Oregon Solar Incentives 2024: Latest Tax Credits & Rebates

Dive into the 2024 Oregon Solar Incentives, including a 30% federal tax credit, utility cash-incentive, and battery backup rebate. Have a question? Contact us for expert guidance.

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    Welcome to our guide on the solar incentives in Oregon for 2024! 

    As a top provider of solar energy in Oregon, we recognize the value of keeping our customers informed of the most recent tax credits, rebates, and financing options.

    We will give you all the knowledge you need in this guide to make the most of your solar energy investment and take advantage of Oregon’s best solar incentives. Let us get going!

    The Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO) offers incentives in the form of cash rebates to homeowners and businesses who are customers of Portland General Electric (PGE) or Pacific Power (PP). 

    These Oregon solar incentives are subject to availability and change rates, and they are calculated on a per-watt basis.

    ETO Incentive Qualifications

    To qualify for these Oregon solar incentives, you must live or own a business within PGE or PP’s service area. Your building must be:

    The solar installation that you install must be new, UL-listed, compliant with all standards, and carry warranties on all components.

    The system must meet all applicable codes and additional site criteria such as total solar resource fractions, be grid-tied, and be installed by an approved Energy Trust solar trade ally contractor (such as our contractors here at Sunbridge Solar). Residential solar energy systems

    ETO Incentive Amount

    Utility Incentive
    Portland General Electric (PGE) $500 flat per project
    Pacific Power $600 flat per project

    The Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) was the first environmental initiative in the state of Oregon that was created and led by communities of color, and it was enacted by local ballot measure. Since climate change disproportionately affects people of color as well as low-income residents, the PCEF was created to combat these effects by;

    1. Creating and contributing to clean energy projects
    2. Providing clean energy job training programs
    3. Promoting economic and social benefits, 

    The PCEF can also be used to provide grants to nonprofits in order to assist with installing solar energy systems.

    The Energy Trust also offers a solar incentive in Oregon for low-income families. The Solar Within Reach program provides cash incentives that help low-income families be able to afford to install a solar panel system, which will cut their energy costs in the long term.

    Income Qualifications

    In order to participate in this Oregon solar incentive for 2024, you must own a residence that falls into one of the following categories: single-family home, multi-family home, manufactured home, floating home, or condo. 

    As with the ETO’s utility incentives, you must work with an Energy Trust-approved solar trade ally contractor (again, like our contractors at Sunbridge Solar).

    Finally, your gross annual income must not exceed the program limits based on how many people live in your home:

    Household Size Gross annual income maximum
    1 person $62,530
    2 people $81,770
    3 people $101,010
    4 people $120,252
    5 people $139,492
    6 people $158,732
    7 people $162,341
    8 people $165,948

    The amount of incentive that you will receive is based on the size of the solar energy system that you decide to install, with a maximum of $1.40 per watt and an incentive cap of $8,400 per home.

    Utility Incentive Battery Storage Incentive
    Portland General Electric $0.90/watt, $5,400 maximum per home $750/kWh, $10,000 maximum per home
    Pacific Power $1.00/watt, $6,000 maximum per home $750/kWh, $10,000 maximum per home

    The Oregon Department of Energy solar rebate began offering a new incentive that is meant to help reduce the upfront costs of installing a stand-alone solar energy system or an energy storage system (home solar power plus battery backup). This rebate can cover up to 60% of the net cost of installing your system, with a cap of $5,000 for solar-only systems and a cap of $7,500 for solar plus battery systems.

    Eligibility

    In order to qualify, your installation site must be property that is completely within Oregon state lines and it must score at least 75% on the total solar resource fraction rating, which evaluates the amount of sunlight that your system will ultimately receive. All equipment for the project must be purchased by an ODOE-approved contractor and installed by that same contractor. (Sunbridge is ODOE-approved!)

    Rebate Calculation

    ​​Customer Type ​Rebate Calculation
    ​Low- or moderate-income homeowners $1.80 per watt (DC) of installed capacity, up to 60% of the net cost* or $5,000, whichever is less.
    ​Homeowners not considered low- or moderate-income who are also eligible for an electric utility incentive ​$0.20 per watt (DC) of installed capacity, up to 40% of the net cost or $5,000, whichever is less.
    ​Homeowners not considered low- or moderate-income who are not eligible for an electric utility incentive ​$0.50 per watt (DC) of installed capacity, up to 40% of the net cost or $5,000, whichever is less.

    *ODOE defines the net cost of a system as the total of all eligible costs minus any incentive provided by an electric utility or by Energy Trust of Oregon.

    Incentive Guidelines for Low- or Moderate-Income Families

    To qualify as a household with low- or moderate-income, the sum of all incomes in the household must be at or below the amounts listed below, by household size. All income earners residing at the place of residence, including all family members and roommates who are not related and not part of a separate lease agreement.

    Household Size Annual Gross Income* Monthly Gross Income*
    1 $52,110.00 $4,342.50
    2 $68,143.33 $5,678.62
    3 $84,176.67 $7,014.72
    4 $100,210.00 $8,350.83
    5 $116,245.00 $9,687.08
    6 $132,278.33 $11,023.20
    7 $135,285.00 $11,273.75
    8 $138,290.00 $11,524.17
    9 $141,296.67 $11,774.72
    10 $144,303.33 $12,025.28
    11 $147,310.00 $12,275.83
    12 $150,315.00 $12,526.25
    Each Additional Member $3005.00 $250.42

    Good news for this incentive. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 extends the 30% federal tax credit until 2032, decreasing to 26% in 2033, and dropping to 22% in 2034 before finally disappearing entirely in 2035 unless there is an action taken again by Congress to extend it. This new law supersedes the previous one that would expire this incentive in 2024.

    Year Residential Commercial
    Now - 2032 30% 30%
    Year 2033 26% 26%
    Year 2034 22% 22%
    Year 2035 0% (Expires) 0% (Expires)

    How Does the ITC Work?

    The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) works by giving a 30% of the total cost back to you in the form of federal tax credits. For example, if your system costs $20,000, you will earn $6,000 back in tax credits.

    What happens if I have more tax credits than tax liability?

    That’s no problem. You will not get a cash refund, instead, the remaining credits will be applied to the next tax year.

    Net energy metering is an extremely helpful program that saves you money and can drastically shorten the payback period on a solar energy system. It is one of the best Oregon solar incentive because it provides excellent energy savings in a form of credits and last must longer than most.

    Net metering policies vary by state and in fact, not all states allow for net metering. However, Oregon has one of the best net metering policies. It essentially allows you to sell excess energy that your solar panels produce to the grid in exchange for credits on your utility account.

    How Does Net Energy Metering Work Oregon?

    how solar net metering works in Washington State graphic

    When you install a grid-tied solar energy system, your utility company will install a special two-way electricity meter. This meter will measure both the flow of grid electricity into your home and the flow of energy from your solar panels into the grid.

    This way, it can determine your net energy usage and if you have used more than you put into the grid, you will pay for that difference, or if you put more energy into the grid than you used, you will receive credits on your account.

    This program allows you to essentially use your solar energy even after it is produced since many people are at work or school or otherwise not using much electricity during the daytime when solar panels are producing the most energy.

    Earn Credits Throughout the Year

    When you install a grid-tied solar energy system, your utility company will install a special two-way electricity meter. This meter will measure both the flow of grid electricity into your home and the flow of energy from your solar panels into the grid.

    This way, it can determine your net energy usage and if you have used more than you put into the grid, you will pay for that difference, or if you put more energy into the grid than you used, you will receive credits on your account.

    This program allows you to essentially use your solar energy even after it is produced since many people are at work or school or otherwise not using much electricity during the daytime when solar panels are producing the most energy.

    The United States Department of Agriculture offers the Rural Energy for American Power (REAP) grant. This program provides grants as well as guaranteed loan funding to agricultural producers and rural small business owners, for the purpose of improving overall energy efficiency or installing new renewable energy systems.

    To be eligible for the REAP program, you must own a rural business or farm, be financially solvent, and have no outstanding federal taxes, delinquencies, judgments, or debarments. Agricultural producers must earn 50% or more of their gross annual income from the farming operation, which can be in either rural or non-rural locations. Small businesses must be located in rural areas (areas that are not cities or towns with 50,000 or more inhabitants). You can check online to see if your business address qualifies with the USDA’s eligibility map.

