Arkansas's famous 1:1 full-retail net metering ENDED for new systems on September 30, 2024…
Iowa's residential solar headline strength is unusual: a 20-YEAR RATE LOCK…
Kansas is a middle-tier US residential solar market in 2026 with one notable structural protection: the Kansas Supreme Court STRUCK DOWN Evergy's solar-only demand charge in April 2020 as illegal pric…
Maine is one of the few US states that still offers GENUINE 1:1 RETAIL NET METERING for new 2026 residential rooftop installs — under Net Energy Billing (NEB), every exported kWh earns a 1:1 bill cred…
Missouri solar economics in 2026 are utility-driven — the two big investor-owned utilities pay residential solar customers DIFFERENTLY under the same statute (RSMo §386.890), and the gap is material…
Nebraska is uniquely the only 100% PUBLIC POWER state in the United States — no investor-owned utilities…
Oklahoma sits in an awkward solar position: world-class sun resource paired with some of the LOWEST US retail electricity rates and a monthly excess-credit structure that pays only avoided cost…
South Dakota has NO statewide net metering — this is the single most important fact for a 2026 SD buyer, and it is the structural weakness of the SD solar market…
Tennessee is one of the WORST US residential solar markets in 2026…
Utah's traditional full-retail net metering is CLOSED to new customers…
West Virginia net metering changed materially under PSC settlements in 2024-2025 — and most WV solar coverage still describes the old retail-rate case…
Wyoming has STATUTORY 1:1 retail net metering for residential systems up to 25 kW under Wyo…
Alabama is one of the WORST US residential solar markets in 2026 because of one feature most coverage understates: Alabama Power's CAPACITY RESERVATION CHARGE (Rider RGB, sometimes called the 'solar t…
Idaho is a 3-utility / 3-mechanism state — the utility serving you matters more than in most US states because the export math is fundamentally different on each…
Kentucky changed residential solar economics meaningfully with SB 100 (2019, effective January 1, 2020) — and most KY-focused solar coverage gets the result backward…
Mississippi runs 'net renewable generation' (NEM-2 / RENM-2) under MS PSC Docket 2011-AD-2 with INSTANTANEOUS netting — mechanically similar to Indiana EDG, NOT 1:1 retail…
New Hampshire is a rare US state where the net metering rules are LOCKED through January 1, 2041 — NH PUC DE 16-576 (Order 26,029) gave NEM 2.0 about 15 years of guaranteed certainty, the strongest co…
North Dakota is one of the structurally weakest US solar markets in 2026 — typical solar-only payback runs about 20-25 years (ecogenamerica), comparable to Louisiana…
Vermont solar pays back in about 13 years on a typical install — NuWatt calls VT the 'longest payback in New England' despite the state having one of the highest US residential retail rates (about $0…
Connecticut is the second US state (after Rhode Island) where the first decision isn't a number — it's a tariff…
Delaware is one of the more generous US solar markets in 2026 — about 9-11 year solar-only payback even with the federal §25D credit dead…
Indiana net metering is DEAD for new residential solar — SEA 309 (2017) closed traditional NM at all 5 IN IOUs by July 1, 2022, and the Indiana Supreme Court 2023 ruling on the CenterPoint case finali…
Louisiana is one of the structurally weakest US solar markets in 2026 — about 21-23 year solar-only payback under default install pricing, longer with a battery…
Ohio net metering is alive in 2026 — PUCO on January 7, 2026 (Docket 25-0349-EL-ORD) rejected AEP's push to gut residential net metering…
Rhode Island is the only US state that makes you pick ONE of two mutually exclusive solar paths at install — and you can't combine them…
Alaska is the most seasonal residential solar market in the US…
Arizona solar payback stretched from 5-7 years in 2025 to 9-14 years in 2026 — the federal 30% credit is gone and exports are credited at net-billing rates well below retail…
NEM 3.0 cut export credits by about 75%, and the federal 30% credit is gone. California solar can still pay off — but battery storage is now doing the heavy lifting, and the math is harder than the 20…
Colorado is one of the few US states that held firm on full 1:1 retail net metering — Xcel customers in Denver and the Front Range still get retail-rate credits, unlike California (NEM 3.0) or Nevada…
Payback for 2026 Florida systems is roughly 9-13 years — longer than it was with the federal credit, but state incentives, high consumption, and 1:1 net metering for major IOUs keep it competitive…
Georgia gets plenty of sun, but in 2026 solar pays back slowly for Georgia Power customers — roughly 18–21 years…
Hawaii is the most unusual residential solar market in the US in 2026…
Illinois is a transitional state in 2026 — and one of the messiest to read about…
Maryland is a strong mid-Atlantic solar market — our model puts payback near about 11 years even with the federal credit gone…
Massachusetts has one of the shortest residential solar paybacks in the US in 2026 — our model puts it near about 6.8 years even without SMART. The reason isn't sun (MA is moderately sunny); it's elec…
Michigan replaced traditional 1:1 net metering with the Distributed Generation (DG) inflow/outflow program in 2018, and PA 235 (2023) kept that structure…
Minnesota has one of the better Midwest solar stacks in 2026: 1:1 retail net metering set by state law (more protected than tariff-based 1:1 elsewhere), Xcel's Solar*Rewards production incentive payin…
Montana has solid 1:1 retail net metering on NorthWestern Energy and Montana-Dakota Utilities — but our model puts payback near about 17.7 years. The reason isn't the rules; it's the price of electric…
Nevada has 300+ sunny days and 75% net metering — solar still pays off, just slower than in 2025…
New Jersey is one of the strongest residential solar markets in the US in 2026 — our model puts payback near about 6.5 years even with the federal credit gone. The reason is the SuSI Administratively…
New Mexico is one of the best remaining solar states in 2026 — 300+ sunny days, full 1:1 retail net metering with credits that roll over month-to-month indefinitely on PNM (among the most generous in…
New York has one of the strongest residential solar stacks in the country in 2026 — our model puts payback near about 7.5 years even with the federal credit gone. The reason isn't sun (NY is below-ave…
North Carolina ranks 5th nationally for installed solar capacity, but in 2026 the math is mixed…
Oregon has a solid solar stack on the Pacific Northwest: full 1:1 retail net metering on PGE and Pacific Power, a flat $2,500 upfront Energy Trust rebate (NOT a tax credit), no statewide sales tax (Or…
Pennsylvania has full 1:1 retail net metering on PECO (about 21¢/kWh) and the other major IOUs — but PPL has filed to shift exports to hourly LMP-based credits mid-to-late 2026, which could cut PPL ex…
South Carolina is one of the Southeast's better solar states in 2026 — but for a specific reason…
Virginia is one of the best Eastern solar markets in 2026 — 9th nationally for installed capacity, with full 1:1 retail net metering that the State Corporation Commission just preserved on April 30, 2…
Washington has 1:1 retail net metering today, a strong sales tax exemption that runs through 2029, and no state income tax credit…
Wisconsin payback runs around about 13.5 years in our model — a middle result. The state has above-average retail (about 17¢/kWh, rising fast), a real Focus on Energy upfront rebate ($600/kW capped at…
Texas has no net metering — your retail provider sets your export terms…