North Carolina
North Carolina solar in 2026
North Carolina has solar scale, a decent sun resource, and a policy transition that sales teams can make sound simpler than it is. Duke's old retail-rate net-metering arrangement closes at the end of 2026. The successor structure relies on monthly netting and lower-value excess exports under time-of-use pricing. A large system without a load plan is the wrong answer here.
For North Carolina, the export assumption deserves a red pen
Solar can work here, but a broad state average is not a design. The old arrangement can make a first-year illustration look generous. Once it ends, the useful question is what a midday surplus earns under the applicable rate plan.
| Energy source | Type | Average price | What that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina power providers | Residential power | 15.09¢ per consumed kWh | Preliminary statewide household figure published by EIA for May 2026. |
| North Carolina gas providers | Residential natural gas | $27.56 for each Mcf | EIA's May 2026 residential series, or about 9.1 cents per thermal kWh. |
| Customer-owned solar | Roof generation | ~6.6¢ per produced kWh | Twenty-five-year estimate based on EnergySage state costs and our PVGIS production work. The utility's export arrangement can change the realized value. |
Electric-price reference: EIA Table 5.6.A, preliminary May 2026 data. For household gas, use EIA natural gas prices for North Carolina, May 2026. A Mcf represents about 304 kWh of thermal energy. Read the calculation methodology.
Four cities, one workable solar resource
Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville, and Wilmington come out surprisingly close in the same model. That leaves less room for the usual location argument and more reason to inspect your utility's terms. The tariff can move the economics more than this city-to-city production spread.
| City used in the model | Annual production for one kW | Estimated generation, 14.1 kW system |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 1455.0 | 20,516 kWh |
| Raleigh | 1458.6 | 20,566 kWh |
| Asheville | 1457.6 | 20,552 kWh |
| Wilmington | 1465.2 | 20,659 kWh |
Method: PVGIS v5.2 model runs by Solar Learning Lab on August 18, 2026, using the NSRDB radiation database. Assumptions: fixed roof mount, south facing, 30 degree tilt, 14 percent losses. Your roof will differ.
The bridge is ending, so stop quoting it as permanent
House Bill 589 set the direction years ago: legacy retail-rate net metering ends at the close of 2026. The successor arrangement uses monthly netting, with excess energy credited at a lower wholesale-style rate under time-of-use pricing. Systems interconnected under older terms are grandfathered into 2027. That is a narrow bridge, not a reason to promise every buyer retail credit forever.
Your useful installer question is blunt: which rate schedule will I take, what do excess exports earn, and how does the system size change if I shift daytime usage? If the answer is a generic statement about net metering, keep looking. North Carolina is now a rate-design state.
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy describes the end-of-2026 transition; NC Utilities Commission Public Staff confirms the program framework.
Incentives and costs with actual constraints
| Item | Value | Fine print |
|---|---|---|
| Duke PowerPair pilot | Up to $9,000 | $0.36 per W up to $3,600 for solar plus $400 per kWh up to $5,400 for storage; inverter and battery limits apply (EnergySage) |
| Property tax exclusion | 80% of appraised system value | Excluded from property tax under N.C.G.S. 105-275(45) |
| 25D homeowner credit | Ended on December 31, 2025 | Providers using leases or PPAs can still claim 48E and may reflect that value in pricing (CRS) |
North Carolina's deadline is about tariff terms, not a generic solar rush
House Bill 589, S.L. 2017-192, set a real dividing line: legacy retail-rate net metering closes at the end of 2026. The replacement structure uses monthly netting, time-of-use pricing, and a lower wholesale-style credit for energy left over after household consumption. A system interconnected under the older terms is grandfathered into 2027. That is worth checking precisely. It is not a blanket promise that every new project receives retail credit.
System size has its own boundary. Projects above 15 kW can face grid-access fees of $1.50 to $2.05 per kW each month. The interconnection application is $200 below 20 kW and $750 from 20 to 100 kW. Those are not reasons to avoid solar. They are reasons to match the design to actual consumption instead of treating a larger array as an automatic upgrade.
