Plateau Electric Cooperative and solar
Plateau Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 14,323 homes in Tennessee. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 14.4¢6% above Tennessee average
- Typical bill
- $141982 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~19%No statewide net metering
- Typical payback
- 23.4 yrs4.3 kW, cash
Export rules for Plateau Electric Cooperative customers
No statewide net metering (Tennessee rule).
Tennessee has no net metering law; almost all homes are served by TVA-supplied local power companies. Solar offsets your own usage, but exported power is typically bought at TVA's low wholesale avoided-cost rate (about 2.7 c/kWh in late 2026) or a local utility's own rate.
Solar for a typical Plateau Electric Cooperative home
| System | 4.3 kW (50% of 982 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $16,830 |
| First-year savings | $672 |
| Payback | 23.4 years |
| 25-year net | $1,466 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- —
- Share of customers
- —
- Residential solar capacity
- —
- Residential customers
- 14,323
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Plateau Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Plateau Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Plateau Electric Cooperative follows Tennessee's rules: Tennessee has no net metering law; almost all homes are served by TVA-supplied local power companies. Solar offsets your own usage, but exported power is typically bought at TVA's low wholesale avoided-cost rate (about 2.7 c/kWh in late 2026) or a local utility's own rate.
How much does electricity cost with Plateau Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 14.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.4¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 982 kWh a month, a bill of about $141.
Is solar worth it with Plateau Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 4.3 kW system costing about $16,830 pays back in about 23.4 years, with $1,466 net over 25 years.
How many Plateau Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
Plateau Electric Cooperative did not report residential net-metered solar to EIA for 2025.
Legal name: Plateau Electric Cooperative (EIA ID 15141). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.