Montana 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 | Montana | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Households with a metered rooftop system9,151 systems across 557,432 residential accounts | 1.64% | 25th of 51 |
| Average system sizeNational average 6.74 kW | 7.32 kW | 29th of 51 |
| Residential priceDerived average across the state, not a tariff | 12.66¢/kWh | 41st of 51 |
| Consumption per accountWhat a system here is typically sized against | 10,226 kWh/yr | 29th of 51 |
| Systems with a battery205 paired systems | 2.24% | 18th of 51 |
| Third-party ownedLeased or under a power purchase agreement | — | 39th of 51 |
| Five-year growth2,806 systems added in 2024 | 28.0%/yr | 21st of 51 |
| Installed capacityResidential net-metered capacity | 67.0 MW | — |
What the adoption figure means
A middling market — neither early nor late. Expect a reasonable choice of installers without the depth of the coastal markets.
Residential electricity in Montana averaged 12.66¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, 41st 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 Montana system was 7.32 kW in 2024, ranking 29th of 51. Households consumed an average of 10,226 kilowatt-hours a year (29th 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 9,151 systems counted in Montana 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
2.24% of Montana solar systems were paired with a battery in 2024, 18th of 51 — 205 paired systems.
Attachment runs above the national middle, suggesting storage often earns its place. Attachment across all 51 · does a battery belong in your project.
Where the market is going
Montana added 2,806 systems in 2024 and has grown at 28.0% a year over five years, 21st of 51. Where growth has turned.
Solar companies and licensing in Montana
We found no dedicated state licence register for solar work in Montana, 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 9,151 systems in the state and adoption 25th of 51, you are working in a market where a search for "Montana 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 Montana have solar?
9,151 residential net-metered systems were recorded in Montana in 2024, against 557,432 residential electricity accounts — 1.64% of households, 25th of 51 jurisdictions. That is a HyreSolar calculation from Form EIA-861.
What size solar system is typical in Montana?
The average net-metered residential system in Montana was 7.32 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 Montana add batteries to solar?
2.24% of Montana systems were paired with storage in 2024, 18th of 51. Battery attachment tracks outage frequency and export rules more than it tracks sunshine.
Is Montana a good state for solar?
On the measures we can compute: residential electricity averages 12.66¢/kWh (41st of 51), households use 10,226 kWh a year (29th of 51), and 1.64% have installed a system (25th 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.