Solar by state
Solar in Nebraska, by the numbers
Utilities and their rates, adoption, ten years of growth, batteries, ownership, state rules and installer licensing in Nebraska, from federal 2024 data.
Nebraska in brief
0.31% of Nebraska homes had rooftop solar in 2024, the 6th-lowest of 51 (3.55% nationally). Power cost 11.53¢/kWh, below the national 16.48¢, and the average system was 8.03 kW. Omaha Public Power District serves 40.1% of homes.
Where does Nebraska stand out?
The four measures, beyond price and adoption, on which Nebraska sits furthest from the middle of the ranking.
Nebraska solar in numbers, 2024
Every Nebraska figure next to the national one, with its place in the ranking (highest first, out of the jurisdictions reporting it).
| Measure | Nebraska | United States | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes with a metered rooftop system | 0.31% | 3.55% | 6th-lowest of 51 |
| Rooftop systems counted | 2,807 | 5,077,543 | 7th-lowest of 51 |
| Average system size | 8.03 kW | 6.74 kW | 14th-highest of 51 |
| Residential price | 11.53¢/kWh | 16.48¢/kWh | 3rd-lowest of 51 |
| Average monthly bill | $110.28 | $142.26 | 9th-lowest of 51 |
| Use per home | 11,477 kWh/yr | 10,359 kWh/yr | 19th-highest of 51 |
| Systems with a battery | 0.36% | 5.86% | 10th-lowest of 47 |
| Leased or on a PPA | Not reported | 29.1% | No figure |
| Growth in systems, five years | 35.0% a year | — | 11th-highest of 51 |
| Minutes without power per customer | 698 | 297 (median state) | 11th-highest of 51 |
| Homes on a time-varying rate | 0.20% | 11.1% | 8th-lowest of 51 |
| Installed rooftop capacity | 22.5 MW | 34,226 MW | — |
Source: US EIA, Form EIA-861, 2024 final release, retrieved 2 September 2026. The Nebraska ratios and ranks are HyreSolar calculations from EIA inputs.
Which utility serves Nebraska, and what does it charge?
The 8 largest utilities selling to Nebraska homes, by residential customers, with the price full-service customers paid and how many run net-metered solar.
| Utility | Type | Homes served | Price per kWh | Use per home, monthly | Net-metered systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha Public Power District | Public power district | 362,918 (40.1%) | 12.36¢ | 885 kWh | 1,655 (0.46%) |
| Lincoln Electric System | Municipal | 134,912 (14.9%) | 10.86¢ | 808 kWh | 410 (0.30%) |
| Nebraska Public Power District | Public power district | 73,650 (8.1%) | 10.63¢ | 938 kWh | 201 (0.27%) |
| City of Grand Island | Municipal | 22,799 (2.5%) | 10.93¢ | 798 kWh | 12 (0.05%) |
| Norris Public Power District | Public power district | 18,387 (2.0%) | 9.61¢ | 1,518 kWh | 164 (0.89%) |
| Loup River Public Power Dist | Public power district | 16,292 (1.8%) | 10.59¢ | 1,225 kWh | None reported |
| Dawson Power District | Public power district | 16,080 (1.8%) | 11.41¢ | 1,271 kWh | 54 (0.34%) |
| Southern Public Power District | Public power district | 15,215 (1.7%) | 9.21¢ | 1,294 kWh | 42 (0.28%) |
Source: US EIA, Form EIA-861 2024, Sales to Ultimate Customers and Net Metering, utility level, retrieved 5 October 2026. Shares are of 905,415 Nebraska residential accounts. Each Nebraska price is residential revenue divided by sales for full-service customers (HyreSolar calculation); a wires company’s price is its default-service price.
What do the Nebraska utility figures mean for a solar quote?
EIA-861 lists 25 utilities serving homes in Nebraska in 2024, across 905,415 residential accounts. The three largest, Omaha Public Power District, Lincoln Electric System and Nebraska Public Power District, served 63.1% of those homes. By ownership: public power districts 60.5%, municipal utilities 22.6% and small utilities EIA counts as a group 16.4%.
