Southern Pine Electric Cooperative and solar
Southern Pine Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 20,846 homes in Alabama. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 14.9¢10% below Alabama average
- Typical bill
- $1561,047 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~20%No statewide net metering
- Typical payback
- 20.7 yrs4.5 kW, cash
Export rules for Southern Pine Electric Cooperative customers
No statewide net metering (Alabama rule).
Alabama has no net metering law. Alabama Power buys any electricity you send to the grid at a low wholesale (avoided-cost) price. It also charges solar customers a monthly 'capacity reservation' fee of about $5.41 per kW of system size, which a federal judge let stand in March 2026.
Solar for a typical Southern Pine Electric Cooperative home
| System | 4.5 kW (50% of 1,047 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $17,450 |
| First-year savings | $744 |
| Payback | 20.7 years |
| 25-year net | $5,046 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 4
- Share of customers
- 0.0%
- Residential solar capacity
- 0 MW
- Residential customers
- 20,846
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Southern Pine Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Southern Pine Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Southern Pine Electric Cooperative follows Alabama's rules: Alabama has no net metering law. Alabama Power buys any electricity you send to the grid at a low wholesale (avoided-cost) price. It also charges solar customers a monthly 'capacity reservation' fee of about $5.41 per kW of system size, which a federal judge let stand in March 2026.
How much does electricity cost with Southern Pine Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 14.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.9¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,047 kWh a month, a bill of about $156.
Is solar worth it with Southern Pine Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 4.5 kW system costing about $17,450 pays back in about 20.7 years, with $5,046 net over 25 years.
How many Southern Pine Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 4 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.0% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Southern Pine Elec Coop, Inc (EIA ID 17646). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.