2026 Solar & Battery Incentives for Oregon Residents

Last updated January 20, 2025 at 12:00pm PST

Energy Trust of Oregon Incentives for Pacific Power and Portland General Electric Homeowners and Commercial Buildings

National Solar is proud to be an Energy Trust of Oregon Trade Ally Contractor since 2009. Take advantage of the incentives below by partnering with a Trade Ally.

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Solar Net Metering (Oregon, 2026)

Oregon’s net metering rules allow customers to generate their own electricity and reduce electric bills by offsetting usage with on-site generation. Oregon’s Public Utility Commission summarizes the program as allowing systems up to 25 kW for residential and up to 2 MW for commercial (utility and interconnection tier dependent).

If you install a solar electric system, your utility will typically upgrade you to a bi-directional (“net”) meter so it can track energy delivered to you and energy exported to the grid. Standard net metering generally doesn’t add an ongoing “net metering fee,” though some larger commercial projects can trigger interconnection review fees and/or required utility upgrades depending on system size and service configuration.

How does net metering work?

Each billing cycle, the power you use from your utility is offset by the power your system sends back to the grid. You’re billed for the difference (the “net”), plus any basic service charges.

If you generate more power than you use in a given billing cycle, your bill may show no kWh usage charges for that period, and you’ll typically carry forward credits for future bills within the utility’s annual period. For example:

• Portland General Electric (PGE): kWh credits can accrue in your account; every March is the annual true-up, and unused credits are donated to low-income bill assistance programs.
• Pacific Power: excess generation is credited as cumulative kWh credits, applied at the full retail rate for applicable kWh-based components; credits remaining through the March billing period are transferred to the company’s low-income assistance program at an avoided-cost rate.

This is why we typically design systems to match your annual load as closely as possible—so you’re using the value on-site, not leaving surplus behind at true-up.

Utilities in Oregon that offer net metering or customer generation programs include:

• Portland General Electric (PGE)
• Pacific Power
• EWEB (Eugene Water & Electric Board) (see 2026 rate details below)
• Salem Electric (see incentive details below)
• Many co-ops and municipal utilities also offer customer-generation options under Oregon’s net metering framework, with utility-specific policies and crediting methods.

EWEB Solar Incentives & Net Metering (2026 update)

EWEB’s 2026 solar compensation rates are effective February 2026.

• For net metering: excess energy over a monthly billing cycle is credited at the 2026 Annual Renewable Net-Metered Rate of $0.0399/kWh.
• For direct generation: energy sold directly to EWEB is purchased at the 2026 Annual Renewable Generation Purchase Rate of $0.0634/kWh.

EWEB also notes that beginning in 2026 it moved to an avoided-cost methodology for these solar rates.

EWEB solar rebates (2026):

• Residential incentive: $0.40/W (AC output), up to $2,500.
• Business incentive (nonprofit/government/public): $0.50/W (AC output), up to $12,500.
• EWEB notes a 2026 solar incentive budget of $125,000, first-come, first-served, and subject to change.

Salem Electric Solar Incentives & Net Metering

(verify funding availability)

Salem Electric offers a solar PV rebate for qualifying net-metered systems:

• $300 per kW installed, up to 50% of project cost or $1,500 (whichever is lower), typically for systems ≤ 25 kW (per program rules).

(As always, Salem Electric’s program requirements and fund availability can change—so we confirm current eligibility during your estimate.)

2026 Federal Incentive Details

Important for homeowners + businesses:

• Residential: The IRS states the Residential Clean Energy Credit is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
• Commercial: The IRS Clean Electricity Investment Credit (48E) is available for qualifying facilities and energy storage technology placed in service after Dec. 31, 2024, with a 6% base amount that can increase up to 30% if requirements are met. Eligibility for the 30 % federal tax credit may vary. Consult a tax professional.‍

‍Thinking about commercial solar for your business?

Commercial solar helps you stabilize operating costs while leveraging thousands in Energy Trust of Oregon incentives to reduce upfront investment. In many cases, solar is more affordable, and easier to install, than you’d expect.

Have more questions about incentives?

Request an Estimate from National Solar to get started, we will answer all of your questions and verify your eligibility to see which incentives you qualify for.