Maine · Net metering · Mid-stack program
Maine Community Solar Program
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Maine -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Bill credits
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 9.3 yr
- Maine baseline payback
- 2
- other Maine programs
Mid-stack program · mid directory
Maine stacks 3 tracked programs; this net metering sits beside peer levers on a 9.3-year modeled baseline.
- Stack3 programs
- In-state #1/2
- Type #17/46
- Baseline9.3 yr
In-state directory place #1 of 2 (mid alphabet). National net metering directory #17 of 46. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
Program description
Customers can subscribe to a share of community solar for bill credits without rooftop installation.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Bill credits for subscribers
- State electricity rate
- 26¢/kWh
- Maine solar score
- 36/100
Solar's trajectory in Maine
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Maine reported to the EIA.
Maine's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Maine's 2 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
What this shows Maine tracks 2 incentive types; net metering (1 program) governs the billing side, while the state's other tracked types handle upfront cost or ongoing payments.
Where this net metering sits in Maine's mid-size stack
The Maine Community Solar Program governs how Maine credits excess solar generation sent back to the grid, one of the state's DSIRE-tracked solar policies. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Bill credits for subscribers. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That's the backdrop this incentive works against. Maine averages 4.3 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 26¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,534 kWh/year and $1,959 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $18,300. That baseline already implies a 9.3-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $30,675 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
A handful of other levers are worth checking alongside this one. Maine has 3 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like ME Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption. The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Other Maine incentives
Frequently asked questions
What is the Maine Community Solar Program among Maine's mid-size programs?
How does the Maine Community Solar Program work?
Who is eligible for the Maine Community Solar Program?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Maine?
Are there other solar incentives in Maine?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology · Maine solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.