All 905,415 Nebraska residential accounts bought energy from the utility that delivers it; EIA counted none on a competitive supplier. So a Nebraska utility’s own tariff sets both the price you avoid and the credit for what you export.
Omaha Public Power District, the largest, served 362,918 Nebraska homes (40.1%). Its full-service residential customers paid 12.36¢ per kWh, above the Nebraska average of 11.53¢, and used 885 kWh a month on average. 1,655 of its customers ran net-metered rooftop solar, 0.46% of its homes against 0.31% statewide.
Among the 16 Nebraska utilities with at least 5,000 residential customers and a full-service price, the price ran from 8.44¢ at Cedar-Knox Public Power Dist to 12.90¢ at City of South Sioux City.
At the Nebraska average of 11,477 kWh a year, that 4.46¢ gap is worth about $512 a year (our arithmetic), so the same system offsets more money in one territory than the other.
Price a quote on your own utility’s rate, not the 11.53¢ Nebraska average.
Rooftop solar is concentrated: Omaha Public Power District alone accounts for 1,655 net-metered residential systems, about 59% of the 2,807 counted in Nebraska, and 23 Nebraska utilities reported any at all. The highest adoption among the larger utilities was at Norris Public Power District, where 0.89% of homes had a system.
What does power cost in Nebraska, and why does it matter?
Residential electricity in Nebraska averaged 11.53¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, the 3rd-lowest of 51 and below the national 16.48¢. That is one of the lowest residential prices in the country. Each avoided kilowatt-hour is worth little, which can stretch payback in Nebraska whatever the sunshine.
The average Nebraska household bill was $110.28 a month ($1,323 a year), the 9th-lowest of 51, against $142.26 nationally. That $1,323 is the ceiling on what solar could save a typical Nebraska home, before fixed monthly charges.
Only 0.20% of Nebraska homes were on a time-varying rate in 2024 (11.1% nationally), so a flat rate is the likely starting point. 31.1% of Nebraska residential meters were smart meters (83.8% nationally), and a time-varying rate needs one. How time-of-use changes solar.
How many Nebraska homes have solar?
Nebraska had 2,807 rooftop systems on net metering in 2024, across 905,415 residential accounts: 0.31% of homes, the 6th-lowest of 51. Nebraska is one of the least developed rooftop markets in the country. Expect few local installers and a permit office with little solar experience, and allow time for both.
The Nebraska market counted 270 more systems in 2024 than in 2023 and has grown 35.0% a year over five years, the 11th-highest of 51. Where growth has turned nationally.
How has Nebraska solar changed since 2014?
Nebraska counted 101 net-metered rooftop systems in 2014 and 2,807 in 2024, 27.8 times as many. The share of homes with one moved from 0.01% to 0.31%. The biggest one-year addition came in 2022, with 952 more systems than the year before.
| Year | Rooftop systems | Share of homes | Average size | Residential price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 101 | 0.01% | 5.7 kW | 10.40¢ |
| 2016 | 204 | 0.02% | 8.0 kW | 10.84¢ |
| 2018 | 491 | 0.06% | 9.2 kW | 10.70¢ |
| 2020 | 598 | 0.07% | 9.2 kW | 10.80¢ |
| 2022 | 1,872 | 0.21% | 8.2 kW | 10.79¢ |
| 2024 | 2,807 | 0.31% | 8.0 kW | 11.53¢ |
Source: US EIA, Form EIA-861 annual files 2014–2024, net-metered residential systems, retrieved 2 September 2026. Nebraska shares and sizes are HyreSolar calculations.
What does the Nebraska trend mean for a savings estimate?
Over the same years the Nebraska residential price went from 10.40¢ to 11.53¢ per kWh, up 11%, and the average system from 5.7 kW to 8.0 kW. With Nebraska prices up 11% across ten years, a savings estimate that assumes steep yearly rate rises is assuming more than this record shows.
How big is a typical Nebraska system?
The average Nebraska system was 8.03 kW in 2024, the 14th-highest of 51, against 6.74 kW nationally. Nebraska homes used 11,477 kilowatt-hours a year each, the 19th-highest of 51.
