This is the Energy Trust deep-dive: rates, eligibility and how to apply. For the full Oregon incentive stack, see Oregon Solar Incentives 2026.
Energy Trust of Oregon solar and battery incentives: what they pay now
If you are an Oregon homeowner considering solar in 2026 or 2027, you have an advantage over almost anyone else in the United States.
For years the 30% federal tax credit got the national headlines while Oregon’s own program sat quietly underneath it. That has flipped. The federal residential credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025 — which makes Energy Trust of Oregon the most important solar incentive an Oregon homeowner has left.
And it works better than a tax credit ever did in one important way: Energy Trust incentives are cash payments that reduce the upfront cost of your system immediately. You do not wait until tax season the following year, and you do not need enough tax liability to absorb a credit. The money comes off the price.
At Sunbridge Solar, we are a top-rated Energy Trust Trade Ally and we process these applications every week. Every figure below was checked against energytrust.org in September 2026; the section near the end explains what can change and when.
The short version: current Energy Trust rates by utility
PGE and Pacific Power customers are paid different amounts on every offer. Find your utility in the table before you look at anything else.
| Offer | PGE | Pacific Power |
|---|---|---|
| Solar for Homes (standard) | $3,500 flat per home | $2,500 flat per home |
| Solar Within Reach (income-qualified) | $1.25/W, up to $7,500 | $0.85/W, up to $5,250 |
| Battery storage (standard) | $400/kWh, up to $5,000 | $288/kWh, up to $3,600 |
| Battery storage (income-qualified) | $500/kWh, up to $6,250 | $400/kWh, up to $5,000 |
| Minimum solar system | 2 kW-DC | 2 kW-DC |
| Minimum battery | 3 kWh, paired with qualifying solar | 3 kWh, paired with qualifying solar |
Source: energytrust.org, Solar for Your Home and Solar Within Reach pages, checked September 2026. Energy Trust states that all offers are subject to funding availability and may change at any time.
Two things in that table surprise most people. The standard residential incentive is a flat amount per home, not a per-watt rate — so a 5 kW and a 9 kW system get the same $3,500 from PGE. And for a PGE customer, the battery incentive (up to $5,000) is larger than the solar incentive ($3,500).
The Core Concept: “Cash on the Hood”
The most important thing to understand about Energy Trust incentives is how they are paid.
The Energy Trust does not send you a check months after the installation. Instead, they pay the incentive directly to your solar contractor (us). We then pass 100% of those savings on to you by deducting it directly from your final invoice.
The Result: You pay less out of pocket on Day 1. There is no waiting for a rebate check in the mail, and you don’t need to float that cash for months.
Who is Eligible?
To qualify for any Energy Trust incentive, you must meet two non-negotiable criteria:
- Utility Provider: You must be a customer of Portland General Electric (PGE) or Pacific Power. (Customers of smaller PUDs or co-ops do not qualify for Energy Trust funds, though other local rebates may exist.)
- Trade Ally Contractor: You must use an approved Energy Trust Trade Ally like Sunbridge Solar. DIY installations or uncertified contractors are not eligible for these funds.
How much does the standard Energy Trust solar incentive pay?
For most homeowners this is the baseline incentive: $3,500 per home for PGE customers, $2,500 per home for Pacific Power customers. The system has to be at least 2 kW-DC, and the roof has to meet Energy Trust’s solar-access standard, which is measured by TSRF.
The Critical Metric: What is TSRF?
The Energy Trust will not fund just any solar project. To qualify, your roof must meet efficiency standards. This is measured by a metric called TSRF (Total Solar Resource Fraction).
TSRF is a percentage that compares how much sunlight your roof actually gets versus how much it would get if it were perfectly unshaded and pointing due South. It accounts for:
- Tilt: Is the roof too steep or too flat?
- Orientation: Does the roof face North (bad) or South (good)?
- Shade: Are there trees or chimneys blocking the sun?
The Rule of 75: generally, your system must have a TSRF of 75% or higher to qualify for incentives.
