Summary: Which states make the most financial sense for commercial solar right now? This dashboard combines EIA 2023 electricity rates, NREL solar resource data, and DSIRE state incentive programs to score every US state. Arizona ranks #5 nationally — 13.0% IRR on a 100kW commercial system. High-rate states like Hawaii (38.8¢/kWh) and California (23.1¢/kWh) lead on returns. States with strong incentive programs average 2.1 years faster payback.
Key Findings
Best state — Hawaii
IRR 38.3%
SOLON market — Arizona
Rank #5, IRR 13.0%
States >12% IRR
11 states
Avg payback all states
8.9 years
Highest utility rate
Hawaii 38.8¢
Lowest utility rate
Washington 7.6¢
Charts & Analysis
IRR by State (Top 20)
EIA rates + NREL solar resource
EIA Commercial Rates 2023
All 50 states
Solar Resource vs Rate Scatter
Sweet spot analysis
Composite Economics Score
EIA + NREL + DSIRE weighted
Payback Period Distribution
100kW, $2.80/W, state-specific rates
Incentive Tier Impact
DSIRE program quality vs ROI
Data Source
EIA Open Data + NREL Solar Resource + DSIRE — https://www.eia.gov/opendata/
All data is real, publicly available government data. Free to download and verify independently.