Montana solar calculator

Live production from NLR (formerly NREL) PVWatts V8. Montana has full 1:1 retail net metering on NorthWestern Energy and Montana-Dakota Utilities (systems up to 50 kW), but residential retail electricity is among the lowest in our verified set (~12¢/kWh), so payback runs longer than higher-rate 1:1 states. Montana has NO state income tax credit for solar — the old APEC credit was repealed in 2021 (sources citing a "$1,000 credit" are out of date). Montana has no general sales tax, and added home value from solar is property-tax exempt for 10 years (Form AB-14). Important: Montana uses annual settle-up — excess credit resets to zero at your settle-up month. Don't oversize. This calculator models the NorthWestern case. Defaults: south-facing roof mount, 20° tilt, 14% losses.