North Dakota solar calculator

Live production from NLR (formerly NREL) PVWatts V8. North Dakota is structurally one of the weakest US solar markets in 2026: net billing at AVOIDED COST under N.D. Admin. Code 69-09-07 (~$0.03/kWh export on Xcel Energy ND default; range $0.02-0.05 across IOUs), low retail (~$0.12/kWh statewide, among lowest US — but rising fast, Xcel +12.92% Feb 2026 rate case, +13.8% YoY), federal §25D = $0 (OBBBA repeal), NO state income tax credit (SmartEnergyUSA claim of one is unsubstantiated — no primary source), NO SREC/RPS market, NO statewide battery rebate, and install pricing about 28% above national average ($2.90-3.68/W, ecogenamerica $3.29 weighted). Honest payback 20-25 years (ecogenamerica). The one bright spot is the 5-year property tax exemption (NOT permanent — expires after year 5 under the ND Office of State Tax Commissioner program). Sales tax (5%) NOT CONFIRMED exempt — sources conflict, treated conservatively here. CRITICAL UTILITY VARIABLE: co-ops (Cass County and others) and municipals are EXEMPT from 69-09-07 — some pay NOTHING for excess generation, some bundle a higher rate (Cass ~$0.1242). Verify your co-op's policy IN WRITING before signing. Self-consumption + resilience (extreme winter weather, multi-day outages) are the case for ND solar; ROI is not. Defaults: south-facing roof mount, 20° tilt, 14% losses.