Maine Solar Incentives, Rebates & Tax Credits (2026)

Maine's behind-the-meter program credits your generation against your usage kilowatt-hour for kilowatt-hour. Unused credits expire after 12 months, so sizing the system to your actual consumption matters more here than in states with indefinite rollover. LD 1777, signed in June 2025, reformed the community and tariff-rate programs but explicitly exempted rooftop solar — if you own your panels on your own roof, nothing changed for you.

This is not a rebate — it's a shared-discharge arrangement. Efficiency Maine funds participating battery manufacturers, who then pay you for letting them draw on your battery during events. The programme assumes roughly $160 per kW per year with 80% passed through to you, across at least two events a month and up to 60 a year. Your contract is with the manufacturer, not Efficiency Maine, and solar is not required to participate.

Maine exempts solar energy equipment from property tax under 36 M.R.S. §§655 and 656, but it is not automatic. You have to file an application with your municipal assessor on or before April 1 of the first year you're claiming it. Miss the date and you wait a year.