WY · Solar

Solar quotes in Gillette, WY.

One real quote from a vetted local Gillette installer, sized to your roof, your bill, and every federal + state rebate you qualify for.

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One vetted local Gillette installer
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8 kW
Average system size: $2.85/W
Average cost (USD): 14 yrs
Average payback: 15+
Local installers

Why solar in Gillette

With no tax credit at either level, a Gillette solar project comes down to production multiplied by the energy rate, minus nothing that a solar system can reduce. That makes the production estimate the number that most determines the outcome, and Wyoming climate gives a generic model several ways to get it wrong in both directions.

A generic model errs in both directions here

High elevation generally means stronger irradiance for a given amount of clear sky, and Wyoming has a good deal of clear sky. A model built on national averages may understate that.

Cold weather improves panel efficiency, since modules produce more at low temperature than at high. A generic derate assumption designed for a warm climate will understate output here too.

Against that, winter days are short at this latitude and snow cover produces nothing until it clears, which a model without a snow allowance will overstate.

So the errors do not all run one way, and a model that has thought about none of them could land anywhere. Ask which of the three it actually accounted for.

The questions that settle it

Ask what data source produced the estimate and whether it applies location-specific irradiance for your address rather than a regional or national average.

Ask what module temperature and temperature coefficient it applied, and whether the cold-climate benefit is reflected or a standard warm-climate derate was used.

Ask what snow allowance was applied and how it was derived, and what tilt is recommended, since a steeper tilt sheds snow and shifts output toward the shoulder seasons.

Ask what annual degradation was applied. A model holding production flat across a fourteen year payback and beyond overstates the later years.

Then the value side, which is simpler

Ask which energy rate the projection used and check it against your bill. Under the Rocky Mountain Power January 2026 Schedule 2 tariff the flat energy rate is 12.175 cents per kWh.

Ask that the basic charge of $24.24 per month be left untouched, since a solar system reduces energy consumption and not fixed charges.

Ask how the model treated generation your household does not consume, since that depends on your utility credit terms under the statutory net metering requirement.

Ask to see the projection at zero rate escalation, since with an empty incentive column the escalator is the main lever left to improve a headline figure.

What the projection actually rests on

The 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D expired for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, so a cash or loan purchase in Gillette receives no federal tax credit, and Wyoming has no state solar tax credit.

Section 48E survives at 30 percent for third-party owners under leases and power purchase agreements, so ask what a provider claims and what reaches you in the rate.

What exists is net metering to 25 kW under your utility terms, the energy rate on your tariff, and a fixed basic charge that does not move.

Ask for a production estimate that accounts for elevation, cold-weather performance and snow, with the value side modelled as avoided kilowatt hours at the energy rate.

Incentives & rebates

Net metering: Net metering required of all utility types to 25 kW

Wyoming requires net metering of every kind of electricity provider. Investor-owned utilities such as Rocky Mountain Power, rural electric cooperatives and municipal providers must all offer it for residential solar systems up to 25 kW. That is worth stating because it is genuinely unusual. Across the states covered on this site, the recurring caution is that a statutory requirement reaches only the investor-owned utilities while cooperatives and municipals set their own terms, which is why so many pages tell readers to check who bills them before trusting a figure. Wyoming largely removes that problem: whoever serves your address, the obligation applies. The individual system capacity limit of 25 kW is comfortably above what a household would install, so it rarely constrains a design. What deserves more attention is the fixed side of the bill. The Rocky Mountain Power January 2026 tariff carries a basic charge of $24.24 per month alongside a flat energy rate of 12.175 cents per kWh under Schedule 2. Roughly $291 a year of that bill is not about kilowatt hours at all and does not fall as your consumption does. A solar system reduces the energy portion of your bill; it does not touch the basic charge. So a projection that models savings as a percentage of your current bill will overstate the result, sometimes substantially, and the correct approach is to model avoided kilowatt hours at the energy rate and leave fixed charges untouched.

Related Wyoming resources

Wyoming solar incentives & rebates Full breakdown of federal, provincial, and utility programs.

How payback works in Wyoming

System cost: $22,800
Estimated net cost: $22,800
Estimated payback: ~14.1 years
25-year net savings: ~$17,700

These figures are illustrative; your actual quote reflects your roof, sun exposure, and local utility rates.

Frequently asked questions

Can a production estimate understate Wyoming output?

It can. High elevation generally means stronger irradiance for a given amount of clear sky, and cold weather improves panel efficiency, so a model using national averages or a warm-climate derate may understate a Wyoming roof.

What would make it overstate?

A missing snow allowance. Winter days are short at this latitude and snow cover produces nothing until it clears, so a model built from generic irradiance without a snow adjustment will overstate output.

What should I ask about the estimate?

The data source and whether it uses location-specific irradiance, what module temperature and coefficient it applied and whether the cold benefit is reflected, what snow allowance was used, what tilt is recommended, and what degradation was applied.

What should the value side look like?

Avoided kilowatt hours at your energy rate, 12.175 cents per kWh under the January 2026 Schedule 2 tariff, with the $24.24 monthly basic charge left untouched and the projection also shown at zero escalation.