Rebates and incentives, Delaware
Delaware's rebate amount depends entirely on your utility, and there's no state sales tax to begin with. Here's what the Green Energy Program and net metering are actually worth for your home.
How it works
Step 1
Delmarva Power, Delaware Electric Cooperative, and DEMEC municipal utilities all run different rebate structures under the same Green Energy Program umbrella. Getting this right changes your rebate estimate significantly. Check the rebates and incentives hub for neighboring states if you're comparing options.
Step 2
Delmarva customers typically give up SREC income as a condition of the rebate. Compare that trade-off using the SREC value estimator before deciding whether the upfront rebate or ongoing SREC income is worth more for your situation.
Step 3
This is typically handled automatically by your installer, but confirm it's been completed and credited at the full retail rate you expect.
The Green Energy Program is administered separately by each participating utility, which means the actual rebate rate varies significantly depending on who serves your home. Delmarva Power, which serves the largest share of Delaware's population, updated its rate effective July 1, 2026 to $0.80 per watt up to a $10,000 cap, a real increase over the $0.70 per watt and $6,000 cap some older guides still cite. Delaware Electric Cooperative and DEMEC municipal customers run their own separate rate schedules, so confirm your specific utility's current figure directly rather than assuming the Delmarva rate applies. There's no single statewide figure, which is why checking your specific utility matters more here than in states with one uniform rebate.
Homeowners who accept the Delmarva rebate commonly assign their SRECs to the utility as part of the deal, meaning they give up the ongoing income those certificates would otherwise generate. Delaware Electric Cooperative and DEMEC customers more commonly retain the option to sell into Delaware's SREC procurement program separately. Confirm exactly what Delmarva's current rebate requires directly against DNREC's own published incentive rate sheet, since program terms can shift. Run both scenarios through the SREC value estimator to see which path nets more over your system's life.
Delaware is one of a small number of states with no statewide sales tax at all, which means solar equipment was never taxed in the first place rather than being specifically exempted. This puts Delaware in a similar position to Alaska and a handful of other no-sales-tax states, where the absence of a specific solar exemption doesn't mean homeowners are missing out, since there's simply no tax to avoid. Your rebate total changes what a loan costs each month, and the combined loan and rebate timing tool shows that payment once you enter both figures. Compare against the Maryland incentive estimator for a neighboring state with a different structure.
Delaware mandates net metering for systems up to 25 kW at the full retail rate, credited in kilowatt-hours rather than dollars, with enrollment typically handled automatically by your installer. Combined with the property tax exclusion on added home value, this makes Delaware's overall solar economics stronger than the lack of a state income tax credit might suggest at first glance. Check your federal ITC status separately for the complete 2026 picture.
Questions
It depends entirely on your utility. Delmarva Power's rate, per DNREC's own published incentive sheet, is $0.80 per watt up to a $10,000 maximum effective July 1, 2026, a real increase over the older $0.70 per watt and $6,000 figure some guides still cite. Delaware Electric Cooperative and DEMEC municipal customers run separate rate schedules of their own, resulting in a different total. There's no single statewide rebate amount, so check your specific utility's current rate before estimating.
Usually not with Delmarva Power. Homeowners who accept the Delmarva rebate typically assign their SRECs to the utility as a condition of receiving it, meaning no separate ongoing SREC income on top of the rebate. Delaware Electric Cooperative and DEMEC municipal utility customers commonly keep the option to sell their SRECs separately through Delaware's SREC procurement program, subject to a competitive bid process.
No, and this isn't a special solar exemption, it's because Delaware has no statewide sales tax on anything. There's nothing to exempt because there's no tax to begin with, which quietly lowers the upfront cost of solar in Delaware compared to states that do charge sales tax even after any solar-specific exemption.
Very strong. Delaware mandates net metering for systems up to 25 kW at the full retail rate, credited in kilowatt-hours rather than dollars, and enrollment is typically handled automatically by your installer. This full retail credit is one of the more generous net metering structures nationally, especially compared to states that have moved to a lower avoided-cost net billing rate.