Rhode Island 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 | Rhode Island | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Households with a metered rooftop system17,321 systems across 457,383 residential accounts | 3.79% | 13th of 51 |
| Average system sizeNational average 6.74 kW | 6.12 kW | 43rd of 51 |
| Residential priceDerived average across the state, not a tariff | 28.65¢/kWh | 5th of 51 |
| Consumption per accountWhat a system here is typically sized against | 6,802 kWh/yr | 48th of 51 |
| Systems with a battery1,155 paired systems | 6.67% | 7th of 51 |
| Third-party ownedLeased or under a power purchase agreement | 35.5% | 9th of 51 |
| Five-year growth3,297 systems added in 2024 | 35.9%/yr | 10th of 51 |
| Installed capacityResidential net-metered capacity | 106.0 MW | — |
What the adoption figure means
A mature market by national standards, which usually means several credible installers to compare and a permitting process that is not learning on your job.
Residential electricity in Rhode Island averaged 28.65¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, 5th of 51 and above the national average of 16.48¢. Among the most expensive residential electricity in the country, which is the strongest single reason adoption rises: what you avoid paying is the value of every kilowatt-hour you use on site. Prices and adoption across all 51.
System size and consumption
The average Rhode Island system was 6.12 kW in 2024, ranking 43rd of 51. Households consumed an average of 6,802 kilowatt-hours a year (48th 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
35.5% of Rhode Island systems were third-party owned in 2024 — leased or under a power purchase agreement rather than owned by the householder. That is 9th of 51.
Third-party ownership is the dominant model, so expect a lease or PPA to be the first thing you are offered. Who claims the federal credit · ownership across all 51.
Battery attachment
6.67% of Rhode Island solar systems were paired with a battery in 2024, 7th of 51 — 1,155 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
Rhode Island added 3,297 systems in 2024 and has grown at 35.9% a year over five years, 10th of 51. Where growth has turned.
Solar companies and licensing in Rhode Island
We found no dedicated state licence register for solar work in Rhode Island, 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 17,321 systems in the state and adoption 13th of 51, you are working in a market where a search for "Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island have solar?
17,321 residential net-metered systems were recorded in Rhode Island in 2024, against 457,383 residential electricity accounts — 3.79% of households, 13th of 51 jurisdictions. That is a HyreSolar calculation from Form EIA-861.
What size solar system is typical in Rhode Island?
The average net-metered residential system in Rhode Island was 6.12 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 Rhode Island add batteries to solar?
6.67% of Rhode Island systems were paired with storage in 2024, 7th of 51. Battery attachment tracks outage frequency and export rules more than it tracks sunshine.
Is Rhode Island a good state for solar?
On the measures we can compute: residential electricity averages 28.65¢/kWh (5th of 51), households use 6,802 kWh a year (48th of 51), and 3.79% have installed a system (13th 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.