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Highland County SVEC

Solar panels in Monterey, Virginia: 1,324 kWh per kW per year

A south-facing kilowatt of panels in Monterey makes about 1,324 kWh a year, 3.1% below the Virginia median. Power here comes from Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative at 14.49¢ per kWh (2025 average).

1,324

kWh / kW / year

PVWatts, south-facing

4.82

Peak sun hours / day

annual average irradiance

10,592

kWh / yr from 8 kW

a common home system

14.49¢

SVEC price

2025 residential avg

Monthly solar production per kW in Monterey, VirginiaKilowatt-hours per month for a 1 kW south-facing system. Peak in Jun, low in Dec.050100150Jan89Feb92Mar117Apr124May127Jun134Jul130Aug128Sep111Oct99Nov92Dec82
NREL PVWatts v8, 1 kW DC, fixed roof mount, azimuth 180°, tilt 25°, 14% losses. Jun makes about 1.6× Dec.

Seasonality

Monthly solar production in Monterey

Virginia net metering carries excess credits forward for 12 months, so Jun'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: 15.1%. Elevation about 958 m. Compare every town on the city list, or see how roof direction, tilt and shade change the number.

Payback in Monterey

Solar cost and payback for an average home in Monterey

Assumes 1,200 kWh a month (≈ $174) at Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative's 2025 average price, Monterey'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

10.9 kW

System size

$30,302

Est. cost

$2,327

Year-1 savings

11.9 yrs

Break-even

$69,246

25-yr savings

$38,944

Net benefit

undiscounted

Utility

Electric utilities serving Highland County

UtilityTypeAvg price ¢/kWhAvg kWh / monthData year
Shenandoah Valley Electric CooperativeElectric cooperative14.491,2002025*

Questions

Questions about solar in Monterey

How much electricity does a solar system produce in Monterey?
About 1,324 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 10,592 kWh a year. East- or west-facing roofs make less; the calculator applies those factors.
Who is the electric utility in Monterey?
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative serves Monterey, per EIA's service-territory data. SVEC's 2025 average residential price was 14.49¢ per kWh.
Is solar worth it in Monterey?
For an average SVEC home (1,200 kWh a month), the default assumptions give a 10.9 kW system costing about $30,302 with a break-even around 11.9 years and $38,944 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 1074234.csv typical-year weather dataset for grid cell 1074234, about 0 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 Monterey

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.