Salt River Electric Cooperative and solar
Salt River Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 54,002 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.)
- 11.6¢17% below Kentucky average
- Typical bill
- $1461,258 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~65%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 21.5 yrs5.6 kW, cash
Export rules for Salt River 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 Salt River Electric Cooperative home
| System | 5.6 kW (50% of 1,258 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $16,660 |
| First-year savings | $794 |
| Payback | 21.5 years |
| 25-year net | $3,310 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 288
- Share of customers
- 0.5%
- Residential solar capacity
- 3 MW
- Residential customers
- 54,002
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Salt River Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Salt River Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Salt River 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 Salt River Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 10.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 11.6¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,258 kWh a month, a bill of about $146.
Is solar worth it with Salt River Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 5.6 kW system costing about $16,660 pays back in about 21.5 years, with $3,310 net over 25 years.
How many Salt River Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 288 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.5% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Salt River Electric Coop Corp (EIA ID 16587). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.