Browse Solar Incentives
Explore all 137 solar incentive programs available across the U.S.
What the DSIRE Solar Incentive Catalog Looks Like
This directory indexes all 137 solar incentive programs tracked in the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency) feed. On this page alone, 50 programs span 21 states and territories, illustrating how broadly and unevenly U.S. solar policy is distributed — a residential installer in one state may have access to a dozen stacking credits, while a neighbor across the border works with only the federal ITC. The most common program types visible here are net_metering (20), exemption (17), tax_credit (5) — a mix that reflects the toolkit states have converged on: up-front rebates to accelerate adoption, tax credits to lock in ongoing demand, and performance-based payments to reward actual generation.
Use the alphabetical index to jump by program name, or sort by state or type to compare across jurisdictions. Every incentive page shows the issuing authority, eligible sectors (residential, commercial, industrial), current status, and the DSIRE-assigned identifier so you can verify with the administering agency before pricing a project. Solar incentive amounts and eligibility rules shift frequently — legislatures adjust caps, step down credits, or sunset programs between fiscal years — so treat this directory as a starting point and confirm current availability with the state agency or utility before filing an application.
Source: DSIRE via NC Clean Energy Technology Center · Coverage: all U.S. states, territories, and federal programs · Verify amounts and status with the administering agency DSIRE via NC Clean Energy Technology Center · Coverage: all U.S. states, territories, and federal programs · Verify amounts and status with the administering agency
How DSIRE classifies solar incentives
The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) groups solar policy into a fixed taxonomy that this directory mirrors. The most common bucket is the personal tax credit — a state income tax offset claimed in the year a system is placed in service. Tax credits typically stack on top of the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (currently 30 percent through 2032 per the Inflation Reduction Act), and many states cap the credit at a per-system dollar amount or a percentage of installed cost.
A second large category is the rebate program, where a state, utility, or co-op pays a fixed dollar amount per kilowatt installed (often in the range of $200 to $1,500 per kW for residential systems). Rebates are usually first-come, first-served and exhaust quickly when funded. Performance-based incentives (PBIs) — also called production incentives — pay the system owner per kilowatt-hour produced over a fixed term, typically 5 to 20 years. PBIs are common in commercial and community-solar projects where ongoing metered generation can be verified.
Net metering and feed-in tariff rules govern how a utility credits solar exports back to the grid. Pure net metering credits exports at the full retail rate; net billing credits at a lower, often wholesale-aligned, rate. Time-of-use riders, demand charges, and avoided-cost calculations create wide state-by-state variation in how much excess generation is actually worth. Property tax exemptions prevent the assessed value of a home from rising because of an installed system, and sales tax exemptions remove state sales tax from equipment or labor at purchase.
Less common but financially important categories include loan programs (low-interest financing, often via revolving funds), grant programs (typically for non-profits, schools, or low-income housing), and renewable portfolio standard (RPS) carve-outs that create solar renewable energy credit (SREC) markets in states like New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maryland. Every program listed in this directory shows its DSIRE-assigned type, sector eligibility, issuing authority, and current status — verify amounts and deadlines with the administering agency before relying on any specific figure for project planning.
Stacking incentives and the federal ITC
Most residential solar projects combine the federal Investment Tax Credit (30% through 2032 under the IRA) with one or more state and utility programs. The federal credit is non-refundable but can be carried forward and is calculated on net cost after state-level rebates that the IRS considers a "purchase price adjustment" (most utility rebates fall into this category). State income tax credits typically stack on top of the federal credit without reducing its basis, but rules vary by jurisdiction and should be confirmed with a tax professional before filing.
Performance-based incentives (PBIs) and SREC payments are treated as ordinary income by the IRS in the year received, which can offset some of the upfront tax-credit benefit depending on the homeowner's marginal rate. Property-tax exemptions reduce ongoing annual cost rather than the upfront purchase price, and sales-tax exemptions cut equipment and labor cost at purchase but do not affect the federal credit basis. Stacking these programs correctly can drop the effective cost of a residential 8 kW system by 40 to 60 percent in the most generous state-utility combinations — knowing which programs apply, how they interact, and which one to file first is the single largest determinant of household solar economics.
| Publisher | Kiznis Studio |
| Sources | Public official public datasets |