In short: Mobile buys power from Alabama Power (about 16.8¢ per kWh in 2024), while much of Daphne and the Eastern Shore is served by Riviera Utilities (13.5¢) or Baldwin EMC (13.9¢). Hurricanes and lightning are rated “very high” in both counties, and the coast has Alabama’s best sun, about 1,400 kWh per kW of panels a year.
This page covers Mobile and Daphne, across Mobile and Baldwin counties. Statewide rules, licensing and averages are in our Alabama energy guide. On the coast, your utility matters even more than elsewhere in Alabama: three utilities with different prices, solar terms and backup options serve the area.
Mobile and Baldwin County at a glance
- Alabama Power: serves the City of Mobile and parts of Baldwin County. About 16.8¢ per kWh for homes (2024 average); company-wide outages in 2024 of 117 minutes per customer on normal days and 334 minutes with major storms (EIA-861).
- Riviera Utilities: the public utility serving Daphne, Spanish Fort, Foley and other South Baldwin communities, about 60,749 electric customers. About 13.5¢ per kWh; 64 minutes of outages on normal days in 2024 and 70 minutes with major events.
- Baldwin EMC: member-owned co-op across much of Baldwin County. About 13.9¢ per kWh; 128 minutes of outages with major events in 2024, and 20 minutes without them, as reported to EIA.
- Sun: 4.81 kWh per square meter per day in Mobile (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020), about 1,400 kWh a year per kW of panels by our rough estimate.
- Top hazards: hurricane and lightning “very high” in both Mobile and Baldwin counties; coastal flooding and tornado “relatively high” in both; inland flooding (Mobile) and strong wind (Baldwin) “relatively high” (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
- Public charging: 92 public ports in Mobile and 14 in Daphne (AFDC, October 3, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Alabama Power (Mobile). Its regulated retail rates are not scheduled to rise through 2027, the company said in December 2025. Home solar running in parallel with the grid falls under Rate Rider RGB: a capacity reservation charge of $5.41 per kW of nameplate capacity each month, about $32 a month for a 6 kW system by our reading, or the Time Advantage rate with 71¢ per kWh on summer weekday afternoons from 3 to 5 p.m. EV drivers can get a $500 Level 2 home charger rebate and about 1.7¢ off each kWh charged between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Riviera Utilities (Daphne, Spanish Fort, Foley). Its Customer Renewable Generation Rate Rider, effective February 1, 2025, credits 3.2626¢ for every kWh a home solar or wind system sends to the grid and adds $3 a month to the customer charge for a single-phase meter. Credits roll over month to month, and any not used within 12 months are paid out. Riviera had 27 home solar systems connected in 2024 (EIA-861).
Baldwin EMC. The co-op does not publish its solar terms; it asks members to call its energy marketing specialists at 251-989-6247 first. It does sell and install GenerLink, a device fitted behind the electric meter that lets you plug a portable generator straight into the house and disconnects from the grid automatically: $835 plus tax for the 30-amp model and $940 plus tax for the 40-amp, for services of 200 amps or less, installed by a Baldwin EMC technician.
Backup power in Mobile and Baldwin County
Hurricanes set the plan on this coast. FEMA rates the hurricane risk “very high” in both counties, and a hurricane can mean days without power, so many households here want backup for the fridge, fans or air conditioning, and a well or sewage pump. We found no official outage totals for Mobile or Baldwin from recent storms, so we do not quote any. Normal-day reliability is good: Riviera and Baldwin EMC customers averaged about an hour or less of outages on normal days in 2024.
- Storm-season essentials: a portable power station charged before the storm, plus solar panels to recharge it.
- Several days after a hurricane: a portable or standby generator. Baldwin EMC members can use GenerLink; others need a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician.
- Quiet backup that recharges itself: a home battery with solar, sized for the loads you cannot do without.
