South Carolina · Tax exemption
SC Solar Property Tax Exemption
Removes a tax burden residential solar owners in South Carolina would otherwise carry -- see what it covers, eligibility, and payback impact below.
- Property tax exemption
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 14 yr
- South Carolina baseline payback
- 3
- other South Carolina programs
What it means
In South Carolina, a 6 kW system already pays back in about 14 years on ~$1,203/year of modeled savings, and the SC Solar Property Tax Exemption stacks on top of that, on top of any federal credit.
- Property tax e…
- stated benefit
- 14 yr
- baseline payback (pre-incentive)
- 4
- South Carolina programs that stack
- partial
- 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
South Carolina exempts solar energy systems from property tax assessment.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Tax exemption
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Property tax exemption
- State electricity rate
- 13.2¢/kWh
- South Carolina solar score
- 34/100
How South Carolina compares to the U.S. average
Why this incentive matters more (or less) here - South Carolina'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 South Carolina
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in South Carolina reported to the EIA.
South Carolina's solar incentive stack
How this tax exemption sits among South Carolina's 3 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Tax credit
Tax credit
1 programs
What this shows South Carolina 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 incentive fits South Carolina's solar picture
The SC Solar Property Tax Exemption removes a tax burden solar owners would otherwise carry, one of South Carolina's DSIRE-tracked solar incentive programs. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Property tax exemption. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That baseline is slower than most states, which raises the stakes for every incentive on the table. South Carolina averages 5.2 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 13.2¢/kWh, producing an estimated 9,110 kWh/year and $1,203 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $16,800. That baseline already implies a 14-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $13,275 before this incentive - every dollar this tax exemption delivers compresses that payback further.
A handful of other levers are worth checking alongside this one. South Carolina has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like SC Net Metering, SC Solar Energy Tax Credit. The state's net-metering policy is classified as partial, 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 South Carolina's full solar profile, score, irradiance, rates, payback, and every program you can claim. South Carolina 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 South Carolina incentives
Frequently asked questions
What is the SC Solar Property Tax Exemption?
How does the SC Solar Property Tax Exemption work?
Who is eligible for the SC Solar Property Tax Exemption?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in South Carolina?
Are there other solar incentives in South Carolina?
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.