Solar still pays for itself—even without the tax credit

The new law states that systems must have "expenditures made" by December 31, 2025, which is different from the previous "placed in service" language.

A tax attorney EnergySage spoke with believes that, at a minimum, your system needs to be installed by the deadline. Interconnection and full payment are likely not necessary.

The safest approach is to have your system up and running by December 31, 2025.

The good news is you should be able to roll over your unused solar tax credit for as many years as needed—even after the tax credit officially ends. Your system should only need to be installed by the end-of-year deadline to qualify. If you miss that window, there will be no credit left to roll over. 

Learn more here.

Yes, batteries installed with your solar panel system in 2025 qualify for the full 30% tax credit. But after December 31, 2025, residential batteries no longer qualify unless they're included in a lease or PPA.

Batteries make sense if you don't have favorable net metering rates, frequently experience power outages, or have access to programs like virtual power plants that can pay you for stored energy.