South 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 | South Dakota | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Households with a metered rooftop system469 systems across 433,548 residential accounts | 0.11% | 48th of 51 |
| Average system sizeNational average 6.74 kW | 7.75 kW | 16th of 51 |
| Residential priceDerived average across the state, not a tariff | 12.86¢/kWh | 39th of 51 |
| Consumption per accountWhat a system here is typically sized against | 11,925 kWh/yr | 18th of 51 |
| Systems with a batteryPV-paired storage | 0.00% | 46th of 51 |
| Third-party ownedLeased or under a power purchase agreement | — | 49th of 51 |
| Five-year growth165 systems added in 2024 | 51.9%/yr | 5th of 51 |
| Installed capacityResidential net-metered capacity | 3.6 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 South Dakota averaged 12.86¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, 39th 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 South Dakota system was 7.75 kW in 2024, ranking 16th of 51. Households consumed an average of 11,925 kilowatt-hours a year (18th 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 469 systems counted in South 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 South Dakota solar systems were paired with a battery in 2024, 46th 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
South Dakota added 165 systems in 2024 and has grown at 51.9% a year over five years, 5th of 51. Where growth has turned.
Solar companies and licensing in South Dakota
We found no dedicated state licence register for solar work in South 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 469 systems in the state and adoption 48th of 51, you are working in a market where a search for "South 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 South Dakota have solar?
469 residential net-metered systems were recorded in South Dakota in 2024, against 433,548 residential electricity accounts — 0.11% of households, 48th of 51 jurisdictions. That is a HyreSolar calculation from Form EIA-861.
What size solar system is typical in South Dakota?
The average net-metered residential system in South Dakota was 7.75 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 South Dakota add batteries to solar?
0.00% of South Dakota systems were paired with storage in 2024, 46th of 51. Battery attachment tracks outage frequency and export rules more than it tracks sunshine.
Is South Dakota a good state for solar?
On the measures we can compute: residential electricity averages 12.86¢/kWh (39th of 51), households use 11,925 kWh a year (18th of 51), and 0.11% have installed a system (48th 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.