Tri-Cities TN Energy Guide: Solar, Batteries, Backup Power and EV

In short: Hurricane Helene left more than 33,000 of BrightRidge’s 83,000 customers in the dark in 2024, and Kingsport Power customers averaged about 17 hours without power that year. Kingsport is the rare Tennessee city with net metering, through AEP’s Kingsport Power; Johnson City’s BrightRidge, a TVA power company, buys no solar at all.

This page covers the Tennessee side of the Tri-Cities: Johnson City and Kingsport, in Washington and Sullivan counties. Statewide rules, licensing and averages are on our Tennessee energy guide. Here we cover two very different utilities, what Helene showed, and how their rules change each choice.

Tri-Cities at a glance

• BrightRidge: Johnson City’s public power company, serving Washington and parts of Sullivan and Carter counties. About 12.4¢ per kWh for homes (2024 average). Outages in 2024: 659 minutes per customer with major storms, 152 on normal days (EIA-861).
• Kingsport Power (AEP Appalachian Power): an investor-owned utility, not a TVA distributor, serving Kingsport and parts of Sullivan and Washington counties. About 12.8¢ per kWh; 1,028 minutes with major storms (about 17 hours), 165 on normal days.
• Others listed by EIA: Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (about 10.8¢), Elizabethton Electric (about 11.8¢), Erwin Utilities and Mountain Electric Cooperative in nearby areas.
• Sun: 4.22 kWh per square meter per day at Johnson City (NASA POWER), about 1,233 kWh a year per kW of panels by our rough estimate.
• Top hazards: lightning and strong wind rated “relatively high” in both Washington and Sullivan counties; landslides and ice storms “relatively moderate” (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
• Public charging: 41 public ports in Johnson City and 13 in Kingsport (AFDC, October 3, 2026).

Your utility and what it means

Kingsport Power (Appalachian Power). Because it is not a TVA distributor, Kingsport Power offers net metering under its Tennessee rider. Home systems can be up to 10 kW AC, and yearly output cannot exceed your past yearly use. Surplus power is “banked” as kWh credit against future bills over a 12-month period; it is never paid out in cash. You submit an application with a $50 inspection fee, and the program is capped at 1% of the company’s Tennessee peak load, first come, first served. For EV owners, the RS-PEV off-peak rate uses a separate EV meter and saves about 15% from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays. A licensed electrician installs the meter base, and the off-peak rate cannot be combined with net metering.

BrightRidge. BrightRidge says plainly that it “cannot purchase solar energy from our customers.” Surplus can be sold to TVA under the Dispersed Power Production program, after you sign a BrightRidge interconnection agreement. Any solar or battery system must be reported, with an application, design plans and a $500 fee before installation. After the electrical inspection, BrightRidge inspects and tests that the system cannot send power into the grid during an outage. It does not offer financing.

Backup power in the Tri-Cities

When Helene struck in September 2024, more than 33,000 of BrightRidge’s 83,000 customers lost power. BrightRidge replaced more than 155,000 feet of wire and 160 poles, lost 112 transformers, and had to rebuild five power line crossings over the flood-widened Nolichucky River. Kingsport Power’s 2024 total of about 17 hours per customer came in the same year, compared with under three hours on normal days.

So plan for both the ordinary outage and the rare multi-day one:

• Hours: a portable power station or home battery.
• Days: a natural gas or propane standby generator, or a portable one with a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician. Appalachian Power notes that a generator used strictly for backup needs no interconnection application, though “make-before-break” systems may need approval.

The CPSC says to run portable generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house with exhaust pointed away, never in a garage, with battery-backed CO alarms inside. Size yours with the generator sizing tool, and see our backup power guide and generator installation.

