Whether for home or business, solar in 2020 is the best deal EVER! Make it your resolution to reduce dependence on the traditional energy system and help the environment
Make it a Sunny New Year!
UPDATED: 1/8/2020
There is bright news for both homeowners and businesses who are ready to make 2020 the year they finally go solar – a 26% federal tax credit remains available, and thanks to reduced solar panel prices, and ever-increasing rates from sources of traditional electricity, 2020 is the best year ever to go solar!
In short:
- Despite a small bump in the road due to trade tariffs, pricing on solar panels is the lowest it’s ever been (in fact, solar panels have declined in price 99% in the last 40 years).
- An uncapped 26% federal tax credit on residential solar electric (PV) systems remains in effect through the end of 2020. 2021 has a step-down to 22%, and the tax credit is currently scheduled to end completely in 2022.
- In 2020, businesses can get a 26% federal investment tax credit in addition to state rebates.
- Businesses can also take bonus depreciation on solar projects, accelerating the return on investment even more.
Read on for more specifics about each incentive.
Disclaimer: ReVision Energy provides this for educational use only, we are not tax professionals and are not offering tax advice. We recommend all solar customers to consult with tax counsel.
Federal Solar Tax Credits & Incentives
Residential 26% Federal Tax Credit
The 26% federal tax credit is called the “Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit” and was established by the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005. The 26% includes all cost of labor as well as equipment costs for the renewable energy system. The credit can also be carried forward to future tax years if you cannot take the full credit in the year the system was installed.
Furthermore, the IRS has issued guidance suggesting that battery storage systems, when charged with electricity from solar electric arrays, are eligible for the tax credit.
The credit was originally scheduled to be discontinued year-end, 2015, but was extended, with the following timetable:
- 26% for systems placed in service after 12/31/2020 and before 01/01/2021
- 22% for systems placed in service after 12/31/2020 and before 01/01/2022
More information:
Business Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC)
Businesses, as well as homeowners, can benefit from a 26% tax credit on renewable energy systems, called the energy investment tax credit.
Similarly to the residential program, it was extended by Congress at the end of 2015 and faces a step-down at the end of 2019:
- Through December 31, 2020 – 26%
- Through December 31, 2021 – 22%
- Through December 31, 2022, & All Future Years – 10%
Also similarly to the residential program, IRS tax guidance suggests that battery storage systems are eligible for this credit when the battery system is charged by a solar electric generation system.
More information:
MACRS + Bonus Depreciation
Ground mounted solar array for a business
Under the federal tax code, renewable energy systems qualify for a 5-year Modified Accelerated Cost-Recovery System (MACRS) depreciation schedule.
The exact benefit of this depreciation is complicated and varies depending on your businesses’ tax rate, but typically it adds up to an additional 25% of a solar energy project’s cost being offset by reduced tax payments.
To further sweeten this incentive, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 increased bonus depreciation to 100% for qualified property acquired and placed in service after September 27, 2017, and before January 1, 2023.
Given the time value of money, this benefit helps make solar energy systems more accessible in the near-term by businesses that will be able to save significant fossil fuel energy costs over the life of the system.
More information:
State-Specific Solar Incentives
Massachusetts – SMART
For years, Massachusetts has had very popular programs to support solar by rewarding solar generators (both homes and businesses) by an added incentive for the solar added to the grid (beyond simply compensating for the rate of electricity). For more details about the cost and feasibility of going solar – and adding other green technologies – check out our Guide to Going Solar in Massachusetts.
The SMART solar program is the latest evolution of this program — it’s 2 years in the making and replaces Massachusetts’s Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SRECs) program, which was more than a little complicated. Under SREC, Solar Champions only received payment once a year, or quarterly (monthly was possible if they were willing to sacrifice a fraction of their SRECs through a couple of different means).
Under the SMART program, you receive a check from the utility based on a fixed $$$ number paid per kilowatt-hour of solar generated, multiplied by your actual solar generation EVERY month, for 10 years. If you have solar for your business it’s 20 years! In many situations, putting solar on roofs and yards will generate more in savings and SMART credit payments than the owners pay out each month for the loans on their solar generation systems. You can be truly cash flow positive from day one — saving the world while saving money.