    Loans & Grants

    For REAP loans, there is a $5,000 minimum and a $25 million maximum, and all loans are guaranteed up to 85% of the total amount. Capital loans have a 7-year maximum term, equipment and machinery loans have a 15-year maximum term, and real estate and combined real estate and equipment loans have a maximum term of 30 years.

    Grants can be between $1,500 and $250,000. All energy efficiency improvement projects and any project that is going to cost more than $200,000 require a technical report and energy audit before work begins.

    Applications are divided into three categories based on the total anticipated cost so that someone’s $5,000 project isn’t competing against a $500,000 project for funding. Additionally, applicants must cover 75% of the project cost if they are applying for a grant and 25% of the cost if they are applying for a loan or a combination of a loan and grant.

    Salem Electric Solar Rebate

    Salem Electric offers a solar rebate program for its residential customers. Solar energy systems must be 25 kW or smaller to be eligible, and applicants must apply for the rebate and gain approval before any work begins on the system. It must be net metered, meet ODOE requirements, and be installed by an ODOE-approved contractor.* The rebate is offered at a rate of $300 per kW, with a cap of 50% of the total cost of the project or $1,500, whichever is less.

    *Sunbridge Solar is an ODOE-approved contractor.

    Pacific Power Blue Sky Community Project Funds (Nonprofits)

    Pacific Power has a Blue Sky program where customers voluntarily pay extra on their utility bills each month and then that money is used to fund community-based renewable energy projects within PP’s service area. If you are interested in spearheading such a community-based project, you can submit your plans to Pacific Power with a request for funding.

    All projects must be interconnected with the grid, less than 10 MW in size, non-residential, and locally owned. Each project is evaluated based on several factors such as feasibility, cost, community benefit, and so forth.

    PGE Renewable Development Fund (Nonprofits)

    Portland General Electric offers a similar program for Oregon nonprofits that is funded by voluntary payments. The Renewable Development Fund supports solar projects that are less than 10 MW and interconnected to PGE’s grid or produce power that is delivered to PGE through a power purchase agreement. Funding can also be used for research and development projects and educational programs.

    Solar panels are definitely worth it in Oregon in 2024. The state has some of the best solar incentives in the country that can drastically reduce the upfront cost of installing a solar energy system, shorten the payback period, and put more money in your pocket faster. Generally, moderate temperatures mean that your solar panels will not suffer badly from heat-related drops inefficiency, as would happen in the southwest and other very warm climates.

    Despite the stereotype of rainy PNW weather, Oregonians enjoy long sunny summer days and only moderate amounts of snow. Additionally, advanced solar technology means that the sun’s energy can be harvested even on overcast days.

    In general, Oregon homeowners and business owners who install solar energy systems can save an average of $800 per year on their energy bills, while also doing their part to protect the environment and make the move away from fossil fuels.

    We at Sunbridge Solar are dedicated to making the switch to solar as simple and seamless as possible for you. Years of experience designing and installing specialized solar solutions for homes and businesses in Oregon have been accumulated by our team of experts.

    We provide free consultations to go over your specific energy requirements and address any questions you may have if you are interested in finding out more about how solar can help you. During the consultation, we will assess your property, go over your energy objectives, and give you a ballpark figure for the price and financial benefits of going solar.

    You can call us or complete a form on our website to set up a consultation. Take the first step toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy future with the assistance of our team.

    BENEFITS OF GOING SOLAR ARE COUNTLESS

    Why Go Solar?

    The great thing is, there isn’t just one single benefit of solar. 

    ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY

    REDUCE YOUR FOOTPRINT

    BATTERY COMPATIBLE

    GO BACKUP NOW OR LATTER

    RENEWABLE ENERGY

    FOREVER AND EVER

    CLEAN ENERGY SOURCE

    UNTIL THE SUN QUITS SHINING

    LOWER ELECTRICITY BILLS

    WHO DOESN'T LIKE THAT?

    WIRELESS CONNECTION

    ALWAYS LATEST TECH

    SEE BY HOW MUCH

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