Solar panels in Rock Hill: what they cost and what they make
A typical Rock Hill home needs 22 solar panels. They would make about 12,982 kWh a year and cost $23k to $35k before incentives. At today's electricity prices they pay for themselves in about 10.2 yrs.
See panels on your own Rock Hill roof
Type your address. You get your roof from above, the panels that fit, a month-by-month forecast and a battery test. No phone number.
What solar costs in Rock Hill
At $3.00 a watt, the median price cash buyers pay nationally, a 9.2 kW system costs about $27,600. Quotes in Rock Hill will usually fall between $23,000 and $34,500. Complex roofs, main-panel upgrades and financing push prices up.
The 30% federal tax credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy. SC credit (TC-38): 25% of cost, usable up to $3,500 per year (or 50% of tax liability) with 10-year carryforward. On this system that is worth about $6,930, and it is included below.
The number that decides whether solar pays in Rock Hill is what your utility pays for the power you send back. Under full payback is about 10.2 yrs. Under net billing it is about 16.9 yrs, because only the ~43% of solar a typical home uses as it is made saves the full retail price.
Cash purchase, prices rising 2.5% a year, panels losing 0.5% a year, $25/kW a year for upkeep. No federal credit for homeowner-owned systems.
Every way to pay for a 9.2 kW system in Rock Hill
Change any number →| Way to pay | Day one | Monthly payment | Monthly net, year 1 | Ahead after 25 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay cash Full price on install day | $20,700 | $0 | +$153 | $40k |
| Credit-union loan 8% APR, 20 years, no dealer fee | $0 | $231 | −$78 | $12k |
| “1.99%” solar loan 1.99% APR, 25 years, 25% dealer fee | $0 | $146 | +$7 | $23k |
| Lease $145/mo, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $145 | +$27 | $3,500 |
| Power purchase (PPA) 13.5¢/kWh, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $146 | +$26 | $7,200 |
Under net metering, at 15.9¢/kWh rising 2.5% a year. The “1.99%” loan’s $6,900 dealer fee is included in its payments. Lease and PPA prices are typical offers, not quotes.
How much sunshine Rock Hill gets
kWh per kW, 25° southMay is the best month for solar in Rock Hill, and Dec the weakest: a Dec day makes 66% of a May day. A 6 kW system would make about 536 kWh in Dec and 811 kWh in May.
On June 21 the sun rises at 6:10 am and sets at 8:41 pm, 14 hours 31 minutes of daylight. On December 21 it is up from 7:28 am to 5:16 pm, just 9 hours 48 minutes.
Peak sun hours in Rock Hill, month by month
| Month | Flat ground | Panels at 33° | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.7 | 4.3 | 100 |
| Feb | 3.3 | 4.6 | 98 |
| Mar | 4.4 | 5.2 | 125 |
| Apr | 5.6 | 5.8 | 133 |
| May | 6.1 | 5.6 | 135 |
| Jun | 6.4 | 5.7 | 131 |
| Jul | 6.1 | 5.5 | 130 |
| Aug | 5.5 | 5.4 | 126 |
| Sep | 4.8 | 5.3 | 118 |
| Oct | 3.9 | 5.2 | 117 |
| Nov | 3.0 | 4.7 | 103 |
| Dec | 2.4 | 3.9 | 89 |
| Year | 4.5 | 5.1 | 1,405 |
A peak sun hour is one hour of sunlight at 1,000 W per m². Why sites disagree.
The best angle and direction for panels in Rock Hill
| Roof faces (6/12 pitch) | Output vs south | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|
| South | 100% | 1,405 |
| Southeast | 96% | 1,349 |
| Southwest | 95% | 1,335 |
| East | 84% | 1,180 |
| West | 83% | 1,166 |
| North | 63% | 885 |
Face panels south and tilt them 33° for the most energy over a year. East and west roofs keep about 84% of that. A north-facing roof keeps 63%, which is rarely worth the money. Try other angles.
Where the sun goes over Rock Hill
The noon sun is lower in winter, which is why the best winter tilt (58°) is steeper than the best summer tilt (6°).
Rock Hill's homes
Rock Hill has 31,307 households. 54.2% own their home, and 16,560 of those owners live in single-family houses, the kind of home that usually gets rooftop solar.
The median home here was built in 1994. Many roofs that age are due for replacement. Replace the roof first, then add solar: taking panels off and putting them back later costs thousands.
50% of homes heat with electricity and 47.2% with gas. If you switch to a heat pump or an electric car, plan for more panels or leave room on the roof.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
If the power goes out in Rock Hill
Solar panels alone shut off in a blackout. Add a battery and they keep going. One Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh) running a fridge, freezer, furnace fan, lights, Wi-Fi, TV and microwave (6.9 kWh a day):
Change the appliances, the battery and the weather in the battery calculator.
Questions people ask about solar in Rock Hill
How much do solar panels cost in Rock Hill?
A 9.2 kW system — enough for the average South Carolina home — costs about $23,000 to $34,500 before incentives, based on $2.50–$3.75 per watt. South Carolina's state tax credit takes off about $6,930. The 30% federal credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy.
How many solar panels does a house in Rock Hill need?
About 22 panels of 420 watts for a home using 1,050 kWh a month, the South Carolina average. Each kilowatt of panels here makes about 1,405 kWh a year on a south-facing roof.
Is solar worth it in Rock Hill?
Over 25 years, solar power here costs about 8.7¢ per kWh, against 15.9¢ from the grid today. Payback is about 10.2 yrs if your utility credits exported power at the full retail rate, and 16.9 yrs if it pays about 30% of retail.
How many peak sun hours does Rock Hill get?
5.1 a day on panels tilted to 33°, and 4.5 on flat ground. The best month is Apr; the weakest is Dec.
What is the best angle for solar panels in Rock Hill?
33° for the most energy over a year, facing south. 58° is best in winter and 6° in summer. On a normal pitched roof, anything within 15° of 33° gives you about 95% of the maximum.
How long would a home battery last in a Rock Hill power outage?
A Tesla Powerwall 3 running a fridge, freezer, furnace fan, lights, Wi-Fi, TV and microwave (6.9 kWh a day) lasts about 43 hours with no sun. With 7 kW of solar to recharge it, it gets through a three-day outage even in overcast January.
Solar near Rock Hill
| City | Miles | kWh per kW | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | 22 | 1,417 | 5.1 |
| Gastonia, NC | 23 | 1,412 | 5.1 |
| Huntersville, NC | 33 | 1,415 | 5.1 |
| Concord, NC | 38 | 1,417 | 5.1 |
| Kannapolis, NC | 43 | 1,416 | 5.1 |
Rock Hill shares a weather-data neighbourhood with Charlotte; their sunshine numbers differ by less than our data can resolve. Housing, prices and outage figures are specific to Rock Hill.
Cities with the same sunshine as Rock Hill
These far-away cities get almost exactly as much solar energy per panel.
- Kansas City, MO 1,418 kWh per kW
- Bozeman, MT 1,416 kWh per kW
- Great Falls, MT 1,415 kWh per kW
Snow: NASA records about 4 cm of snow on the ground here in an average January. Covered panels make little until it slides off, and these figures (like PVWatts') don't subtract that.
Sources: NASA POWER 2001–2020 monthly climatology (grid cell 66 km from Rock Hill's Census point), our PV model (within 1.6% of NLR PVWatts® on average), U.S. EIA prices and use, U.S. Census 2025 population estimates and ACS 2020–2024. Estimates for an average home, not a site survey. How we calculate.