Rhode Island · Net metering · Deep-stack program
RI Net Metering
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Rhode Island -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Retail rate credit
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 9.7 yr
- Rhode Island baseline payback
- 3
- other Rhode Island programs
Deep-stack program · early directory
Rhode Island runs a 4-program DSIRE stack; this net metering is one layer on a 9.7-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack4 programs
- In-state #1/3
- Type #36/46
- Baseline9.7 yr
In-state directory place #1 of 3 (early alphabet). National net metering directory #36 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
Rhode Island provides full retail net metering for systems up to 25 kW.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Retail rate credit
- State electricity rate
- 26¢/kWh
- Rhode Island solar score
- 37/100
Solar's trajectory in Rhode Island
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Rhode Island reported to the EIA.
Rhode Island's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Rhode Island's 3 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Performance
Performance
1 programs
What this shows Rhode Island tracks 3 incentive types; net metering (1 program) governs the billing side, while the state's other tracked types handle upfront cost or ongoing payments.
How this net metering layers inside Rhode Island's deep stack
The RI Net Metering governs how Rhode Island 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 Retail rate credit. 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. Rhode Island averages 4.2 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 26¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,358 kWh/year and $1,913 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $18,600. That baseline already implies a 9.7-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $29,225 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
Rhode Island bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Rhode Island has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like RI Solar Property Tax Exemption, RI Renewable Energy Growth (REG) 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.
Other Rhode Island incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the RI Net Metering sit in Rhode Island's deep program stack?
How does this net metering work beside Rhode Island's other programs?
Who qualifies, and why is this an early in-state directory row?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Rhode Island?
Which other Rhode Island programs stack with this one?
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 · Rhode Island solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.