Is solar worth it in Minneapolis in 2026?
A roof in Minneapolis produces about 1,286 kWh a year per kW of panels. For a home with a $150 monthly bill, a 8.6 kW system costs about $31,008 at Minnesota's median price and pays for itself in roughly 17.2 years, with no federal tax credit.
1,286kWh per kW a year
Source: PVGIS, NSRDB data
16.3¢per kWh
Source: EIA, 2026 year to date
$3.60per watt
Source: Berkeley Lab
Calculator · 2026 data, no federal tax credit
How long would solar take to pay for itself?
Simple payback
17.2 years
- System size
- 8.6 kW
- Installed cost
- $31,008
- Savings, year one
- $1,800
- Net over 25 years
- $11,392
Sized to cover your yearly use at today's price. Panels lose 0.5% a year; prices held flat. Method
How Minneapolis homes get paid for solar
Export rules are set at the state and utility level, not by the city. Minneapolis is under Minnesota's full net metering: Minnesota law lets systems under 40 kW elect credit at the utility's average retail energy rate; Xcel Energy applies it to monthly excess generation. The full rules, incentives and sources are on theMinnesota page.
Why the city matters
Two things change from one city to another in the same state: the sun, which sets how many panels you need, and the utility, which sets what exported power is worth. Minneapolis gets 1,286 kWh per kW a year on a south-facing roof at a 20° tilt, so covering a year of use for a $150 bill at 16.3¢ takes about 8.6 kW, roughly 22 panels of 400 W. Electricity prices in the calculator are the Minnesota residential average; your utility's rate can be higher or lower, so put your own bill in.
Method: how we calculate payback. Compare all states in theranking or size a system with the panel calculator.