- Example: If you have large Douglas Firs casting shade on your roof for half the day, your TSRF might drop to 60%. In this case, you can still install solar, but the Energy Trust will likely deny the incentive for those specific panels.
During our free solar assessment, we use satellite imagery and LIDAR data to calculate your TSRF before we ever climb on your roof, ensuring you know exactly what qualifies.
What is Solar Within Reach, and how much more does it pay?
This is the most powerful tool in the Oregon solar landscape. Solar Within Reach is an income-qualified program designed to make renewable energy accessible to more working families and retirees.
The Benefit
Instead of the flat standard amount, Solar Within Reach pays per watt: $1.25/W up to $7,500 for PGE customers, and $0.85/W up to $5,250 for Pacific Power customers. On a typical 6 kW home system that is $7,500 (PGE) or $5,100 (Pacific Power) — roughly double the standard incentive — deducted from the invoice before you pay anything.
Do I Qualify? (Income Guidelines)
Many homeowners assume this program is only for very low-income households. The limits are more generous than people expect — but they are set county by county, not statewide, and they reset each year on 1 June. For a one-person household the ceiling currently runs from the high $80,000s in lower-cost counties to the mid $130,000s in the Portland metro, and it rises with household size.
Because the number depends on your county and your household size, the only reliable way to check is the county lookup on Energy Trust’s Solar Within Reach page — or ask us and we will check it for your address.
How Verification Works
We find that many eligible customers hesitate because they don’t want to share tax returns with a contractor. Good news: You do not need to provide tax returns to us. Verification is handled through a secure verification form or a third-party processor. We simply confirm your eligibility status so we can apply the discount to your bid.
How much does Energy Trust pay toward a battery?
After the ice storms and outages of recent winters, storage is the part of the program that has grown fastest. Energy Trust pays a per-kilowatt-hour incentive on a battery installed with a qualifying solar system:
- PGE customers: $400/kWh up to $5,000 (standard), or $500/kWh up to $6,250 if you qualify for Solar Within Reach.
- Pacific Power customers: $288/kWh up to $3,600 (standard), or $400/kWh up to $5,000 if income-qualified.
- Minimum: 3 kWh of capacity, connected to a solar system that meets Energy Trust’s standards.
A 13.5 kWh battery — the size most homeowners choose — hits the cap under every one of those rows. So in practice a PGE customer gets $5,000 off the battery (or $6,250 income-qualified), and a Pacific Power customer gets $3,600 (or $5,000).
PGE’s Smart Battery pilot (separate from Energy Trust)
If you are a PGE customer with a battery, you can also enroll it in PGE’s Smart Battery pilot. This is a utility program, not an Energy Trust one, and it pays in bill credits rather than upfront cash: $1.70 per kWh that PGE draws from your battery during each Peak Time Event. In exchange you allow PGE to use a portion of your stored energy when the grid is under strain — they leave a reserve for you in case of an outage. It is a modest, ongoing return on top of the Energy Trust incentive, not a substitute for it.
How do the incentives stack on a real project?
You don’t have to choose just one. Here is how the numbers work for a Solar Within Reach qualifier on PGE who adds a battery.
Illustrative example (6 kW solar + 13.5 kWh battery, PGE, income-qualified):
| Cost item | Amount |
| Gross cost, solar + battery | $38,000 (illustrative) |
| Energy Trust — Solar Within Reach (6,000 W × $1.25, capped) | −$7,500 |
| Energy Trust — income-qualified battery (13.5 kWh × $500, capped) | −$6,250 |
| Net out-of-pocket cost | $24,250 |
| Federal residential tax credit | No longer available — Section 25D ended 31 Dec 2025 |
| Final cost | $24,250 |
The same household on Pacific Power would see $5,100 on the solar and $5,000 on the battery — $10,100 off instead of $13,750. A household above the income limit on PGE would see $3,500 + $5,000 = $8,500.
Figures are illustrative only. The gross cost is a placeholder, and the incentive amounts depend on your utility, household income, county and system size. We will give you the real numbers for your address, and your accountant should confirm anything tax-related.
