North Dakota 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 | North Dakota | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Households with a metered rooftop system81 systems across 397,839 residential accounts | 0.02% | 49th of 51 |
| Average system sizeNational average 6.74 kW | 12.59 kW | 1st of 51 |
| Residential priceDerived average across the state, not a tariff | 11.51¢/kWh | 51st of 51 |
| Consumption per accountWhat a system here is typically sized against | 12,344 kWh/yr | 14th of 51 |
| Systems with a batteryPV-paired storage | 0.00% | 47th of 51 |
| Third-party ownedLeased or under a power purchase agreement | — | 50th of 51 |
| Five-year growth13 systems added in 2024 | 15.2%/yr | 39th of 51 |
| Installed capacityResidential net-metered capacity | 1.0 MW | — |
What the adoption figure means
One of the least developed rooftop markets in the country. Expect few installers, long lead times, and permitting offices with little solar experience.
Residential electricity in North Dakota averaged 11.51¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, 51st of 51 and below the national average of 16.48¢. Among the cheapest residential electricity in the country. That is the most common reason solar struggles to pay back here, whatever the sunshine. Prices and adoption across all 51.
System size and consumption
The average North Dakota system was 12.59 kW in 2024, ranking 1st of 51. Households consumed an average of 12,344 kilowatt-hours a year (14th 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 81 systems counted in North Dakota 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
0.00% of North Dakota solar systems were paired with a battery in 2024, 47th of 51 .
Attachment is among the lowest in the country. Where exports are still credited well, a battery is usually the weakest line in a proposal. Attachment across all 51 · does a battery belong in your project.
Where the market is going
North Dakota added 13 systems in 2024 and has grown at 15.2% a year over five years, 39th of 51. Where growth has turned.
Solar companies and licensing in North Dakota
We found no dedicated state licence register for solar work in North Dakota, 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 81 systems in the state and adoption 49th of 51, you are working in a market where a search for "North Dakota 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 North Dakota have solar?
81 residential net-metered systems were recorded in North Dakota in 2024, against 397,839 residential electricity accounts — 0.02% of households, 49th of 51 jurisdictions. That is a HyreSolar calculation from Form EIA-861.
What size solar system is typical in North Dakota?
The average net-metered residential system in North Dakota was 12.59 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 North Dakota add batteries to solar?
0.00% of North Dakota systems were paired with storage in 2024, 47th of 51. Battery attachment tracks outage frequency and export rules more than it tracks sunshine.
Is North Dakota a good state for solar?
On the measures we can compute: residential electricity averages 11.51¢/kWh (51st of 51), households use 12,344 kWh a year (14th of 51), and 0.02% have installed a system (49th 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.