Solar in the United States
- 2026-04-26
- last updated
- 51 states
- tariffs tracked
- HI 43¢
- highest tariff
The US solar incentive landscape changed substantially in mid-2025 with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which terminated §25D Residential Clean Energy Credit for systems placed in service after Dec 31, 2025. State-level programs and net metering remain the primary drivers for residential solar economics.
Federal §25D terminated
Federal credits
§25D Residential Clean Energy Credit: terminated for systems placed in service after Dec 31, 2025 (OBBBA, July 2025). Pre-2026 installs may still claim under prior rules — see IRS Form 5695 instructions.
§48E Commercial Clean Electricity Credit: partially preserved with phase-down. Applicable to commercial and third-party-owned residential (e.g., solar leases).
Authoritative sources: IRS, Department of Energy, SEIA.
State-level programs (Tier-1 states)
- California: Net Energy Metering (NEM) 3.0, SGIP storage rebates
- Texas: property tax exemption, utility rebate programs (Austin Energy, CPS)
- New York: NY-Sun, state tax credit, property tax abatement
- Massachusetts: SMART program, state tax credit
- Florida: property tax exemption, sales tax exemption, no state tax credit
- Arizona: state tax credit ($1,000), solar sales tax exemption
- New Jersey: SuSI program (replaced SREC)
Authoritative aggregators
DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, NC State University) is the comprehensive reference for US programs. energy.gov maintains the federal-side guidance.
Useful tools for US users
- Solar potential calculator — uses NREL PVWatts for US locations
- Payback calculator — plug in your state's tariff
- Portable power stations database