Every incentive a Rhode Island homeowner can actually use, what each one is worth, and the ones that no longer exist. Sourced and dated.
Rhode Island gives you two routes and you choose one per system. You cannot have both.
REG — the Renewable Energy Growth tariff — pays a fixed 31.55¢ per kilowatt-hour for 15 years on everything your system produces. That is above what Rhode Island Energy currently charges you.
Net metering plus REF credits exports at roughly 80% of retail and pays an upfront grant of $0.65 per watt capped at $5,000, with a $2,000 adder for storage.
Independent modelling of an 8 kW Providence system puts net metering plus REF at roughly $63,000 over 20 years against about $61,000 on REG — close enough that the right answer depends on your usage pattern. Rhode Island also exempts solar from the 7% sales tax and from property tax statewide.
Sources: RI PUC Docket 25-52-REG; Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources; RI Commerce.
The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D ended for systems purchased after December 31, 2025. If you buy with cash or a loan in 2026, you cannot claim it. Any site still advertising a 30% federal credit for a homeowner purchase is running outdated information.
What remains is Section 48E, the commercial investment credit. It applies to third-party-owned systems — leases and power purchase agreements — where the system owner claims it rather than the homeowner. That is precisely what makes $0-down possible.
EnergyPros does not provide tax advice — confirm your situation with a tax professional.
Incentives only matter against the rate you are paying now. Rhode Island makes you choose one path per system: the Renewable Energy Growth tariff at 31.55¢ per kWh fixed for fifteen years, or net metering at roughly 80% of retail plus a Renewable Energy Fund grant of $0.65 per watt capped at $5,000. You cannot have both.
See the full breakdown of every Rhode Island utility rate on our Rhode Island solar page.
See what solar costs against your Rhode Island rate
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No, not on a purchase. The Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D ended for systems purchased after December 31, 2025. Section 48E still applies to third-party-owned systems — leases and power purchase agreements — where the system owner claims it. That is what makes $0-down possible.
Yes. Any rebate paid to your installer should appear on your contract as a reduction in price, not as a savings claim. Ask for an itemised quote showing the gross price, each incentive applied, and the net. If an installer will not itemise, that is worth noticing.
It depends on the incentive. Rebates paid to the installer reduce your contract price either way. Tax credits and renewable energy certificates generally follow ownership — under a lease or PPA the system owner claims them, which is part of how the monthly payment is kept low. A few state credits are exceptions.
No. EnergyPros is a marketplace. We match you with vetted, licensed and insured contractors who work in your area, and you deal directly with them on the quote and the installation.
Rhode Island solar guides