Independent city APCo Installer core area

Solar panels in Roanoke, Virginia: 1,306 kWh per kW per year

A south-facing kilowatt of panels in Roanoke makes about 1,306 kWh a year, 4.4% below the Virginia median. Power here comes from Appalachian Power at 17.16¢ per kWh (2025 average).

1,306

kWh / kW / year

PVWatts, south-facing

4.91

Peak sun hours / day

annual average irradiance

10,448

kWh / yr from 8 kW

a common home system

17.16¢

APCo price

2025 residential avg

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 Roanoke

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: 14.9%. Elevation about 315 m. Compare every town on the city list, or see how roof direction, tilt and shade change the number.

Payback in Roanoke

Solar cost and payback for an average home in Roanoke

Assumes 1,084 kWh a month (≈ $186) at Appalachian Power's 2025 average price, Roanoke'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

10.0 kW

System size

$27,800

Est. cost

$2,442

Year-1 savings

10.4 yrs

Break-even

$73,863

25-yr savings

$46,063

Net benefit

undiscounted

Utility

Electric utilities serving Roanoke

Utility	Type	Avg price ¢/kWh	Avg kWh / month	Data year
Appalachian Power	Investor-owned utility	17.16	1,084	2025*

Questions

Questions about solar in Roanoke

How much electricity does a solar system produce in Roanoke?

About 1,306 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 10,448 kWh a year. East- or west-facing roofs make less; the calculator applies those factors.

Who is the electric utility in Roanoke?

Appalachian Power serves Roanoke, per EIA's service-territory data. APCo's 2025 average residential price was 17.16¢ per kWh.

Is solar worth it in Roanoke?

For an average APCo home (1,084 kWh a month), the default assumptions give a 10.0 kW system costing about $27,800 with a break-even around 10.4 years and $46,063 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 1066363.csv typical-year weather dataset for grid cell 1066363, about 2 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 Roanoke

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.