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Last updated: May 2026
Avg. sun hours/day
4.7 hrs
Avg. electricity rate
$0.13/kWh
Active incentives
2
80% exemption from property tax on the assessed value added by a qualifying solar PV system on residential or business property.
Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-275(45), 80% of the appraised value of a solar energy electric system is excluded from local property tax assessment. The exemption applies to both real and personal property assessments. Application is to the local county tax assessor on or before January 31 of the relevant tax year. Battery storage installed alongside solar PV is generally covered when ancillary to the renewable system. The 20% remaining assessed value is taxed at standard local rates.
Customer-generators ≤ 1 MW receive net metering at retail rate under Duke Energy and Dominion Energy NC programs. Net excess generation rolls forward at retail rate, reset annually with cash-out at avoided cost or rolled to credit at customer choice.
The North Carolina Utilities Commission regulates net metering for Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, and Dominion Energy NC. Residential customers connect under standard interconnection rules with a bidirectional meter. Surplus credits accumulate during the year; at the customer's anniversary, unused credits either cash out at avoided cost (~$0.04/kWh) or roll forward as kWh credit — customer election. The 2023 NC NEM 2.0 transition introduced time-of-use components for new applicants on Duke Energy; legacy retail-rate customers grandfathered.
Historical $0.40/W rebate (max $4,000 residential) under Duke Energy's NC Solar Rebate Program. Closed to new applicants in 2023 after capacity exhaustion.
Duke Energy operated a residential solar rebate program in North Carolina from 2018 to 2023 funded under HB 589 (2017). At program close, residential rebates of $0.40/W (max $4,000) were oversubscribed annually. The program is closed to new applicants. Listed for historical reference; new NC residential PV is incentivised primarily through the property tax exemption + net metering rather than direct rebates.
Expired for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. Was 30% with no cap.
Federal Section 25D expired for new installations as of January 1, 2026. NC homeowners installing in 2026+ rely on the 80% property tax exemption and net metering for state-side support. See /guides/solar-after-itc-expired.
Our calculator uses North Carolina's actual sun hours (4.7 hrs/day) and electricity rates.
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