Verendrye Electric Cooperative and solar
Verendrye Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 14,357 homes in North Dakota. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 11.7¢5% below North Dakota average
- Typical bill
- $1561,337 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~26%Avoided-cost export credit
- Typical payback
- 20.8 yrs6.1 kW, cash
Export rules for Verendrye Electric Cooperative customers
Avoided-cost export credit (North Dakota rule).
North Dakota's net metering rule only covers the three investor-owned utilities (Xcel, Otter Tail, Montana-Dakota) for systems up to 100 kW. Solar you use at home offsets retail power, but extra energy left over each month is bought at the utility's low avoided-cost rate (a few cents per kWh).
Solar for a typical Verendrye Electric Cooperative home
| System | 6.1 kW (50% of 1,337 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $18,750 |
| First-year savings | $936 |
| Payback | 20.8 years |
| 25-year net | $4,417 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 8
- Share of customers
- 0.1%
- Residential solar capacity
- 0 MW
- Residential customers
- 14,357
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about Verendrye Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Verendrye Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Verendrye Electric Cooperative follows North Dakota's rules: North Dakota's net metering rule only covers the three investor-owned utilities (Xcel, Otter Tail, Montana-Dakota) for systems up to 100 kW. Solar you use at home offsets retail power, but extra energy left over each month is bought at the utility's low avoided-cost rate (a few cents per kWh).
How much does electricity cost with Verendrye Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 11.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 11.7¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,337 kWh a month, a bill of about $156.
Is solar worth it with Verendrye Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 6.1 kW system costing about $18,750 pays back in about 20.8 years, with $4,417 net over 25 years.
How many Verendrye Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 8 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.1% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Verendrye Electric Coop Inc (EIA ID 19790). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.