Solar Panel Cost in Virginia Beach, VA (2026 Estimate)

BySunMetricLab Editorial Team·Independent solar research and calculators

Data last updated September 10, 2026

Virginia Beach averages about 4.7 peak sun hours a day (about average for the US, a little sunnier than the Virginia average of 4.5), and pairs with Virginia's approximate residential rate near 14¢/kWh. In the model used here, an 8 kW system produces roughly 10,980 kWh a year and trims about $1,500 off annual electricity costs, paying back its net cost in about 10.9 years (versus 11.4 years for Virginia as a whole). Local shading, roof, and your utility's export terms move the real figure.

Estimated system cost and payback in Virginia Beach

Costs assume roughly $3.00/watt installed; the net column applies a 30% federal credit for comparison with quotes that include it. Savings use Virginia Beach's sun hours and Virginia's rate.

The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit ended for systems paid for after December 31, 2025 under the 2025 federal budget law. Net-after-credit figures apply only if you still qualify (for example a 2025 expenditure, or a leased system where the installer passes a credit through). Confirm with a tax professional.

Net metering and utilities around Virginia Beach

Net metering in Virginia was expanded by the 2020 Clean Economy Act, which raised the residential limit to 25 kilowatts, allowed systems sized up to 150 percent of the previous year's usage, and lifted the aggregate program cap for Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power to six percent of peak load. Exports are credited at the full retail rate and carry forward month to month, and at the end of each twelve-month period you can either keep rolling credits or sell the surplus to the utility at avoided cost.

Dominion Energy Virginia serves about two-thirds of the state including Richmond, Northern Virginia, and Hampton Roads; Appalachian Power covers the southwest from Roanoke to the coalfields; Old Dominion Power serves a small far-southwest corner; and thirteen electric cooperatives such as NOVEC, Rappahannock, and Shenandoah Valley serve much of rural Virginia alongside municipal systems in Danville, Manassas, and elsewhere. Dominion's residential rate is close to the national average and carries a growing list of riders, while Appalachian Power's rates have climbed steadily. Retail crediting means each exported kilowatt-hour is worth roughly what you pay, so savings scale with your usage, though the minimum bill sets a floor you cannot go below regardless of how much you generate.

For the full state picture, including incentives, property and sales tax treatment and the complete net metering notes, see the Virginia solar cost page.