Buy Your Own Solar Panels (2025)

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When you own your panels, you get to keep the incentives. In the United States, the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit allows you to deduct 30% of the total system cost from your federal taxes. If you lease, that massive check goes to the solar company, not you. Additionally, many states offer SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates) or local rebates that belong solely to the system owner. Your (to estimate your "payback period")

Ownership gives you the "final say." You choose the aesthetic of the panels, the brand of the inverter, and whether you want to add a backup battery like a Tesla Powerwall later on. You aren't locked into a 20-year contract with a single provider; you have the freedom to maintain or upgrade your system as technology evolves. When you own your panels, you get to keep the incentives