Solar Rebates and Incentives

Due to the availability of rebates and tax incentives, the cost of investing in solar power is far less for Long Islanders in comparison to most other municipalities in the Country. In fact, taking advantage of the available rebates and incentives can reduce the system cost by as much as 55%!

The rebates and solar incentives which have the greatest impact on the overall cost of a PV system are listed below. Some municipalities offer additional incentives such as reduced building permit fees, but these have a smaller impact on the total system cost. Please visit the Solar Power Costs page to see how these drastically reduce the cost of going solar!

strong solar incentives allows for residential installationResidential

New York State Tax Credit: New York State grants personal tax credits for the installation of solar systems through the Solar and Fuel Cell Tax Credit. NY will allow credits for up to 25% of the system cost, up to a maximum of $5,000. Excess tax credits can be carried over for 5 years if you do not have enough tax liability to claim it back in the first year.

Federal Tax Credit: The Federal government also grants tax credits for the installation of PV systems through the Residential Solar and Fuel Cell Tax Credit. The Federal government will allow credits for up to 30% of system costs, with no maximum amount.  Excess tax credits can be carried to the succeeding tax year if you do not have enough tax liability to claim it back in the first year.

New York State Property Tax Exemption: Installing a solar system can significantly increase the value of your home. The Solar, Wind & Biomass Energy Systems Exemption ensures that you real property taxes will not increase as a result of the installation of a PV system. The exemption lasts for 15 years from the time of installation.

strong solar incentives allows for commercial installationCommercial

NYSERDA Rebate: NYSERDA, through the NY Sun Program, provides significant savings for commercial PV systems. For each Watt of rated equipment capacity of your system, NYSERDA will refund approximately $0.15 per watt for a system up to 50kW. Therefore, for an average system of 25kW, the refund will be $3,750. There is no set expiration date for the program, however the rebate rate drops periodically.

Federal Tax Credit: The Federal government grants tax credits for the installation of PV systems through the Business Energy Tax Credit. The Federal government will allow credits for up to 30% of system costs, with no maximum amount. Excess tax credits can be carried to the succeeding tax year if there is not sufficient business tax liability to claim it back in the first year.

Modified Accelerated Cost-Recovery System (MACRS): Under the federal Modified Accelerated Cost-Recovery System (MACRS), businesses may recover investments in solar power in a 5 year accelerated depreciation schedule. In addition, as part of the Bonus Depreciation program, 50% of the system costs can be deducted in the tax year that the system was installed with the balance in the subsequent 4 years.

New York State Property Tax Exemption: Installing a solar system can significantly increase the value of your business. The Solar, Wind & Biomass Energy Systems Exemption ensures that you real property taxes will not increase as a result of the installation of a PV system. The exemption lasts for 15 years from the time of installation.

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