Solar in Wyoming: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity
Across 5 Wyoming cities, yearly output runs from 1,434 kWh per kW in Gillette to 1,622 in Rock Springs. Jul is the best month at 175 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 72. Wyoming pays back in 14.5 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 32 of 51), 1.0 years longer than the middle state. 1,549 kWh per kW (rank 6) at 13.38 ¢ (rank 39 from the top): sunshine drives it. Utility-scale solar in Wyoming: 242 MW in 2 plants, 1.1% of 2025 generation; 1,427 MW more under construction or planned.
Sun inside Wyoming: 5 cities, 12% apart
| Wyoming city | kWh per kW a year | Against state point | Sun, kWh/m2 a day | Payback at $3.00 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne | 1,554 | +0.3% | 5.43 | 14.4 | 64,976 |
| Casper | 1,517 | -2.1% | 5.30 | 14.8 | 58,754 |
| Gillette | 1,434 | -7.5% | 5.01 | 15.6 | 33,278 |
| Laramie | 1,522 | -1.7% | 5.25 | 14.7 | 31,848 |
| Rock Springs | 1,622 | +4.7% | 5.64 | 13.8 | 23,229 |
Wyoming state point 42.59, -106.97; city points Cheyenne 41.13, -104.79; Casper 42.84, -106.32; Gillette 44.27, -105.50; Laramie 41.31, -105.61; Rock Springs 41.59, -109.22. Panel and method: solar method.
Output by month in Wyoming cities: 12 rows
| Wyoming month | Cheyenne | Casper | Gillette | Laramie | Rock Springs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100.3 | 83.3 | 79.8 | 89.1 | 96.9 |
| Feb | 104.2 | 92.0 | 83.9 | 102.1 | 105.7 |
| Mar | 149.7 | 132.8 | 122.7 | 138.4 | 143.7 |
| Apr | 144.9 | 136.6 | 133.3 | 143.9 | 151.5 |
| May | 151.5 | 158.9 | 152.0 | 153.7 | 167.9 |
| Jun | 161.2 | 169.7 | 160.7 | 163.0 | 173.5 |
| Jul | 150.4 | 167.9 | 164.5 | 155.9 | 172.1 |
| Aug | 151.3 | 152.9 | 152.8 | 144.7 | 160.5 |
| Sep | 136.9 | 140.9 | 139.8 | 139.4 | 144.6 |
| Oct | 118.0 | 115.7 | 99.5 | 117.1 | 123.1 |
| Nov | 96.4 | 87.9 | 79.4 | 92.3 | 96.1 |
| Dec | 89.3 | 78.1 | 65.1 | 82.7 | 87.0 |
Wyoming: 5 cities, best month 174 and worst 65 kWh per kW across them.
CSVBest and worst month in Wyoming: Jul 175, Dec 72 kWh per kW
| Wyoming month | kWh per kW | Price ¢ | Value per kW | kWh per kW per sun unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 79.2 | 11.69 | $9.26 | 0.86 |
| Feb | 99.7 | 11.70 | $11.66 | 0.84 |
| Mar | 139.0 | 12.41 | $17.25 | 0.82 |
| Apr | 142.6 | 13.05 | $18.61 | 0.79 |
| May | 164.5 | 13.82 | $22.73 | 0.77 |
| Jun | 169.3 | 14.89 | $25.21 | 0.75 |
| Jul | 174.8 | 14.64 | $25.59 | 0.73 |
| Aug | 159.6 | 14.37 | $22.93 | 0.74 |
| Sep | 144.9 | 15.00 | $21.73 | 0.77 |
| Oct | 117.6 | 15.11 | $17.77 | 0.80 |
| Nov | 86.0 | 13.91 | $11.96 | 0.84 |
| Dec | 71.9 | 12.83 | $9.22 | 0.86 |
Wyoming: December to February give 16% of a year (rank 12 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 2.4 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Dec (0.86) and lowest in Jul (0.73); 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 Wyoming is not modelled separately.
Wyoming: payback 14.5 years, rank 32 of 51
| Measure | Value | Rank of 51 | Median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output of 1 kW a year, kWh | 1,549 | 6 | 1,372 |
| Home price, ¢ per kWh | 13.38 | 39 | 15.37 |
| Value of 1 kW a year | $207 | 32 | $222 |
| Payback at $3.00 a watt | 14.5 years | 32 | 13.5 years |
EIA-861 (2024): 1,929 home net-metered systems in Wyoming, 6.7 per 1,000 accounts (rank 37), average 6.8 kW.
Sizes and prices per watt in Wyoming
| Wyoming kW | kWh a year | Value a year | Cost at $2.50 | At $3.00 | At $3.50 | t CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 6,196 | $829 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $14,000 | 5.1 |
| 6 | 9,294 | $1,244 | $15,000 | $18,000 | $21,000 | 7.7 |
| 8 | 12,392 | $1,658 | $20,000 | $24,000 | $28,000 | 10.2 |
| 10 | 15,490 | $2,073 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | 12.8 |
| 12 | 18,588 | $2,487 | $30,000 | $36,000 | $42,000 | 15.3 |
| Wyoming $ per watt | 100% retail | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | 9.6 | 12.9 | 19.3 | 38.6 |
| $2.50 | 12.1 | 16.1 | 24.1 | 48.2 |
| $3.00 | 14.5 | 19.3 | 28.9 | 57.9 |
| $3.50 | 16.9 | 22.5 | 33.8 | 67.5 |
| $4.00 | 19.3 | 25.7 | 38.6 | 77.2 |
Wyoming: 1,549 kWh/kW × 13.38 ¢ = 207 a year per kW; the 30% column (10.1 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.
