Every Energy Trust solar incentive in Oregon, compared
Energy Trust of Oregon does not run one solar incentive. It runs about a dozen. Which one applies depends on who you are, what kind of building it is, and which of the two utilities sends your bill. The amounts are not close to each other, and the gap between the offer you assume you get and the offer you actually qualify for is often thousands of dollars.
Pick your situation below and the tool shows what Energy Trust pays for it today.
All amounts checked September 18, 2026 against Energy Trust of Oregon’s published rates.
See every Energy Trust offer side by side
| Offer | Portland General Electric | Pacific Power |
|---|---|---|
| Solar for Homes standard residential | $3,500 flat per home | $2,500 flat per home |
| Battery Storage for Homes | $400 per kWh, up to $5,000 | $288 per kWh, up to $3,600 |
| Solar Within Reach income-qualified | $1.25 per watt, up to $7,500 | $0.85 per watt, up to $5,250 |
| Battery Storage income-qualified | $500 per kWh, up to $6,250 | $400 per kWh, up to $5,000 |
| Solar for Businesses | $0.10 per watt, up to $9,500 | $0.10 per watt, up to $10,000 |
| Solar for Nonprofits 501(c)(3) | $0.55 per watt, up to $33,000 per project | $0.40 per watt, up to $24,000 per project |
| Solar for Tribal Nations | $1.00 per watt, up to $50,000 per project | $1.00 per watt, up to $40,000 per project |
| Affordable Multifamily | $0.55 per watt, up to $33,000 per project | $0.40 per watt, up to $24,000 per project |
| Standard Multifamily | $0.10 per watt, up to $9,500 | $0.10 per watt, up to $10,000 |
| Battery Storage commercial and multifamily | $300 per kWh, up to $9,000 | $300 per kWh, up to $9,000 |
| Development Assistance feasibility studies | $2,000 solar, $3,000 storage | $2,000 solar, $3,000 storage |
The conditions that apply to all of them
- A trade ally has to install it. The incentive is reserved by an Energy Trust trade ally contractor before installation and comes off your invoice. You do not file for it. If your contractor is not a trade ally, there is no incentive on the project at all, not a reduced one.
- Minimum system size is 2 kW-DC on every solar offer, and 3 kWh on every battery offer.
- Commercial-side offers cap the project at 360 kW-AC.
- Nonprofit, Tribal and affordable multifamily offers carry an annual customer maximum on top of the per-project cap: $100,000 a year, except Tribal Nations on Pacific Power, which is $80,000.
- A battery only earns its incentive when it is paired with solar that meets Energy Trust’s qualifying standards.
- Energy Trust money only exists on PGE and Pacific Power bills. It is funded by a charge on those two utilities. If a municipal utility, a PUD or a co-op serves your address, none of this applies, whichever contractor you hire.
Why every figure above carries a date
Energy Trust runs a stepped incentive. Rates are set at a level on January 1 and change at quarterly boundaries, April 1, July 1 and October 1, with a stated target of no more than one small reduction per quarter for each offer. Budget consumed matters too, so a popular offer can move sooner than the calendar suggests.
The direction is not always down. The standard residential amount for PGE customers rose during 2026, from $2,500 to $3,500. The next quarter boundary is October 1, 2026.
This is why a figure copied off a blog post is worth so little. A number published in January is describing Step 1. By September you are in Step 3. Energy Trust tells its own trade allies to check the live status report rather than trust static pages, and you deserve the same treatment: we pull the current step for your utility and your project on the day we quote you, and you see it as a dated line on the quote rather than a number folded into a total.
What is no longer available
These come up constantly, and older pages across the internet still list them as live. They are not.
The federal residential tax credit has ended. The 30% residential credit (Section 25D) is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025. The trigger is when the system is placed in service, not when you sign. Anyone still showing you a step-down table running to 2032 or 2034 is quoting a schedule that was repealed. See what changed. The federal commercial credit under Section 48E is a separate matter and is still available under conditions.
Oregon has no state solar tax credit. The Residential Energy Tax Credit ended on December 31, 2017 and was never replaced.
The Oregon Department of Energy rebate is closed. It reopened on June 15, 2026 with $1.1 million in repurposed funding and was reserved almost immediately. It opens episodically when the legislature funds it, and we will tell you if a window appears.
USDA REAP grants are paused. The program is not accepting Renewable Energy Systems applications for the 2026 fiscal year. Guaranteed loans continue. See the REAP page for where it stands.
Oregon solar incentive FAQs
How many solar incentives does Energy Trust of Oregon offer?
About a dozen separate offers, not one. Which applies depends on whether the property is a home, a business, a nonprofit, Tribal land or multifamily housing, and on whether Portland General Electric or Pacific Power bills the address. The amounts range from $0.10 per watt on a standard business project to $1.00 per watt for Tribal Nations.
How much is the Energy Trust incentive for a house in 2026?
$3,500 for Portland General Electric customers and $2,500 for Pacific Power customers, as a flat amount per home rather than a rate per watt, on systems of at least 2 kW-DC. Income-qualified households get considerably more through Solar Within Reach. Checked September 18, 2026.
Do Energy Trust incentive amounts change during the year?
Yes. Energy Trust runs a stepped incentive, with levels set on January 1 and changing at quarterly boundaries on April 1, July 1 and October 1, targeting no more than one small reduction per quarter for each offer. The direction is not always down: the PGE residential amount rose during 2026.
Can I get an Energy Trust incentive without using a trade ally contractor?
No. The incentive is reserved by an Energy Trust trade ally before installation and deducted from your invoice. A project installed by a non-ally contractor gets no incentive at all, not a smaller one, and it cannot be claimed afterwards.
Do nonprofits get a bigger solar incentive in Oregon?
Yes. A registered 501(c)(3) qualifies for $0.55 per watt up to $33,000 per project on PGE, or $0.40 per watt up to $24,000 on Pacific Power, against $0.10 per watt for an ordinary business. Both carry a $100,000 annual customer maximum.
What if my utility is not PGE or Pacific Power?
Then there is no Energy Trust incentive on your project. Energy Trust is funded by a charge on PGE and Pacific Power bills only. Customers of a municipal utility, a PUD or a co-op are outside the program whichever contractor they hire.
Want these numbers checked against your own address?
Which utility bills you decides which column you are in, and the boundary does not follow city lines or ZIP codes. We check it against your meter, pull the current step, and put the incentive on the quote as its own line. Request a written quote. It is free and there is no obligation.
For homeowners specifically, Oregon solar incentives covers the residential side in more depth, and we keep separate pages for PGE customers and Pacific Power customers.