18,089 | 11.36 | $153 | 19.7 yr |
| Northern Neck Elec Coop, Inc | 17,991 | 16.12 | $217 | 13.9 yr |
Your numbers for Virginia
Limits in Virginia
Virginia: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 10.2 years instead of 14.6, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Virginia export rates in our data: output counts at 15.28 ¢. All limits.
Sources for Virginia
- PVWatts v8 (NLR), 5 Virginia cities and one state point: 1,343 kWh per kW
- EIA-860 2025 and EIA-923 2025: 5,180 MW of solar in Virginia
- EIA-861 2024: 69,562 net-metered systems in Virginia
- EIA retail sales 2025: 15.28 ¢ per kWh in Virginia
- IRS 25D (ended 2025): 10.2 years in Virginia with it; licences and periods for Virginia
More about Virginia
Virginia electricity hub, Virginia EV charging: 1,830 stations, where Virginia ranks for rooftop solar, 14.6 years against 51 states, Virginia calculators.
Questions
Virginia utility-scale solar capacity?
5,180 MW in 142 plants (EIA-860), 598 W per resident, rank 11; 3,559 MW proposed.
Virginia electricity from solar, what share?
8.2% of 2025 net generation, rank 15 of 51, +1.5 points against the nation.
Where in Virginia is solar best?
Yes: 11% between Roanoke and Virginia Beach in yearly output.
Solar payback in Virginia?
14.6 years at $3.00 a watt; 12.2 at $2.50; 17.1 at $3.50; 1,343 kWh per kW at 15.28 ¢.
Winter cut in Virginia solar output?
December to February give 18% of the year; Jul makes 140 kWh per kW and Dec 73.
Virginia sunshine for solar panels?
1,343 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 31 of 51; from 1,288 in Roanoke to 1,434 in Virginia Beach.
Net metering in Virginia?
69,562 systems, 19.0 per 1,000 accounts, rank 21.
Virginia pays half price for exports?
Payback 29.2 years at a 50% retail share.
CO2 displaced in Virginia?
2.0 t a year on 6 kW at 0.243 kg per kWh.
Federal solar credit in Virginia: still available?
Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Virginia payback would be 10.2 years, not 14.6.