Solar by State (2026 Guides)
What solar costs — and whether it's worth it — depends heavily on where you live. Electricity rates, net metering rules, and state incentives change the math from one state to the next, especially now that the 30% federal tax credit has expired. Pick your state below for an honest, verified 2026 breakdown.
California
Highest power rates in the U.S.; NEM 3.0 makes solar + battery the play.
View California guide →Texas
Lowest install costs in the country; buyback plan choice is everything.
View Texas guide →Florida
Low costs, full retail net metering, and tax exemptions.
View Florida guide →New York
25% state tax credit, NY-Sun rebates, and full net metering.
View New York guide →Louisiana
Thin incentives and weak net metering — run the numbers first.
View Louisiana guide →Mississippi
Real net metering program, but watch the per-utility caps.
View Mississippi guide →Arizona
Keeps a 25% state tax credit, but net billing replaced net metering in late 2025.
View Arizona guide →New Jersey
Full retail net metering plus 15-year SREC-II income — a top 2026 market.
View New Jersey guide →Massachusetts
15% state credit, 20-year SMART payments, and full net metering.
View Massachusetts guide →North Carolina
Duke's net-metering bridge rate ends Jan 2027 — timing matters.
View North Carolina guide →Nevada
No income tax, low costs, and NV Energy's ~75%-of-retail buyback.
View Nevada guide →Colorado
Full retail net metering, tax exemptions, and a battery storage credit.
View Colorado guide →Georgia
Cheap installs and great sun, but net billing pays below retail.
View Georgia guide →Pennsylvania
Full retail net metering plus an active (if low) SREC market.
View Pennsylvania guide →Illinois
Illinois Shines pays SRECs upfront; net metering is now supply-only.
View Illinois guide →Maryland
Full net metering, SREC II income, and a $1,000 rebate.
View Maryland guide →Connecticut
Some of the nation's highest rates; the RRES tariff and tax exemptions carry it.
View Connecticut guide →Maine
No state credit, but 1:1 net energy billing and high CMP/Versant rates.
View Maine guide →Washington DC
The most valuable SRECs in the U.S. plus full Pepco net metering.
View Washington DC guide →Rhode Island
Very high rates, your choice of the REF grant or REG tariff, no sales or property tax.
View Rhode Island guide →Delaware
A $0.70/W state grant, full net metering, and no sales tax at all.
View Delaware guide →New Hampshire
High rates and net metering through 2041, but the state rebate is closed.
View New Hampshire guide →Ohio
Cheap installs and tax exemptions, but no state credit and below-retail exports.
View Ohio guide →Utah
Great sun and low install costs, but no credits and ~4¢ export pay — a battery play.
View Utah guide →Virginia
1:1 net metering reaffirmed in 2026, an SREC income stream, and a sales-tax exemption.
View Virginia guide →Iowa
Full-retail export credit for now — but it steps down by mid-2027, so timing matters.
View Iowa guide →Washington
A strong sales-tax exemption and net metering, but low hydro rates mean longer payback.
View Washington guide →Tennessee
Cheap power and no net metering — TVA pays ~2-4¢ for exports, so it's a self-use play.
View Tennessee guide →Oklahoma
Low rates and OG&E's avoided-cost buyback make sizing strategy everything.
View Oklahoma guide →West Virginia
No state credit at all — your utility's export rate is the whole story. Mon Power pays 9.3¢, Appalachian Power 12.4¢.
View West Virginia guide →Michigan
High rates and a program cap that just went up 10x, but exports pay under half retail — a self-use play.
View Michigan guide →Don't see your state yet? We're adding more. In the meantime, our national guides cover what applies everywhere: solar cost, incentives, and the 2026 tax-credit changes. Or get a free quote for numbers specific to your address.