Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative and solar
Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 40,704 homes in Kentucky. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 14.7¢6% above Kentucky average
- Typical bill
- $1831,243 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~51%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 17.5 yrs5.6 kW, cash
Export rules for Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative customers
Net billing (reduced export credit) (Kentucky rule).
Kentucky requires net metering for systems up to 45 kW, but since SB 100 (2019) the PSC sets the export credit in each utility's rate case. For the big investor-owned utilities, power you send to the grid earns a bill credit of roughly 7-10 cents/kWh, well below the retail rate.
Solar for a typical Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative home
| System | 5.6 kW (50% of 1,243 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $16,660 |
| First-year savings | $964 |
| Payback | 17.5 years |
| 25-year net | $8,993 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- —
- Share of customers
- —
- Residential solar capacity
- —
- Residential customers
- 40,704
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative follows Kentucky's rules: Kentucky requires net metering for systems up to 45 kW, but since SB 100 (2019) the PSC sets the export credit in each utility's rate case. For the big investor-owned utilities, power you send to the grid earns a bill credit of roughly 7-10 cents/kWh, well below the retail rate.
How much does electricity cost with Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 13.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.7¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,243 kWh a month, a bill of about $183.
Is solar worth it with Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 5.6 kW system costing about $16,660 pays back in about 17.5 years, with $8,993 net over 25 years.
How many Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative did not report residential net-metered solar to EIA for 2025.
Legal name: Pennyrile Rural Electric Coop (EIA ID 14724). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.