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Northampton County ANEC

Solar panels in Cape Charles, Virginia: 1,460 kWh per kW per year

A south-facing kilowatt of panels in Cape Charles makes about 1,460 kWh a year, 6.9% above the Virginia median. Power here comes from A&N Electric Cooperative at 14.40¢ per kWh (2025 average).

1,460

kWh / kW / year

PVWatts, south-facing

5.17

Peak sun hours / day

annual average irradiance

11,680

kWh / yr from 8 kW

a common home system

14.40¢

ANEC price

2025 residential avg

Monthly solar production per kW in Cape Charles, VirginiaKilowatt-hours per month for a 1 kW south-facing system. Peak in May, low in Dec.050100150Jan92Feb105Mar124Apr137May150Jun146Jul149Aug138Sep125Oct116Nov93Dec87
NREL PVWatts v8, 1 kW DC, fixed roof mount, azimuth 180°, tilt 25°, 14% losses. May makes about 1.7× Dec.

Seasonality

Monthly solar production in Cape Charles

Virginia net metering carries excess credits forward for 12 months, so May's surplus offsets Dec's shortfall. Systems are sized to annual usage rather than to the lowest month. How the calculator models net metering; the current rules by utility are on this Virginia incentives page, maintained by the installer behind this site.

Capacity factor: 16.7%. Elevation about 0 m. Compare every town on the city list, or see how roof direction, tilt and shade change the number.

Payback in Cape Charles

Solar cost and payback for an average home in Cape Charles

Assumes 992 kWh a month (≈ $143) at A&N Electric Cooperative's 2025 average price, Cape Charles's PVWatts production, 3% annual rate growth and $2.78/W installed, no federal credit. Dollars are nominal. Change any of it in the calculator, or compare every utility in Are solar panels worth it in Virginia?

Run it with your bill

8.2 kW

System size

$22,796

Est. cost

$1,864

Year-1 savings

11.1 yrs

Break-even

$55,891

25-yr savings

$33,095

Net benefit

undiscounted

Utility

Electric utilities serving Northampton County

UtilityTypeAvg price ¢/kWhAvg kWh / monthData year
A&N Electric CooperativeElectric cooperative14.409922025*

Questions

Questions about solar in Cape Charles

How much electricity does a solar system produce in Cape Charles?
About 1,460 kWh per year for every kilowatt of panels on a south-facing roof, according to NREL's PVWatts. An 8 kW system would make roughly 11,680 kWh a year. East- or west-facing roofs make less; the calculator applies those factors.
Who is the electric utility in Cape Charles?
A&N Electric Cooperative serves Cape Charles, per EIA's service-territory data. ANEC's 2025 average residential price was 14.40¢ per kWh.
Is solar worth it in Cape Charles?
For an average ANEC home (992 kWh a month), the default assumptions give a 8.2 kW system costing about $22,796 with a break-even around 11.1 years and $33,095 net benefit (nominal) over 25 years. Your bill, roof and shade change that; the calculator lets you enter them. The statewide picture is in “Is solar worth it in Virginia?”.
Where does the sun data come from?
NREL PVWatts v8 (8.5.0), using the 1177967.csv typical-year weather dataset for grid cell 1177967, about 1 km from the town center. Inputs: 1 kW DC, fixed roof mount, 180° azimuth, 25° tilt, 14% system losses. Typical-year data doesn't change year to year.

Solar production in towns near Cape Charles

Sources: NREL PVWatts v8 (8.5.0, typical-year weather); EIA Form 861 2025 utility data and service territories; U.S. Census Bureau place coordinates. Formulas and assumptions on the methodology page.