2025 Solar Incentives Guide for Portsmouth, RI - Tax Credits & Rebates
In this guide, we'll cover the latest solar incentives and rebates available in Portsmouth.
You'll learn about:
- Local & State Solar Incentives
- Federal Tax Credits (Updated for 2024 and beyond)
- Ways to optimize your solar investment
Solar installers are experts in maximizing your solar tax credits and rebates.
Get a free quote from one of our trusted Portsmouth solar installers to see how much you can save.
Please enter a valid 5-digit zip code!
Why you can trust EcoWatch
What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in Portsmouth?
Local Option - Property Tax Exemption for Renewable Energy Systems
Renewable Energy Products Sales and Use Tax Exemption
Property Tax Exemption for Renewable Energy Equipment
Small Scale Solar Grants (Commerce RI)
Direct Ownership: $1.05/W
Third Party Ownership: $0.70/W
Solar Domestic Hot Water Heating
Direct Ownership: 25% of project contract price
Third Party Ownership: 10% of total contract price
Federal Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/
Solar incentives are designed to mitigate the cost of installing solar panels on your home. These financial incentives are designed to encourage more people to switch to renewable energy. You may be eligible for various types of incentives, such as cash back, discounts or monthly utility bill credits, depending on your situation. Certain incentives come from your specific utility company, county or municipality, some from the state of Rhode Island and others from the federal government. Some broad categories of solar incentives include:
- Net Metering: Be sure to speak to your Portsmouth utility company about signing a net metering agreement. This allows you to get a credit towards your utility bill every month for the value of excess energy your solar panels generate. You may receive either a dollar-for-dollar credit or a percentage of the value.
- Rebates: Solar rebates may be provided by your state or county, or by your local utility company. These rebates are essentially partial refunds that are applied after you purchase a solar system and before tax credits are calculated.
- Tax Credits: These credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions (not deductions) in how much in taxes you owe the government.
- Tax Exemptions: Sales tax exemptions are applied at the point of sale for your solar panels. Property tax exemptions allow you to ignore the value added by your solar system when you're calculating the amount of property tax you need to pay on your house.
Federal Solar Incentives
Federal incentives are the type of incentives that you are most likely to have some familiarity with. The solar incentive that you're most familiar with is probably the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which provides a credit on your taxes equal to a specified percentage of your solar system's cost.
The ITC applies to the value of a solar system installed on your primary or secondary residence in the United States. The solar panels must have been installed after January 1, 2006, on a property you own for you to claim the credit. Originally, the ITC covered 30% of all costs (panels, accessories, equipment and labor), although this amount has fluctuated over the last few years between 26-30%. The amount you qualify for will depend on when your solar system was installed. There is no cap on the claim amount.
Contacting your local Portsmouth solar panel installer is the best way to learn more about how the ITC could apply to your situation.
In August 2022, the ITC (now called the Clean Energy Credit) was bolstered by the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act. The new Clean Energy Credit now runs until 2035. Homeowners can now receive a 30% credit for solar systems installed between 2022 and 2032. This credit will then decrease annually until the date of expiration. The expansion also makes credits for energy storage systems even easier to claim, beginning in 2023.
Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. Your local Portsmouth solar panel company is the best resource for answering your questions regarding the new Clean Energy Credit and how it may apply to you.
State & Local Solar Incentives
Some solar incentives may be provided at the state and local level. As with federal incentives, these can include rebates, tax credits and more. The incentives — which might be handled by the state of Rhode Island, or by your county or municipality — could be offered on an ongoing basis, or for only a limited time.
Next Steps for Installing Solar in Portsmouth
You can qualify for solar incentives from the Rhode Island government and the federal government, as well as from your local utility company. Growing availability of solar initiatives over the last 15 years has helped increase nationwide solar energy use enormously. Reach out to your local solar panel installation expert today to discover more about the various programs and to save the most money possible on solar panels for your Portsmouth home.
EcoWatch's Portsmouth, RI Solar Incentives FAQs
My home already has solar panels. Do I qualify for any incentives?
An excellent idea would be to talk to a representative from the company that installed your solar panels – or get in touch with a local Portsmouth solar installer — to learn about which incentives you may qualify for. If your solar panels were installed after January 1, 2022, you likely qualify for the newly increased 30% tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. Systems installed between 2006 and 2021 may qualify for a tax credit of 26-30%.
What are some environmental benefits of installing solar panels on my home?
You can reduce your carbon footprint by 200 pounds of CO2 annually when you switch to solar panels. This adds up to around 4,000 pounds in 20 years. Solar is also a renewable energy source, meaning that making the switch reduces the drain on our planet's resources.
How long until the federal solar tax credit ends?
The Clean Energy Credit (previously referred to as the federal solar tax credit, or ITC), is scheduled to end on January 1, 2035. Currently set at 30%, the credit will drop to 26% in 2033 and to 22% in 2034.
I want to switch my appliances out for ones that are more energy-efficient. Are there any incentives I can apply for?
Under the new Inflation Reduction Act, there are a variety of new financial incentives to encourage you to make eco-friendly improvements to your home. More details regarding these incentives, including information about incentives for purchasing new appliances, can be found here.
Can I apply for incentives both towards the up-front cost of solar panels, and later as reimbursement?
Yes, you can receive both tax credits and rebates towards the cost of your solar panels. Depending on which incentives you are eligible for, they may apply in a different order. Be sure to talk to your solar installer or a local tax professional to confirm that you are claiming incentives correctly and that you're getting the most money possible.
Our goal is to reach as many people as we can with sensible solutions like solar energy. Our team of full-time local researchers collects solar price and installation data for every city in America then compiles it to create these digestible city guides. If you want to read our solar expert's opinion on the top solar companies featured here, follow this link.