A snapshot of what solar actually costs and pays back in South Carolina right now, plus every calculator on this site pre-loaded with South Carolina's numbers.
At South Carolina's average residential electricity rate of $0.14/kWh and 5.0 peak sun hours per day, a standard 6kW residential system produces roughly 8,760 kWh a year. Installed at an estimated $2.70/watt, that system runs about $16,200 before incentives, with a simple payback around 13 years at full retail-rate value. Your real number depends heavily on your actual usage and roof — run it precisely in the Solar Panel Calculator, pre-loaded with South Carolina's defaults.
South Carolina: Net metering under state-mandated utility programs. That's roughly a 95% export credit relative to the retail rate in our model — see the exact math for your own production and consumption in the Net Metering Calculator.
The federal residential tax credit (Section 25D) expired for owned systems installed after December 31, 2025 — see our 2026 federal tax credit guide for the full picture. At the state level: South Carolina offers a state tax credit (25%, capped annually) for residential solar, separate from any federal program. Check the Solar Tax Credit & Incentive Calculator for a worked example, and verify current program status with a database like DSIRE before budgeting around any specific number.
Get a full cost breakdown — equipment, labor, permitting — using South Carolina's regional cost estimate in the Solar Panel Cost Calculator, or see the full return-on-investment picture including degradation and rate escalation in the Solar ROI Calculator.
With an average residential rate of $0.14/kWh and net metering under state-mandated utility programs, a typical 6kW system in South Carolina pays back in roughly 13 years based on current estimates — run your own numbers with your actual bill for a precise figure.
A typical 6kW residential system in South Carolina costs approximately $16,200 installed before any incentives, based on a regional estimate of $2.70/watt.