Skip to content
Fauquier County DominionREC Installer core area

Solar panels in The Plains, Virginia: 1,387 kWh per kW per year

A south-facing kilowatt of panels in The Plains makes about 1,387 kWh a year, 1.5% above the Virginia median. Power here comes from Dominion or REC; the numbers below use the Dominion rate of 15.20¢ per kWh (2025 average). Your bill shows which one serves you.

1,387

kWh / kW / year

PVWatts, south-facing

4.93

Peak sun hours / day

annual average irradiance

11,096

kWh / yr from 8 kW

a common home system

15.20¢

Dominion price

2025 residential avg

Monthly solar production per kW in The Plains, VirginiaKilowatt-hours per month for a 1 kW south-facing system. Peak in Jul, low in Dec.050100150Jan90Feb96Mar121Apr127May137Jun132Jul144Aug138Sep125Oct107Nov88Dec83
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 The Plains

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: 15.8%. Elevation about 178 m. Compare every town on the city list, or see how roof direction, tilt and shade change the number.

Payback in The Plains

Solar cost and payback for an average home in The Plains

Assumes 1,038 kWh a month (≈ $158) at Dominion Energy's 2025 average price, The Plains'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

9.0 kW

System size

$25,020

Est. cost

$2,073

Year-1 savings

11.0 yrs

Break-even

$62,072

25-yr savings

$37,052

Net benefit

undiscounted

Utility

Electric utilities serving Fauquier County

Fauquier County is split between utilities. Rates are calendar-year averages; see all Virginia utilities for the full table.

UtilityTypeAvg price ¢/kWhAvg kWh / monthData year
Dominion EnergyInvestor-owned utility15.201,0382025*
Rappahannock Electric CooperativeElectric cooperative15.491,1952025*

Questions

Questions about solar in The Plains

How much electricity does a solar system produce in The Plains?
About 1,387 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 11,096 kWh a year. East- or west-facing roofs make less; the calculator applies those factors.
Who is the electric utility in The Plains?
EIA's service-territory data lists Dominion Energy and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative for Fauquier County. Boundaries run through the locality; your bill shows which one serves you. Dominion's 2025 average residential price was 15.20¢ per kWh.
Is solar worth it in The Plains?
For an average Dominion home (1,038 kWh a month), the default assumptions give a 9.0 kW system costing about $25,020 with a break-even around 11.0 years and $37,052 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 1121241.csv typical-year weather dataset for grid cell 1121241, 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 The Plains

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.