What is modeled — and what is not
Production
1,219 kWh/kW-year state planning benchmark from the existing PVWatts-based CalcuRiver dataset.
Installed cost
$2.90/W planning benchmark for West Virginia.
Electricity value ceiling
15.78¢/kWh · EIA residential benchmark for West Virginia (2026-07).
Appalachian Power WV rate context
16.15¢/kWh · Sep 2026 1,000→2,000 kWh incremental benchmark. This is utility rate-plan context, not a verified solar export-compensation rate.
Utility source: Appalachian Power West Virginia residential usage-and-cost examples · verified 2026-09-29.
Production: NREL PVWatts methodology · Cost: 2026 state / local marketplace benchmark.
Why exact Appalachian Power WV solar savings stay guarded
CalcuRiver has a calculator-ready utility rate profile for Appalachian Power WV, 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 West Virginia 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 policyConnect solar to the rest of the utility bill
Solar economics are easier to interpret when the tariff, storage and vehicle loads are connected to the same local context.