Rhode Island · Tax exemption · Deep-stack program
RI Solar Property Tax Exemption
Removes a tax burden residential solar owners in Rhode Island would otherwise carry -- see what it covers, eligibility, and payback impact below.
- Full property tax exemption
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 9.7 yr
- Rhode Island baseline payback
- 3
- other Rhode Island programs
Deep-stack program · late directory
Rhode Island runs a 4-program DSIRE stack; this tax exemption is one layer on a 9.7-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack4 programs
- In-state #3/3
- Type #35/45
- Baseline9.7 yr
In-state directory place #3 of 3 (late alphabet). National tax exemption directory #35 of 45. 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 exempts solar energy systems from local property taxes.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Tax exemption
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Full property tax exemption
- 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 tax exemption 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; 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 tax exemption layers inside Rhode Island's deep stack
The RI Solar Property Tax Exemption removes a tax burden solar owners would otherwise carry, one of Rhode Island'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. 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 tax exemption 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 Net Metering, 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 Solar Property Tax Exemption sit in Rhode Island's deep program stack?
How does this tax exemption work beside Rhode Island's other programs?
Who qualifies, and what does a late in-state directory place mean?
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.