A Nebraska home using 11,477 kWh is an average, not a design input: size from your own twelve months of bills and usable roof with cost by system size and the system size calculator.
Who owns the systems in Nebraska?
Form EIA-861 reports no third-party-ownership split for the 2,807 systems counted in Nebraska in 2024, so we publish none rather than infer one.
Ask any Nebraska company in writing whether it is selling you the system or a lease or power purchase agreement; the owner of a Nebraska system is the one who claims any tax credit.
Do Nebraska homes add batteries?
In Nebraska, 0.36% of solar systems were paired with a battery in 2024 (10 systems), the 10th-lowest of 47. Nebraska’s share is well under half the national 5.86%.
On reliability, the average Nebraska customer went 698 minutes without power in 2024 counting major storms, and 70 minutes without them. The median state saw 297. Outages in every state.
Whether a battery pays in Nebraska turns on your utility’s export credit and your own outage history: what a home battery does.
How do you check a solar company’s license in Nebraska?
We found no dedicated state register for solar work in Nebraska, so we publish no company counts. That is not evidence of light regulation: electrical work can be licensed at state or local level even where solar is never named.
With 2,807 systems in Nebraska, the company quoting you may be based out of state. Ask which license it holds, in which state, and confirm it with that authority. What to do when the search comes back empty.
Which states are closest to Nebraska on adoption?
The six jurisdictions nearest to Nebraska’s 0.31% share of homes with rooftop solar.
Where do the Nebraska numbers come from?
The Nebraska figures are HyreSolar calculations from the Form EIA-861 annual files: 2,807 net-metered residential systems counted against 905,415 residential accounts, sizes as means, and 25 utility-level rows for the utility table, matched to net-metering records by EIA utility number.
The method and limits cover all 51; the Nebraska row is in the data as a CSV.
No Nebraska figure here is an estimate for one home: your roof, usage, utility tariff and tax position decide that.
Your inquiry
Tell us about your home
Nothing goes to a solar professional unless you agree.
Free, with no obligation: a person reads it and gets back to you. Matching is not live yet, so this is not a quote.
Get Solar Options
If you have done your research and want to speak with a solar professional, HyreSolar can help you explore available options.
Questions
How many homes in Nebraska have solar?
What size solar system is typical in Nebraska?
Do Nebraska homeowners add batteries to solar?
Is Nebraska a good state for solar?
Which utility serves the most homes in Nebraska?
Written and audited by
HyreSolar Research
Primary-source research, data analysis and fact checking
We are a research desk, not a sales floor. We read the statute, the tariff, the code section, the federal filing or the manufacturer data sheet ourselves, and we publish the figure with the document it came from and the date we retrieved it.
Where a number cannot be traced to a primary source, we publish the shorter page and say what we could not verify. That rule has cost us whole sections, and it is why the rest can be checked.
- 160
- primary sources read and cited
- 228
- figures with a retrieval date
- 115
- federal and state government sources
- 66
- researched pages published
How this desk works
- Primary sources only. Statutes from the legislature’s own publishing system, federal data from the agency that collects it, code text from the adopted edition, manufacturer claims from the data sheet. We do not cite an article that cites a source; we go and read the source.
- Every figure carries its provenance. A named document and the date we retrieved it, so you can check it and so you know how old it is. Retrieval dates are not decoration: an EIA rate from May is a different fact from an EIA rate from August.
- We publish what we could not verify. Every research page carries a section naming the things we tried to establish and could not, and why. A paywalled standard, a state website that refused the request, a manufacturer that publishes no figure at all.
- We separate measurement from modeling from our own reasoning, and label which is which on the page. A laboratory measurement, an assumption inside a modeling tool and our own inference are three different kinds of claim and they are never presented as one.
- We do not sell solar, and we take no payment for placement, ranking or a favorable mention. Nobody buys a position on this site.
Data as of EIA-861 2024 final release. Authorship on this site is organizational: the analysis belongs to the desk rather than to a named individual, and we do not publish credentials we do not hold. Our editorial policy sets out how we source, date and correct what we publish.