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Home solar in Maine

Rooftop solar still earns full kWh-for-kWh bill credits under Maine's net energy billing; the 2025 law (LD 1777) cut back only solar farms on the utility side of the meter, not home systems.

Facts checked 2026-11-01, each with a source link below. Programs change often: confirm with your utility, installer and a tax professional before you sign.

32.1¢average home price per kWh (EIA, August 2026)
Strong case for solarMaine has some of the highest home power prices in the country, rooftop systems still get 1:1 kWh credits, and home solar is exempt from property tax. There is no state rebate or tax credit, and lawmakers keep debating net energy billing costs.

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Net metering Net metering available

Maine calls it net energy billing. Your utility bills you for the kWh it delivers minus the kWh your panels send back, and extra kWh roll forward as credits to later bills. Credits that go unused eventually expire under PUC rules, and their value goes to low-income help. LD 1777 (2025) did not change this for rooftop systems behind your own meter. Source

  • 2025-12-31: last day utilities could sign new net energy billing deals with solar farms on the utility side of a meter (rooftop systems not affected)
  • 2026-01-01: new monthly NEB project charge and new tariff rates begin for certain solar-farm projects
  • 2026-09-30: state Department of Energy Resources proposal for a successor program for solar farms due to the PUC

Solar credits (SRECs) No market

Maine has no SREC market for home systems. Net energy billing credits are the main way rooftop solar pays back. Source

Rebates and incentives

Net energy billing (kWh credit)

1 kWh bill credit for each kWh sent to the grid

Utility customers with solar behind their own meter

open performance payment Source

Property tax exemption for solar equipment

Solar equipment not taxed (file a report with your assessor by April 1 of the first year)

Homes using the solar power on site

open tax credit Source

Taxes

Property tax: Exempt: solar equipment whose power is used on site is exempt from property tax (36 MRSA §656(1)(L), tax years from April 1, 2025); you must file a report with your local assessor by April 1 of the first year you claim it.
Sales tax: None found: Maine has no sales tax exemption for home solar equipment (not confirmed with Maine Revenue Services). Source

Solar laws

  • LD 1777, Public Law 2025 ch. 430 (2025). Ends new net energy billing deals for solar farms on the utility side of the meter after 2025, adds a monthly charge for some kWh-credit projects, tightens consumer protections, and orders a successor program for solar farms. Rooftop systems behind the customer's meter keep net energy billing. Source
  • Solar rights, 33 MRSA §1423 (2009). Covenants, deeds and association rules made after Sept. 30, 2009 may not ban solar on a home you own. They may still ban it on condo common areas and add limits needed for safety, building protection, shoreland rules, or looks if a similar-cost option exists. Source
  • LD 32 (2026), Public Law ch. 680 (2026). Filed as a bill to repeal net energy billing, but it was amended and the law as signed on April 13, 2026 only deals with the PUC interconnection ombudsman. It did not repeal net energy billing. Source

Community solar

Limited: existing community solar farms in net energy billing can still sign up subscribers, but no new farm deals have been allowed since the end of 2025 while a successor program is designed.

Timeline

  1. Maine solar rights law limits HOA and covenant bans on home solar
  2. Updated solar property tax exemption applies (tax years from this date)
  3. LD 1777 (Public Law 2025 ch. 430) enacted; rooftop net energy billing kept
  4. Last day for new net energy billing deals for utility-side solar farms
  5. NEB project charge and new tariff rates start for certain solar-farm projects
  6. LD 32 signed, but only as an interconnection ombudsman law; net energy billing not repealed
  7. Successor program proposal for solar farms due to the PUC

Federal tax credits

The 30% federal tax credit for homeowners who buy solar (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so buying no longer earns a federal credit. If you lease or sign a power purchase agreement (PPA), the panels belong to a company that may still claim a business credit under federal deadlines that tighten through 2027. Ask your installer whether that savings is in your price.

Sources

Last checked 2026-11-01. Incentives are not guaranteed and can change or run out. Confirm every figure with your utility, installer and a tax professional before you sign. This page is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice.

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