For qualifying Duke Energy customers, PowerPair can total up to $9,000: $0.36 per W up to $3,600 for solar and $400 per kWh up to $5,400 for storage. The inverter must be no larger than 10 kW and the battery no larger than 13.5 kWh. Put the eligibility calculation in the proposal. A verbal estimate is not a program record.
North Carolina had 9,709 MW installed, ranked 5th nationally, with solar at 9.67% of state electricity through Q1 2025. Plenty of panels have been built. The homeowner problem is smaller and sharper: name the tariff, name the interconnection date, and show the export value after the transition.
The state also excludes 80% of the appraised value of a solar energy electric system from property tax, but it does not offer a state sales-tax exemption for residential solar. Those are separate tax rules. Do not let a quote convert a property-tax exclusion into an immediate cash rebate, because it is not one.
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy describes the policy change. EnergySage's North Carolina incentives page lists the fees, grandfathering, and PowerPair limits. SEIA's state profile provides the deployment figures.
Model a smaller, harder-working system
The calculator is a retail-rate offset screen. It cannot price your Duke tariff or monthly export credit. For a useful result, start with a system that follows consumption, then compare it with storage if PowerPair applies. Bigger is not automatically better once excess energy clears at a lower value.
PVGIS results are closely grouped across four North Carolina cities. The rate design and your daytime load can matter more than a few kWh of modeled yield.
Cash quotes in North Carolina cluster near $2.40 per watt, against a $3.50 national 2024 median (LBNL). Use your quote.
Assumptions you can change
Use the rate on your actual lease or PPA quote. There is no published statewide average we trust enough to hardcode.
Cash purchase
$18,720 after state credit
- Year 1 benefit
- $143/mo
- Payback
- 10 years
- 20 year net position
- $22,953
No state income-tax credit is modeled. Duke PowerPair can change the upfront math for qualifying solar and storage, but it is a pilot with equipment limits, not a universal rebate.
Solar loan
$252/mo 15 yr payment
- Year 1 net
- -$109/mo
- Upfront
- $0
- 20 year net position
- -$3,757
We price loans at $3.60 per watt, the EnergySage cash figure plus the $1.20 per watt LBNL loan-over-cash spread.
Lease / PPA
$0 down you buy the power
- Year 1 net
- -$84/mo
- Upfront
- $0
- 20 year net position
- -$21,421
A lease or PPA provider can claim the federal 48E business credit. That does not solve the lower value of excess exports under the successor structure.
Estimates, not quotes. Inputs use the North Carolina average rate from EIA, our PVGIS production runs, and EnergySage August 2026 cost data. Duke tariff choice and export timing are not modeled. We are a solar installer and we also partner with other solar companies. See our disclosures.
North Carolina operating notes
- Get the applicable tariff and interconnection date before you approve the design.
- PowerPair has solar, battery, and inverter limits. Ask for an eligibility document, not a verbal allowance.
- Systems above 15 kW can face grid access fees of $1.50 to $2.05 per kW per month, so residential oversizing has a second cost (EnergySage).
- Interconnection applications cost $200 under 20 kW and $750 for 20 to 100 kW. Make the installer identify that line item.
North Carolina installers to compare, not blindly trust
The state has a deep installer bench. That does not remove the need to compare rate-plan assumptions, loan dealer fees, and the process for submitting interconnection paperwork. A pleasant sales call is not a tariff analysis.
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Ratings snapshot: Google Maps, August 2026, via the DataForSEO SERP feed. Zero companies paid us and none are endorsed by us. Verify the contractor's applicable North Carolina license before you sign.
Get a North Carolina estimate with the tariff named
We are a solar installer and we also partner with other solar companies. Details in our disclosures.
What does your monthly electric bill look like?
North Carolina average is $144 per month (EIA, 2024).