Virginia solar rebates and incentives: 2024 guide

Solar panel systems in Virginia are expensive, but incentives from the state and federal governments can help you reduce the upfront cost. Between the federal tax credit and other state-specific incentives, you can save thousands on solar panels, making them well worth the investment. Here's how you can lower the cost of solar if you live in Virginia.

As a Virginia homeowner, you have access to some great incentives that can substantially improve your return on investing in solar panels. The programs below are some of the most impactful ways to bring down your solar costs.

Residential Clean Energy Credit

The Residential Clean Energy Credit, formerly known as the federal investment tax credit (ITC), can reduce your solar panel system's cost by 30%. Your entire system qualifies for this incentive, including equipment, labor, permitting, and sales tax. 

You also need a high enough tax bill, though you can roll over any remaining credit year-to-year until the end of 2034 when the ITC expires. The only time you might be eligible for a direct payment for the ITC is if you're a tax-exempt entity, like a nonprofit organization.

Solar renewable energy credits (SRECs)

The Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) set a renewable portfolio standard that requires utilities to generate a certain amount of renewable energy. Under this program, you can earn one SREC for each megawatt-hour (MWh) of clean electricity your panels produce, which can then be sold to utilities to count towards their renewable generation.

SREC prices vary based on market demand, but you can expect to earn $30-$75 per SREC. To start selling SRECs, register your system through your utility company. From there, an aggregator or broker will handle the purchase and sale of your SRECs with the utility. 

In addition to the great rebates and incentives above, Virginia also offers a solar property tax exemption, meaning you don't need to pay a higher property tax for adding solar panels to your house.

If you connect your solar panel system to the grid, you can benefit from net metering, one of the best solar panel incentives available in Virginia. With net metering, you earn credits when you send excess electricity from your solar panels to the grid. When the sun isn't shining and you need to pull electricity from the grid, your utility will apply the credits to your bill. Net metering makes it so you will owe very little, or even nothing, on your electric bills with solar panels.

In Virginia, net metering rules are pretty consumer-friendly. Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company offer net metering at the retail rate of electricity, which is a one-to-one transaction.  Here are a few nuances to keep in mind:

• You can roll over your credits. After a 12-month billing cycle, you can roll over your credits to avoid losing them. 

• Your system must be sized appropriately. To participate in net metering, your solar panel system’s capacity must be under 25 kW and sized to meet your annual load. 

• Credits are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The aggregate capacity limit is equal to 1% of the peak load forecast from the previous year.

Learn more about these net metering programs:

Virginia doesn't offer any state-specific battery incentives. However, all batteries above 3 kWh in size are eligible for the 30% federal tax credit. In Virginia, you can also use your battery to boost your energy independence and provide backup power during an outage.

If you're looking for solar installers in Virginia, here are some popular suggestions: