Kentucky solar in numbers, 2024
Every figure below is computed by us from the Form EIA-861 annual files. Ranks are out of 51 jurisdictions, highest first.
| Measure | Kentucky | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Households with a metered rooftop system10,069 systems across 2,077,215 residential accounts | 0.48% | 42nd of 51 |
| Average system sizeNational average 6.74 kW | 7.71 kW | 19th of 51 |
| Residential priceDerived average across the state, not a tariff | 12.79¢/kWh | 40th of 51 |
| Consumption per accountWhat a system here is typically sized against | 12,558 kWh/yr | 12th of 51 |
| Systems with a battery476 paired systems | 4.73% | 10th of 51 |
| Third-party ownedLeased or under a power purchase agreement | — | 45th of 51 |
| Five-year growth1,385 systems added in 2024 | 46.9%/yr | 6th of 51 |
| Installed capacityResidential net-metered capacity | 77.7 MW | — |
What the adoption figure means
A thin market. Fewer installers cover it, quotes take longer to assemble, and comparison is harder simply because there is less to compare.
Residential electricity in Kentucky averaged 12.79¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, 40th of 51 and below the national average of 16.48¢. Retail electricity is cheaper than most of the country, which lengthens payback because each kilowatt-hour you avoid buying is worth less. Prices and adoption across all 51.
System size and consumption
The average Kentucky system was 7.71 kW in 2024, ranking 19th of 51. Households consumed an average of 12,558 kilowatt-hours a year (12th of 51) — the figure a system here is sized against.
Size your own system from your own kilowatt-hours, not from this average — how to do that.
Who owns the systems
Form EIA-861 records no third-party-ownership split for the 10,069 systems counted in Kentucky in 2024. With a market this size the schedule frequently suppresses the split, so we publish nothing rather than infer it. Ask any company directly whether it is selling you ownership or a lease or PPA — the distinction decides who claims the incentives.
Battery attachment
4.73% of Kentucky solar systems were paired with a battery in 2024, 10th of 51 — 476 paired systems.
Attachment is well above average, so storage is a normal part of a quote here rather than an upsell. Attachment across all 51 · does a battery belong in your project.
Where the market is going
Kentucky added 1,385 systems in 2024 and has grown at 46.9% a year over five years, 6th of 51. Where growth has turned.
Solar companies and licensing in Kentucky
We found no dedicated state licence register for solar work in Kentucky, so we publish no company counts rather than guessing. That is not evidence of light regulation — electrical work is frequently licensed at state or local level even where solar is never named separately.
It does have a practical consequence here. With 10,069 systems in the state and adoption 42nd of 51, you are working in a market where a search for "Kentucky solar licence" will often return nothing useful, and where the company quoting you may be travelling in from out of state. Ask which licence they hold, in which state, and confirm it with that issuing authority rather than accepting a licence number on a proposal. What to do when the search comes back empty.
Method
Figures are computed by HyreSolar from the Form EIA-861 2024 annual files — net-metered residential systems only, penetration counted against residential accounts, sizes as means. EIA publishes the inputs, not these ratios. Full methodology and the underlying CSV.
None of these figures is an estimate for your property. What to work through before you talk to anyone.
Common questions
How many homes in Kentucky have solar?
10,069 residential net-metered systems were recorded in Kentucky in 2024, against 2,077,215 residential electricity accounts — 0.48% of households, 42nd of 51 jurisdictions. That is a HyreSolar calculation from Form EIA-861.
What size solar system is typical in Kentucky?
The average net-metered residential system in Kentucky was 7.71 kW in 2024, against a national average of 6.74 kW. Your own system should be sized from twelve months of your kilowatt-hours and your usable roof, not from a state average.
Do people in Kentucky add batteries to solar?
4.73% of Kentucky systems were paired with storage in 2024, 10th of 51. Battery attachment tracks outage frequency and export rules more than it tracks sunshine.
Is Kentucky a good state for solar?
On the measures we can compute: residential electricity averages 12.79¢/kWh (40th of 51), households use 12,558 kWh a year (12th of 51), and 0.48% have installed a system (42nd of 51). Retail price and export rules move the answer far more than sunshine does, and both are set by your specific utility rather than by the state.
Source: US EIA, Form EIA-861, 2024 final release, retrieved 2 September 2026. Figures marked as a HyreSolar calculation are derived by us and are not official EIA statistics.