Solar in the Tri-Cities

Each kW of panels here makes about 1,233 kWh a year by our estimate. In Kingsport Power territory, net metering lets those kWh offset your bill at about 12.8¢, roughly $158 a year per kW, as long as you produce no more than you use over the year. In BrightRidge territory, the solar you use yourself is worth about $153 a year per kW at 12.4¢, but surplus earns only TVA’s avoided cost, so size the array to your daytime use.

BrightRidge quotes industry estimates of $2,500 to $3,000 per kW, with typical home systems of 8 to 10 kW, or $20,000 to $30,000, possibly without a battery. The federal 25D credit ended for systems completed after 2025. Check your roof with the solar potential calculator, compare solar costs and net metering, and read solar installation.

Home batteries in the Tri-Cities

For BrightRidge customers, a battery keeps your solar at home instead of selling it to TVA for a few cents, and it must be reported to BrightRidge like the panels. For Kingsport Power customers, net metering already credits surplus at the retail rate, so a battery’s main job is backup. Appalachian Power reminds customers that grid-tied solar shuts off in an outage unless the system is designed for backup. See battery installation, home battery cost and the battery backup calculator.

EV charging in the Tri-Cities

Johnson City has 41 public charging ports, including BrightRidge chargers in the Cherry Street lot downtown, and Kingsport has 13. At home, at about 30 kWh per 100 miles, BrightRidge’s average works out to about $3.72 per 100 miles or $447 for 12,000 miles a year; Kingsport Power’s to about $3.85 and $462, less on the off-peak rate (our estimates). A Level 2 charger needs a 240-volt circuit and a licensed electrician; see EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.

Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Johnson City: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.

Permits and inspections

• Kingsport: the city’s Building Division FAQ lists installing solar panels, service upgrades and meter resets among work that needs an electrical permit, and says electrical permits require a properly licensed contractor.
• Johnson City: the Building Division reviews building and electrical plans and issues trade permits through its CityView portal. BrightRidge requires state or city inspection approval before a solar system is connected.

Outside city limits, ask Washington or Sullivan County. Check any installer’s state license on the Tennessee page; BrightRidge also recommends NABCEP certification for solar installers.

Cities we cover

• Johnson City
• Kingsport

Get help in the Tri-Cities

Tell us about your project and we will connect you with a licensed, independent installer who serves the Tri-Cities area. It is free, there is no obligation, and only the installer you choose gets your details. See how it works.

Tri-Cities energy FAQ

Why does Kingsport have net metering when the rest of Tennessee does not?

Kingsport Power is part of AEP’s Appalachian Power, not a TVA distributor, and it offers net metering under its own Tennessee rider. Homes can net meter up to 10 kW AC; surplus is banked as kWh credit for future bills, not paid in cash. Johnson City’s BrightRidge buys TVA power and cannot buy solar from customers.

How hard did Helene hit Johnson City’s power?

More than 33,000 of BrightRidge’s 83,000 customers lost power at the peak. Crews replaced 160 poles and more than 155,000 feet of wire, and rebuilt five line crossings over the Nolichucky River. Early recovery costs passed $1 million.

What does BrightRidge require before I install solar or a battery?

An application, an interconnection agreement, detailed design plans and a $500 fee, submitted before installation. After the city or state electrical inspection, BrightRidge inspects and tests the system itself to confirm it cannot back-feed the grid during an outage.

Is there a cheaper EV charging rate in Kingsport?

Yes. Appalachian Power’s RS-PEV off-peak rate saves about 15% when you charge from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays or any time on weekends and holidays. It needs a separate EV meter, free from the utility, with a meter base your licensed electrician installs.

Sources

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 for 2024 (sales, reliability, service territories), read October 3, 2026. BrightRidge: residential solar page, EV charging page and Helene recovery release. Appalachian Power (Kingsport Power): Tennessee net metering package (January 2024), Tennessee off-peak EV page, solar and Tennessee rates pages. City of Kingsport Building Division FAQ; Johnson City Building Division. FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025). NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. AFDC Station Locator, October 3, 2026. CPSC generator safety guidance.