In short: Salem homes get power from one of three utilities, and it matters: PGE averaged about 18.2¢ per kWh in 2024, Pacific Power about 14.0¢ and member-owned Salem Electric about 11.0¢. Solar rules differ too: PGE and Pacific Power carry surplus over the year, while Salem Electric settles it every month. Salem gets about 6% more sun than Portland.
Below: how each Salem utility treats solar, batteries and charging, what the city requires for permits, and how to plan for winter storms and wildfire shutoffs. For statewide rules (net metering law, the state rebate, licensing), see our Oregon energy guide.
Salem at a glance
- Utilities: in Marion and Polk counties, EIA lists Portland General Electric (PGE), Pacific Power, Salem Electric and Consumers Power. Salem Electric serves a defined territory and asks you to call to check an address.
- Price, 2024 average: PGE about 18.2¢ per kWh, Pacific Power 14.0¢, Salem Electric 11.0¢ (EIA-861, revenue divided by sales).
- Outages, 2024: PGE 772 minutes per customer with major events, 133 without; Pacific Power (Oregon) 368 and 108. Salem Electric reported about 20 minutes, measured by a different standard, so it is not directly comparable (EIA-861).
- Sun: about 3.88 kWh per square meter per day (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,130 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Marion County “relatively high” for earthquake, strong wind and lightning, and “relatively moderate” for ice storms, winter weather and heat waves.
- Public charging: 262 public ports at 129 locations in Salem (AFDC, October 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Salem Electric is a member-owned cooperative based in West Salem. Its solar page (archived September 2025; its live site did not load when we checked) sets out rules that differ from the big utilities:
- Monthly true-up: surplus solar is settled each month and bought back at Salem Electric’s “avoided cost” rate, which is reviewed yearly. Size a system to cover your own use, not to bank summer power for winter.
- Before you sign: systems are limited to 25 kW, need two bids from contractors on the State of Oregon approved list, and must be approved by Salem Electric before installation.
- Incentive: in 2025 the co-op offered $300 per kW of solar, up to $1,500 and no more than half the project cost, depending on funds. Ask whether it is still offered.
Salem Electric also warns that solar panels alone do not keep your power on in an outage; that takes a battery. Energy Trust of Oregon incentives are not open to Salem Electric members.
PGE and Pacific Power customers get the state’s annual net metering and Energy Trust incentives: $3,500 per home for solar with PGE or $2,500 with Pacific Power; for a battery connected to qualifying solar, $400 per kWh up to $5,000 (PGE) or $240 per kWh up to $3,000 (Pacific Power). Funding changes, so check Energy Trust’s solar page. On top of that:
- PGE: the Smart Battery pilot pays $1.70 per kWh your battery provides in peak events (about 10 to 15 a year), and Smart Charging gives up to $300 toward a home charger installation (up to $1,000 if income-eligible) plus a $25 reward each season.
- Pacific Power: the Wattsmart Battery program pays $600 per kW, up to $3,000, plus $15 per kW a year from year two (four-year commitment). Income-qualified customers can get up to $1,500 toward a hardwired Level 2 charger.
Backup power in Salem
Winter storms drive the big outages: PGE, which serves part of Marion County, counted 524,600 customer outages over nine days of wind, ice and snow across its area in January 2024. Strong wind, rated “relatively high” for Marion County, is the other common cause of downed lines. Wildfire risk is rated very low for the county as a whole, but shutoffs are still possible: in September 2022 Pacific Power warned about 12,000 customers in six counties, including Marion and Polk, of a possible Public Safety Power Shutoff, and PGE says it can call one anywhere in its territory.
- Most homes: a home battery or a portable power station covers short outages and keeps a gas furnace fan running.
- Rural edges and well pumps: a generator with a transfer switch handles multi-day storms. See generator installation.
Compare options in our backup power guide; size them with the battery backup calculator and generator sizing tool. Run any generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house with the exhaust pointed away, and keep carbon monoxide alarms inside (CPSC).
Solar in Salem
By our rough estimate, a 6 kW system in Salem makes about 6,800 kWh a year. If you use all of it at home, that is worth about $1,240 at PGE’s 2024 average price, $950 at Pacific Power’s or $750 at Salem Electric’s. PGE customers have the strongest case: the highest price, annual net metering and the larger Energy Trust incentive. For Salem Electric members, low prices and monthly settlement make the payback longest. These are estimates, not quotes.
Check your roof with the solar potential tool and solar savings calculator, then read how solar installation works, what it costs and how net metering works.
Home batteries in Salem
For PGE and Pacific Power customers, a battery is mostly backup, but Energy Trust and the utility programs pay a meaningful part of it. For Salem Electric members, a battery can also store midday solar for the evening instead of selling it back at the avoided-cost rate, though at an 11¢ price the savings are small. See home batteries, battery costs and battery installation.
EV charging in Salem
By our estimate at 30 kWh per 100 miles, home charging costs about $5.50 per 100 miles on PGE, $4.20 on Pacific Power and $3.30 on Salem Electric (2024 average prices). A Level 2 charger needs a 240-volt circuit and an electrical permit. See EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Salem: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- City of Salem: the Permit Application Center (440 Church St SE, 5th floor) takes residential applications online. Electrical work is a separate trade permit, as the city’s residential permits page explains.
- What is exempt: Salem’s work-exempt guidelines list ground-mounted solar arrays as exempt from a building permit, but not from the electrical permit. Integrated solar shingles need a reroofing permit.
- Utility approval: PGE, Pacific Power or Salem Electric must approve a grid-tied system first; Salem Electric wants to see the plans before permits are filed.
Hire an Oregon-licensed contractor and electrician (license checks are on the state page), and check HOA rules before you sign.
Cities we cover
- Salem
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Salem energy questions
Who is my electric utility in Salem?
Check your bill. EIA lists PGE, Pacific Power, Salem Electric and Consumers Power in Marion and Polk counties. Salem Electric serves a defined area and asks you to call its office to confirm an address. Your utility decides your price, your solar rules and which incentives you can use.
How does Salem Electric net metering work?
According to its solar page (archived September 2025), it settles monthly: solar offsets what you use, and any surplus that month is bought back at the co-op’s avoided-cost rate rather than carried forward. Systems are capped at 25 kW and must be approved before installation. Confirm current terms with Salem Electric.
Can Salem Electric members get Energy Trust solar incentives?
No. Energy Trust says you must be an Oregon customer of PGE or Pacific Power. Salem Electric has offered its own per-kW solar incentive, $300 per kW up to $1,500 in 2025, subject to funds; ask whether it is still available.
Do I need a permit for ground-mounted solar in Salem?
Salem’s guidelines exempt ground-mounted solar arrays from a building permit, but not from the electrical permit, and your utility must still approve the connection. Roof-mounted systems need permits. Your installer normally handles the applications.
Sources
EIA-861, 2024 (price = residential revenue ÷ sales; outages; service territory); Salem Electric solar and service territory pages (archived September 2025 and February 2025); Portland General Electric Smart Battery and home charging pages and January 22, 2024 news release; Pacific Power Wattsmart Battery, home charger rebate and Public Safety Power Shutoff pages and September 7, 2022 news release; Energy Trust of Oregon; City of Salem residential permits and work-exempt guidelines; NASA POWER, 2001–2020; FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025; AFDC station data; CPSC. Read October 2026 unless noted. Estimates are ours and labelled.