Maine 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 | Maine | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Households with a metered rooftop system14,867 systems across 742,549 residential accounts | 2.00% | 21st of 51 |
| Average system sizeNational average 6.74 kW | 8.16 kW | 12th of 51 |
| Residential priceDerived average across the state, not a tariff | 24.29¢/kWh | 8th of 51 |
| Consumption per accountWhat a system here is typically sized against | 6,601 kWh/yr | 49th of 51 |
| Systems with a battery55 paired systems | 0.37% | 37th of 51 |
| Third-party ownedLeased or under a power purchase agreement | 8.9% | 20th of 51 |
| Five-year growth4,348 systems added in 2024 | 24.0%/yr | 26th of 51 |
| Installed capacityResidential net-metered capacity | 121.4 MW | — |
What the adoption figure means
Adoption sits comfortably above the national middle, so there is generally a working installer market to choose between.
Residential electricity in Maine averaged 24.29¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, 8th of 51 and above the national average of 16.48¢. Electricity here is dear by national standards, so self-consumption carries more value than it does in most of the country. Prices and adoption across all 51.
System size and consumption
The average Maine system was 8.16 kW in 2024, ranking 12th of 51. Households consumed an average of 6,601 kilowatt-hours a year (49th 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
8.9% of Maine systems were third-party owned in 2024 — leased or under a power purchase agreement rather than owned by the householder. That is 20th of 51.
Third-party ownership is common, so leases and PPAs will be presented alongside purchase. Who claims the federal credit · ownership across all 51.
Battery attachment
0.37% of Maine solar systems were paired with a battery in 2024, 37th of 51 — 55 paired systems.
Attachment is below average, which usually means exports still pay well enough that storing surplus is not the better trade. Attachment across all 51 · does a battery belong in your project.
Where the market is going
Maine added 4,348 systems in 2024 and has grown at 24.0% a year over five years, 26th of 51. Where growth has turned.
Solar companies and licensing in Maine
We found no dedicated state licence register for solar work in Maine, 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 14,867 systems in the state and adoption 21st of 51, you are working in a market where a search for "Maine 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 Maine have solar?
14,867 residential net-metered systems were recorded in Maine in 2024, against 742,549 residential electricity accounts — 2.00% of households, 21st of 51 jurisdictions. That is a HyreSolar calculation from Form EIA-861.
What size solar system is typical in Maine?
The average net-metered residential system in Maine was 8.16 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 Maine add batteries to solar?
0.37% of Maine systems were paired with storage in 2024, 37th of 51. Battery attachment tracks outage frequency and export rules more than it tracks sunshine.
Is Maine a good state for solar?
On the measures we can compute: residential electricity averages 24.29¢/kWh (8th of 51), households use 6,601 kWh a year (49th of 51), and 2.00% have installed a system (21st 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.