The blog
The rules changed in 2026. Every article here is plain-English, source-cited, and current.
Yes — grazing under solar is proven and already happening at scale, while crops are possible but pricier and earlier. The main blockers in 2026 are the cost of raised panels and a shortage of experienced dual-use installers, set against a USDA that's now steering federal dollars toward keeping farmland in production.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 9 min read
The federal tax math is the same for every commercial building — Section 48E plus depreciation. What changes is the load shape: warehouses and daytime-run plants are excellent roof-only candidates, while cold storage, breweries, and greenhouses usually need storage to capture real savings.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 10 min read
In 2026, the right way to finance a commercial solar project comes down to one question: who can actually use the federal tax benefits? Here is a plain-English framework for choosing between buying, a loan, C-PACE, a PPA, and a lease — all gated by the July 4, 2026 begin-construction deadline.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 10 min read
Solar alone barely dents demand charges, because your peak draw rarely lines up with peak sun — it's the battery that shaves the peak. Here's the math, plus the 2026 federal credits and the July 4 deadline that make the timing urgent.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 11 min read
The 30% credit you claim on your own tax return is genuinely gone for systems placed in service after Dec 31, 2025 — but "home solar" and "the homeowner tax credit" were never the same thing. A myth-by-myth look at what actually changed in 2026.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 9 min read
The 2026 verdict: a home battery is mostly resilience insurance plus modest bill optimization — not a fast financial win — and with the federal storage credit gone after 2025, you pay full price. Here's exactly when it pays off.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 10 min read
For most farms in 2026, the barn roof beats the field — USDA now disincentivizes REAP funding for solar on productive farmland and cut ground-mount over 50 kW out of the guaranteed-loan and grant-priority tracks. Here's how to site panels to protect your acres and your funding eligibility.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 11 min read
With USDA REAP grants paused in 2026, the federal money left for farm solar is the business side: the Section 48E investment credit (up to 30% for most farm-scale systems) plus accelerated depreciation. But it all hinges on a hard July 4, 2026 begin-construction clock — and the dollar value depends entirely on your tax situation.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 11 min read
In 2026 the homeowner incentive "stack" has four layers — and the federal one is now $0 for cash and loan buyers. Here's the order to read them in, why a 2026 owner quote can't rely on a "30% federal" line, and how each layer changes the math under it.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 10 min read
The federal 30% residential solar tax credit ended for cash and loan buyers on December 31, 2025 — but the commercial credit survived, which quietly changes the math on leases and PPAs. Here's the 2026 framework, plus the two traps to avoid.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 11 min read
A plain-English, line-by-line decoder for homeowners holding solar bids in 2026 — starting with the single biggest tell: any cash or loan quote showing a "30% federal tax credit" is wrong, because Section 25D ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 13 min read
Yes — for many US homeowners, solar still pencils out in 2026 even though the 30% federal credit is gone. But the answer is now genuinely state-dependent, and here's exactly how to tell whether it's worth it for you.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 9 min read
Solar can still pay off in all three states in 2026 — but for completely different reasons, now that the federal residential tax credit is gone. California needs a battery, Texas comes down to your buyback plan, and Florida is the cleanest "it just works" story of the three.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 10 min read
For a homeowner buying solar with cash or a loan, the 30% federal residential solar tax credit (Section 25D) is gone in 2026 — it ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. Here's what actually survived and what to do instead.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 9 min read
If your business wants the federal commercial solar tax credit, the one decision that matters is whether your project "begins construction" by July 4, 2026 — here's exactly what that phrase means, why a June 2026 court ruling just changed the rules again, and how to lock the date.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 10 min read
With the federal residential solar tax credit gone for systems finished after December 31, 2025, net metering is now the single biggest lever on home-solar payback — and the rules are set by your state and your specific utility, not Washington.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 9 min read
USDA stopped awarding new REAP grants in 2026 after rescinding its funding notice — but REAP guaranteed loans, the Section 48E commercial tax credit, and permanent 100% bonus depreciation all survived. Here's what's open and what to do before the tax-credit window closes.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 11 min read
A line-by-line gate for residential solar buyers in 2026: the seven contract clauses that separate a fair deal from a costly one — and the single biggest tell, a "30% federal tax credit" printed on a cash or loan deal that no longer qualifies for one cent of it.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 12 min read
A "dealer fee" is a markup lenders fold into your solar loan so the financed price quietly runs higher than the cash price for the exact same system — by 30% or more, per the CFPB. Here's the one-line defense, the regulator's own worked example, and a doorstep checklist to neutralize it.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 10 min read
On-site solar offsets the large, steady kilowatt-hours that irrigation pumps, refrigeration compressors and dairy cooling burn through — and while the residential tax credit is gone for 2026, farm projects can still stack the Section 48E credit and 5-year depreciation on the business return. Payback varies, so size the case to your own load.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 13 min read
Solar payback is net cost after incentives divided by annual savings — and in 2026 it got longer for most homeowners because the 30% federal credit is gone. Here's how the math works, a worked example, and why payback depends on your roof rather than one national number.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 9 min read
In 2026 there is no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy solar with cash or a loan — so be wary of any rep citing a "30% credit" or a "federal deadline." Here are the red flags, the financing traps, and your 3-day right to cancel.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 11 min read
The federal residential solar credit ended after 2025, so a handful of state income-tax credits are the only incentive layer left for homeowner buyers in 2026 — here is the primary-sourced list, plus the "credits" that are really deductions, rebates, or net metering.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 10 min read
The gross 2026 price of home solar — a dated cost-per-watt range, a typical total, and where every dollar goes — with the expired 30% federal credit left out of the math.
Updated June 30, 2026 · 8 min read
Free, no obligation, and sourced from the IRS, USDA, and EIA.