2025 Solar Incentives Guide for Southaven, MS - Tax Credits & Rebates

What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in Southaven?

Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/

The term "solar incentives" refers to a range of financial incentives implemented to make installing and using solar panels more affordable. This is done to encourage people to switch to renewable energy. These incentives could include upfront discounts, cash back or credit towards your monthly utility bill. Some incentives are provided by the federal government, some by the state of Mississippi and some by your utility company, county or municipality. Types of solar incentives might include:

• Net Metering: You may be able to sign a net metering agreement with your Southaven utility company that will apply to all or a percentage of the excess electricity your solar panels generate. Your utility company will then deduct this value from your utility bill each month.
• Rebates: Solar rebates may be provided by your state or county, or by your local utility company. These rebates are essentially cash back that is applied after your purchase of a solar system and before tax credits are calculated.
• Tax Exemptions: Tax exemptions can come in one of two forms. The first is sales tax exemption, applied when you purchase solar panels. The second is property tax exemption. This allows you to exclude the added value of your solar system when calculating property tax for your house.
• Tax Credits: Different from tax deductions, tax credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions in the amount of income tax that you owe the federal government.

Federal Solar Incentives

Federal incentives are the type of incentives that you are most likely to have some knowledge of. The Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, or ITC, is likely the most well-known federal solar incentive. The ITC provides a tax credit for a set percentage of the cost of your solar system.

The ITC applies to solar systems installed after January 1, 2006, on a primary or secondary residence that you own in the United States. Initially, the credit applied to 30% of the total cost – for panels, equipment, labor and accessories – although that amount may range from 26-30%, depending on when your solar project was undertaken. There is no cap on the amount you can claim.

Contacting your local Southaven solar panel installation expert is the best way to learn more about how the ITC applies to your situation.

The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in August 2022, made some changes to the ITC (as well as retitling it the Clean Energy Credit). Under the new program, solar installation projects started after January 1, 2022, and completed by the end of 2032, can qualify for a 30% tax credit. The amount of the credit will then see a slight annual decrease until the end of the current Clean Energy Credit in 2035. The program expansion also makes credits for energy storage systems even easier to claim, starting in 2023.

Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. To best understand how the new Clean Energy Credit might apply to you, reach out to your local Southaven solar installation company.

State & Local Solar Incentives

Not all solar incentives are federal; rebates, tax credits and more are often offered at the state and local level. Certain incentives are ongoing, while others are offered for only a limited time. Your local incentives might come from the Mississippi government, or from your specific county or municipality.

Next Steps for Installing Solar in Southaven

There are many types of solar incentives: those offered by local utility companies, those given by the federal government and those offered by the Mississippi government, to name a few. The use of solar energy has increased tremendously in the last 15 years, partially due to these incentives. It is a good idea to talk to your local Southaven solar installation expert to learn more about these incentives and to make sure that you're getting all the money you can for your solar system.