Midwest Energy Cooperative and solar
Midwest Energy Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 30,545 homes in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is a close call.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 20.4¢3% below Michigan average
- Typical bill
- $199973 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~44%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 14.9 yrs4.5 kW, cash
Export rules for Midwest Energy Cooperative customers
Net billing (reduced export credit) (Michigan rule).
Michigan's IOUs use a 'distributed generation' inflow/outflow tariff: you save the full retail rate on solar you use directly, but power sent to the grid is credited only at roughly the power-supply portion of the rate (about 8-15 cents depending on rate/time).
Solar for a typical Midwest Energy Cooperative home
| System | 4.5 kW (50% of 973 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $16,100 |
| First-year savings | $1,009 |
| Payback | 14.9 years |
| 25-year net | $15,292 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 324
- Share of customers
- 1.1%
- Residential solar capacity
- 4 MW
- Residential customers
- 30,545
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Midwest Energy Cooperative and solar
Does Midwest Energy Cooperative have net metering?
Midwest Energy Cooperative follows Michigan's rules: Michigan's IOUs use a 'distributed generation' inflow/outflow tariff: you save the full retail rate on solar you use directly, but power sent to the grid is credited only at roughly the power-supply portion of the rate (about 8-15 cents depending on rate/time).
How much does electricity cost with Midwest Energy Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 19.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 20.4¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 973 kWh a month, a bill of about $199.
Is solar worth it with Midwest Energy Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is a close call: a 4.5 kW system costing about $16,100 pays back in about 14.9 years, with $15,292 net over 25 years.
How many Midwest Energy Cooperative customers have solar?
About 324 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 1.1% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Midwest Energy Cooperative - (MI) (EIA ID 12377). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.