Maine · Tax exemption
ME Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption
Removes a tax burden residential solar owners in Maine would otherwise carry -- see what it covers, eligibility, and payback impact below.
- Full property tax ex…
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 9.3 yr
- Maine baseline payback
- 2
- other Maine programs
What it means
In Maine, a 6 kW system already pays back in about 9.3 years on ~$1,959/year of modeled savings, and the ME Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption stacks on top of that, on top of any federal credit.
- Full property …
- stated benefit
- 9.3 yr
- baseline payback (pre-incentive)
- 3
- Maine programs that stack
- full
- net-metering policy
Payback and savings are modeled from public NREL/EIA data; the program benefit is summarized from DSIRE and may change.
Program description
Maine fully exempts residential solar systems from property tax.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Tax exemption
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Full property tax exemption
- State electricity rate
- 26¢/kWh
- Maine solar score
- 36/100
How Maine compares to the U.S. average
Why this incentive matters more (or less) here - Maine's solar fundamentals against the national average.
Source: NREL irradiance and U.S. EIA rates; payback modeled by PlainSolarData. Bars are scaled to the larger of the two values per metric.
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 tax exemption 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; 1 are tax exemptions like this one, removing a cost solar owners would otherwise carry, on top of the state's other program types.
How this incentive fits Maine's solar picture
The ME Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption removes a tax burden solar owners would otherwise carry, one of Maine's DSIRE-tracked solar incentive programs. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Full property tax exemption. 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 tax exemption 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 Maine Community Solar Program. 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.
Your next step
- See Maine's full solar profile, score, irradiance, rates, payback, and every program you can claim. Maine solar data
- Run the savings calculator with your real bill to see how this incentive changes your own payback. ROI calculator
- Read how state and federal solar credits work together. Tax-credit guide
Estimates here are modeled from public data and are not financial advice; confirm program terms and your own eligibility before relying on a dollar figure.
Other Maine incentives
Frequently asked questions
What is the ME Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption?
How does the ME Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption work?
Who is eligible for the ME Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption?
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.