Solar Incentives in Missouri

Missouri's Net Metering and Easy Connection Act (RSMo §386.890) requires investor-owned utilities (Ameren Missouri, Evergy Metro, Evergy Missouri West, Empire/Liberty) to offer 1:1 retail-rate net metering for residential customer-generators with system capacity up to 100 kW. Municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives are exempt from the statutory requirement, though many offer comparable programmes voluntarily. Net excess generation rolls forward month-to-month; any balance remaining at the customer's annual settlement date is forfeited (no avoided-cost cash payout). Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) supervises IOU compliance. The statute remained intact through 2026 despite repeated utility lobbying for net-billing reform — but the legislative environment is fluid; confirm current rules with PSC when contracting.

Missouri Constitution Article X §6 and Revised Statutes §137.100 exempt solar energy systems and equipment from ad valorem (property) tax assessment. The exemption applies automatically; the county assessor excludes the value added by the PV system when assessing residential or commercial property. For a $24,000 residential system contributing approximately $17,000 to home market value, this saves roughly $130–$180 per year in property tax depending on the local jurisdiction's effective rate. Combined with the federal Section 25D ITC (expired 2026-01-01) and statewide net metering, Missouri residential solar economics were strong through 2025; post-ITC payback periods have lengthened materially given the relatively low retail electricity rates.