Summary: All Incentives at a Glance
| Incentive | Who Qualifies? | PGE | Pacific Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar for Homes (standard) | Any PGE / Pacific Power homeowner, TSRF 75%+, 2 kW+ system | $3,500 flat | $2,500 flat |
| Solar Within Reach | Income-qualified (county-based limits) | $1.25/W, up to $7,500 | $0.85/W, up to $5,250 |
| Battery storage (standard) | Battery of 3 kWh+ with qualifying solar | $400/kWh, up to $5,000 | $288/kWh, up to $3,600 |
| Battery storage (income-qualified) | Solar Within Reach qualifiers adding a battery | $500/kWh, up to $6,250 | $400/kWh, up to $5,000 |
| PGE Smart Battery pilot | PGE customers with an enrolled battery | $1.70/kWh bill credit per Peak Time Event | Not offered |
| Federal tax credit | Ended for systems placed in service after 31 Dec 2025 | Not available | Not available |
What can change, and when
A common misconception is that these figures are guaranteed for the whole year. They are not. Energy Trust sets incentive levels per year and states that every offer is subject to funding availability and may change at any time. Three things to know if you are planning for 2027:
- Next-year rates are usually announced in the autumn. The 2026 rates were announced in September 2025 and then revised in August 2026. As of September 2026, Energy Trust has not published 2027 figures. We update this page when they do.
- Income limits reset every 1 June. If your household is close to the Solar Within Reach ceiling, the date you apply can decide whether you qualify.
- The incentive is reserved when your application is approved, before installation. That reservation is what protects your number if published rates move later in the year — which is why we submit the application as soon as the design is final, not after the panels go up.
Why does it matter that your installer is a trade ally?
The Energy Trust of Oregon incentives come with strings attached—in a good way. They demand quality.
To maintain our Trade Ally status, Sunbridge Solar is subject to random quality audits by Energy Trust inspectors. They examine:
- Wire Management: Are wires tucked away and protected from squirrels and weather?
- Structural Mounting: Are the lag bolts hitting the rafters in the center?
- Flashing: Is the waterproofing installed perfectly to prevent leaks 10 years from now?
If a system fails an audit, the contractor must fix it immediately. This means that when you choose an incentive-eligible installer, you are effectively getting a free third-party quality assurance check on your investment.
Energy Trust incentive FAQs
Do I get the Energy Trust incentive as a check?
No. Energy Trust pays the incentive to your trade ally contractor, who takes it off your invoice before you pay. You never wait on a rebate check.
I’m on Clark PUD in Washington. Do I qualify?
No. Energy Trust of Oregon incentives are funded by, and limited to, Portland General Electric and Pacific Power customers in Oregon. Washington homeowners have different incentives — see our Washington solar incentives page.
Do I have to use a trade ally contractor?
Yes. Only systems installed by an Energy Trust trade ally are eligible. Sunbridge Solar is a trade ally, and the application is submitted by us, not by you.
What is the smallest system that qualifies?
2 kW-DC for solar, and 3 kWh of capacity for a battery. The battery has to be connected to a solar system that meets Energy Trust’s standards.
Can the incentive change after I sign?
Published rates can change at any time, but the amount is reserved when Energy Trust approves your application — before installation. That reservation is what holds your number, which is why we submit as soon as the design is final.
Takeaway: Don’t Leave Money on the Table
Oregon’s solar incentives are some of the best in the nation, but they are paperwork-intensive. One wrong form, a missed TSRF calculation, or a delayed submission can cost you thousands of dollars.
At Sunbridge Solar, we handle 100% of the Energy Trust paperwork for you.
- We calculate your TSRF.
- We verify your income eligibility.
- We apply for the reservation.
- We deduct the money from your bill so you don’t have to wait.
Want to know exactly how much cash you qualify for?
Request a free custom proposal or call us at 360-313-7190. We will run the numbers for your specific roof, utility and income bracket today.
