A $25,000 solar system did not suddenly become 30% less productive on January 1, 2026. It became $7,500 harder to justify. For qualifying homeowner-owned systems installed through the end of 2025, the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit could equal 30% of eligible costs. For new residential clean-energy expenditures after December 31, 2025, Section 25D no longer provides a new federal credit. That matters. A lot. But losing the credit does not answer whether solar is worth buying in 2026....

Your solar quote says 430-watt panels. Then you look up the microinverter and discover that it can continuously output only 290 VA. Did your installer just pair an expensive high-output panel with an inverter that cannot use all of its power? Maybe. But the answer is not as simple as comparing 430 to 290. Solar panels are rated under laboratory test conditions, and rooftop panels spend much of the year producing below their nameplate wattage. That is why designers routinely pair an array with...

Yes, solar can still be worth it in Georgia in 2026, but it is no longer an automatic win. For a Georgia Power customer, a kilowatt-hour of solar has two possible values: Use it immediately in your home and avoid buying a kilowatt-hour from the grid. Export it and receive Georgia Power’s much lower solar buyback credit. In 2026, Georgia Power credits eligible exported solar at 7.2188¢ per kilowatt-hour: a 3.2188¢ solar avoided-cost rate plus a 4¢ renewable-generation adder. That difference...