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Wythe County APCo

Solar panels in Rural Retreat, Virginia: 1,345 kWh per kW per year

A south-facing kilowatt of panels in Rural Retreat makes about 1,345 kWh a year, 1.5% below the Virginia median. Power here comes from Appalachian Power at 17.16¢ per kWh (2025 average).

1,345

kWh / kW / year

PVWatts, south-facing

5.03

Peak sun hours / day

annual average irradiance

10,760

kWh / yr from 8 kW

a common home system

17.16¢

APCo price

2025 residential avg

Monthly solar production per kW in Rural Retreat, VirginiaKilowatt-hours per month for a 1 kW south-facing system. Peak in Jul, low in Dec.050100150Jan83Feb86Mar115Apr131May131Jun129Jul134Aug131Sep117Oct112Nov97Dec79
NREL PVWatts v8, 1 kW DC, fixed roof mount, azimuth 180°, tilt 25°, 14% losses. Jul makes about 1.7× Dec.

Seasonality

Monthly solar production in Rural Retreat

Virginia net metering carries excess credits forward for 12 months, so Jul'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: 15.4%. Elevation about 773 m. Compare every town on the city list, or see how roof direction, tilt and shade change the number.

Payback in Rural Retreat

Solar cost and payback for an average home in Rural Retreat

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

9.7 kW

System size

$26,966

Est. cost

$2,442

Year-1 savings

10.1 yrs

Break-even

$73,793

25-yr savings

$46,827

Net benefit

undiscounted

Utility

Electric utilities serving Wythe County

UtilityTypeAvg price ¢/kWhAvg kWh / monthData year
Appalachian PowerInvestor-owned utility17.161,0842025*

Questions

Questions about solar in Rural Retreat

How much electricity does a solar system produce in Rural Retreat?
About 1,345 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 10,760 kWh a year. East- or west-facing roofs make less; the calculator applies those factors.
Who is the electric utility in Rural Retreat?
Appalachian Power serves Rural Retreat, per EIA's service-territory data. APCo's 2025 average residential price was 17.16¢ per kWh.
Is solar worth it in Rural Retreat?
For an average APCo home (1,084 kWh a month), the default assumptions give a 9.7 kW system costing about $26,966 with a break-even around 10.1 years and $46,827 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 1036262.csv typical-year weather dataset for grid cell 1036262, 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 Rural Retreat

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.