What is modeled — and what is not
Production
1,339 kWh/kW-year planning benchmark. NREL PVWatts v8 representative-city benchmark.
Installed cost
$2.52/W planning benchmark for Louisville, KY.
Electricity value ceiling
13.81¢/kWh · EIA residential benchmark for Kentucky (2026-07).
LG&E rate context
9.18¢/kWh · Residential TOU off-peak. This is utility rate-plan context, not a verified solar export-compensation rate.
Utility source: LG&E residential Time-of-Day Energy Rate · verified 2026-09-29.
Production: NREL PVWatts methodology · Cost: 2026 state / local marketplace benchmark.
Why exact LG&E solar savings stay guarded
CalcuRiver has a calculator-ready utility rate profile for LG&E, but that does not automatically make the same plan a valid solar import/export tariff. Until a solar-specific compensation rule is verified, the calculator shows production, cost and a retail-value ceiling without flattening export compensation to an invented rate.
Continue this Kentucky cost analysis
Why this solar estimate changes
Solar value is driven by local production, installed cost, the retail value of electricity you avoid buying, and the compensation you receive for exported energy. CalcuRiver does not assume export credits equal the retail rate unless that utility program is explicitly verified.
Core logic: self-used solar offsets retail purchases; exported solar is valued only under a verified export-compensation rule.
Methodology & source policy