CSVUtility-scale solar in Wyoming: 242 MW
Wyoming: 242 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 2 plants across 2 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 42 of 51; 417 W per resident, rank 17. Solar made 1.1% of Wyoming's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 41, -5.7 points against the national share. Biggest plants: South Cheyenne Solar in Laramie County, 150 MW (2024); Sweetwater Solar in Sweetwater County, 92 MW (2018). By county: Laramie 150 MW, Sweetwater 92 MW. Proposed: 0 MW under construction (0 plants) and 1,427 MW planned (4 plants); batteries 0 MW running and 1,099 MW proposed.
| Wyoming year | MW added | Cumulative share of today's MW |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 0 | 0% |
| 2020 | 0 | 0% |
| 2021 | 0 | 0% |
| 2022 | 0 | 0% |
| 2023 | 0 | 0% |
| 2024 | 150 | 62% |
| 2025 | 0 | 62% |
Net metering and CO2 in Wyoming
EIA-861 (2024): 1,929 home net-metered systems in Wyoming, 6.7 per 1,000 accounts (rank 37), average 6.8 kW.
6 kW in Wyoming: 9,294 kWh a year displaces 7.7 t CO2 at 0.826 kg per kWh, +4.6 t against the average state.
Wyoming utilities and solar payback
| Wyoming utility | Homes | Price ¢ | Value of 1 kW | Payback at $3.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne Light Fuel & Power | 39,954 | 16.96 | $263 | 11.4 yr |
| Lower Valley Energy Inc | 22,827 | 6.44 | $100 | 30.1 yr |
| Powder River Energy Corp | 15,406 | 11.73 | $182 | 16.5 yr |
| City of Gillette | 13,990 | 12.62 | $195 | 15.3 yr |
| High Plains Power Inc | 12,767 | 13.71 | $212 | 14.1 yr |
| High West Energy, Inc | 5,579 | 14.37 | $223 | 13.5 yr |
Wyoming among its neighbours
| Closest to Wyoming | Payback, years | kWh per kW | Price, ¢ | Utility-scale solar, points of generation | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming (this page) | 14.5 | 1,549 | 13.38 | 1.1 | - |
| Colorado | -2.1 | -15 | +2.47 | +8.8 | 229 |
| Utah | +0.4 | -8 | -0.31 | +16.3 | 300 |
| Montana | +3.1 | -233 | -0.40 | +0.2 | 354 |
| South Dakota | +1.5 | -149 | +0.00 | +1.0 | 421 |
Wyoming against its neighbours in the payback ranking
Your numbers for Wyoming
Limits in Wyoming
Wyoming: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 10.1 years instead of 14.5, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Wyoming export rates in our data: output counts at 13.38 ¢. All limits.
Sources for Wyoming
- PVWatts v8 (NLR), 5 Wyoming cities and one state point: 1,549 kWh per kW
- EIA-860 2025 and EIA-923 2025: 242 MW of solar in Wyoming
- EIA-861 2024: 1,929 net-metered systems in Wyoming
- EIA retail sales 2025: 13.38 ¢ per kWh in Wyoming
- IRS 25D (ended 2025): 10.1 years in Wyoming with it; licences and periods for Wyoming
More about Wyoming
Wyoming electricity hub, Wyoming EV charging: 120 stations, where Wyoming ranks for rooftop solar, 14.5 years against 51 states, Wyoming calculators.
Questions
Wyoming sunshine for solar panels?
1,549 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 6 of 51; from 1,434 in Gillette to 1,622 in Rock Springs.
Wyoming electricity from solar, what share?
1.1% of 2025 net generation, rank 41 of 51, -5.7 points against the nation.
Winter cut in Wyoming solar output?
December to February give 16% of the year; Jul makes 175 kWh per kW and Dec 72.
Where in Wyoming is solar best?
Yes: 12% between Gillette and Rock Springs in yearly output.
Net metering in Wyoming?
1,929 systems, 6.7 per 1,000 accounts, rank 37.
Wyoming utility-scale solar capacity?
242 MW in 2 plants (EIA-860), 417 W per resident, rank 17; 1,427 MW proposed.
Solar payback in Wyoming?
14.5 years at $3.00 a watt; 12.1 at $2.50; 16.9 at $3.50; 1,549 kWh per kW at 13.38 ¢.
Wyoming pays half price for exports?
Payback 28.9 years at a 50% retail share.
CO2 displaced in Wyoming?
7.7 t a year on 6 kW at 0.826 kg per kWh.
Federal solar credit in Wyoming: still available?
Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Wyoming payback would be 10.1 years, not 14.5.