West Virginia 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 | West Virginia | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Households with a metered rooftop system3,535 systems across 866,456 residential accounts | 0.41% | 43rd of 51 |
| Average system sizeNational average 6.74 kW | 8.91 kW | 5th of 51 |
| Residential priceDerived average across the state, not a tariff | 15.07¢/kWh | 22nd of 51 |
| Consumption per accountWhat a system here is typically sized against | 12,320 kWh/yr | 15th of 51 |
| Systems with a battery603 paired systems | 17.06% | 4th of 51 |
| Third-party ownedLeased or under a power purchase agreement | — | 46th of 51 |
| Five-year growth594 systems added in 2024 | 32.3%/yr | 13th of 51 |
| Installed capacityResidential net-metered capacity | 31.5 MW | — |
What the adoption figure means
A thin market. Fewer installers cover it, quotes take longer to assemble, and comparison is harder simply because there is less to compare.
Residential electricity in West Virginia averaged 15.07¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, 22nd of 51 and below the national average of 16.48¢. Retail prices sit above the national middle, which tilts the arithmetic toward using production on site rather than exporting it. Prices and adoption across all 51.
System size and consumption
The average West Virginia system was 8.91 kW in 2024, ranking 5th of 51. Households consumed an average of 12,320 kilowatt-hours a year (15th 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 3,535 systems counted in West Virginia 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
17.06% of West Virginia solar systems were paired with a battery in 2024, 4th of 51 — 603 paired systems.
Among the highest attachment rates in the country, which normally points to poor export compensation, unreliable supply, or both. Attachment across all 51 · does a battery belong in your project.
Where the market is going
West Virginia added 594 systems in 2024 and has grown at 32.3% a year over five years, 13th of 51. Where growth has turned.
Solar companies and licensing in West Virginia
We found no dedicated state licence register for solar work in West Virginia, 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 3,535 systems in the state and adoption 43rd of 51, you are working in a market where a search for "West Virginia 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 West Virginia have solar?
3,535 residential net-metered systems were recorded in West Virginia in 2024, against 866,456 residential electricity accounts — 0.41% of households, 43rd of 51 jurisdictions. That is a HyreSolar calculation from Form EIA-861.
What size solar system is typical in West Virginia?
The average net-metered residential system in West Virginia was 8.91 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 West Virginia add batteries to solar?
17.06% of West Virginia systems were paired with storage in 2024, 4th of 51. Battery attachment tracks outage frequency and export rules more than it tracks sunshine.
Is West Virginia a good state for solar?
On the measures we can compute: residential electricity averages 15.07¢/kWh (22nd of 51), households use 12,320 kWh a year (15th of 51), and 0.41% have installed a system (43rd 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.