Before a storm, store fuel safely and test the generator. The CPSC says to run portable generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house with exhaust pointed away, never in a garage, and to keep battery-backed CO alarms on every level; carbon monoxide poisoning is a known danger after hurricanes. Keep generators and battery equipment above likely flood levels where you can. See our backup power guide, generator installation and the generator sizing calculator.
Solar in Mobile and Baldwin County
Each kW of panels near Mobile makes about 1,400 kWh a year by our estimate. Used at home, that is worth about $235 a year at Alabama Power’s average price (before its capacity charge of about $65 per kW a year), about $195 with Baldwin EMC and about $190 with Riviera. Exported to Riviera at 3.26¢, the same kWh are worth only about $46. In every case, the money is in using your own solar, not selling it. On this coast, also ask the installer how the panels and racking are rated for hurricane winds.
The federal 25D credit ended for systems completed after 2025. Try the solar potential calculator, compare solar costs and read solar installation and net metering and net billing.
Home batteries in Mobile and Baldwin County
Low export credits and hurricane risk make a stronger case for a battery here than in most of Alabama. A battery stores midday solar for the evening instead of selling it for about 3¢, and with panels it can keep recharging during a long outage. We found no utility battery program on the coast. Ask your utility about its battery rules before you buy, and see battery installation, home battery cost and the battery backup calculator.
EV charging in Mobile and Baldwin County
Mobile has 92 public charging ports and Daphne 14. At home, at about 30 kWh per 100 miles, charging costs about $5 per 100 miles with Alabama Power and about $4 with Riviera or Baldwin EMC (estimates). Alabama Power customers can claim its $500 Level 2 charger rebate; Riviera lists its own EV charging rates, so ask what applies to you. See EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Mobile: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
In Mobile, Build Mobile handles permits through its online portal and a help window at Government Plaza, 205 Government Street. Its electrical permit application has its own line for generators (by kW) and a generator inspection. In Daphne, the city’s Building Inspection Department (1705 Main Street) issues permits and takes inspection requests by email. Homes in unincorporated Baldwin County, and in Elberta, Magnolia Springs and Perdido Beach, go to the Baldwin County Building Department, which takes applications online.
Hire a contractor licensed by the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board (see the state page), and get your utility’s interconnection approval before solar runs. Check HOA and condo rules for panels and generator placement first.
Cities we cover
- Mobile
- Daphne
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Mobile and Baldwin County energy FAQ
Who provides electricity in Daphne?
Riviera Utilities serves Daphne and Spanish Fort and runs an electric office in Daphne. Parts of the area are served by Baldwin EMC, Alabama Power or the City of Fairhope (EIA-861 and utility service maps). Your bill tells you which one, and that decides your solar credit and rates.
How much does Riviera Utilities pay for solar?
Riviera credits 3.2626¢ per kWh for all energy a home system sends to the grid, under a rider effective February 1, 2025, and adds $3 a month to a single-phase customer charge. Unused credits carry forward and are paid out after 12 months.
What is GenerLink from Baldwin EMC?
A meter-mounted connection that lets a portable generator power your house safely, cutting the link to the grid automatically. Baldwin EMC sells and installs it for $835 plus tax (30 amp) or $940 plus tax (40 amp), for services of 200 amps or less.
What backup do I need for a hurricane in Mobile?
Plan for several days. A generator connected through a transfer switch, GenerLink or interlock covers the fridge, fans and pumps; a battery with solar is quieter and can recharge itself. Size it for essentials with our calculators and keep it above likely flood levels.
Sources
U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 for 2024 (sales, reliability, service territories, net metering), read October 3, 2026. Riviera Utilities: Customer Renewable Generation Rate Rider RG1, electric service and rates pages. Baldwin EMC: GenerLink and energy solutions pages. Alabama Power: Rate Rider RGB, EV rebate and night charging pages and December 2, 2025 rate announcement. Build Mobile electrical permit application (December 2024), City of Daphne and Baldwin County building departments. FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025). NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. AFDC Station Locator, October 3, 2026. CPSC generator safety guidance.