South Carolina
Solar in South Carolina: costs, savings, incentives and local options
What your utility pays for exports, what the state still gives back, and the rules that apply wherever you live in South Carolina.
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South Carolina solar at a glance
| Factor | South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Who sets your export credit | Your utility: the Public Service Commission for Dominion and Duke, the Santee Cooper board, or your co-op or city |
| Net metering | Only for systems that applied before 1 June 2021, and only until 31 May 2029 (Act 62 of 2019 (SC Code Title 58 Ch. 40)) |
| State incentive | 25% income tax credit, up to $3,500 a year or 50% of liability, 10-year carryforward (SC Code §12-6-3587) |
| Federal homeowner credit | Ended: §25D does not apply to systems placed in service after 31 December 2025 |
| Leases and PPAs | Leases from lessors certified by the Office of Regulatory Staff; third-party power sales (PPAs) not permitted |
| Installer licence | SC LLR “Solar Panel Installer” registration, plus separate licences for roof mounting and wiring |
| Cancelling a home sale | Until midnight of the third business day after signing, in writing (SC Code §37-2-502) |
| Building code | Scheduled: 2024 IRC from 1 January 2027; 2021 codes in force now |
| Next step | Get Solar Options or run your own bill through the savings calculator |
Sources at the foot of the page, retrieved 5 October 2026.
South Carolina’s rooftop solar market in figures
South Carolina counted 40,055 rooftop systems in 2024, 1.55% of homes, against 3.55% nationally.
| Measure (2024) | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Homes with a metered rooftop system | 1.55% | 3.55% |
| Rooftop systems counted | 40,055 | 5,077,543 |
| Systems added in 2024 | 2,040 | 527,942 |
| Average system size | 7.54 kW | 6.74 kW |
| Average residential price | 14.23¢/kWh | 16.48¢/kWh |
| Average monthly bill | $149.51 | $142.26 |
| Electricity use per home | 12,605 kWh/yr | 10,359 kWh/yr |
| Systems paired with a battery | 1.88% | 5.86% |
| Leased (third-party owned) | 20.2% | 29.1% |
| Minutes without power per customer, storms included | 3,155 | 297 (median state) |
| Homes on a time-varying rate | 0.34% | 11.1% |
US EIA Form EIA-861, 2024. Price is residential revenue ÷ residential sales, HyreSolar calculation.
Why South Carolina homeowners look at solar
South Carolina homes use a lot of electricity: 12,605 kWh a year each in 2024, against 10,359 kWh nationally. The price per kilowatt-hour, 14.23¢, sits below the national 16.48¢, but high use makes the bill large: $149.51 a month on average, the 15th-highest of the 51 jurisdictions. That bill is the most solar can save.
South Carolina also had the worst outage record in the country in 2024. The average customer went 3,155 minutes without power counting major storms, against 116 minutes without them, so one storm season drove almost all of it. Panels alone shut off in an outage; backup needs a battery. Battery storage in South Carolina.
The state’s systems are larger than the national average, 7.54 kW against 6.74 kW, which tracks the higher use. Leases made up 20.2% of systems; the rest are owned, which is what the state tax credit requires.
South Carolina utilities and what each pays for solar exports
Your utility decides almost all of the arithmetic. Find it on your bill before you read any proposal.
| Utility | Avg residential price, 2024 | Residential customers | Rule for a new system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion Energy South Carolina | 14.59¢ | 696,385 | Solar Choice rider on time-of-use Rate 5; monthly netting by period, $13.50 minimum bill, November cash-out at avoided cost |
| Duke Energy Carolinas | 13.99¢ | 568,586 | Rider RSC on Schedule R-STOU; net excess credited at 4.19¢/kWh |
| Santee Cooper | 11.38¢ | 185,529 | DG-25 rider: exports at 4.15¢/kWh, $10 monthly charge; one-time rebate of $0.95/W AC up to 6 kW AC |
| Berkeley Electric Cooperative | 14.93¢ | 115,117 | Renewable Surplus Rider: exports at 6.03¢/kWh |
| Palmetto Electric Cooperative | 12.79¢ | Not used here | Net billing: 4.662¢/kWh for 2026–27 |
| Greer Commission of Public Works | 11.80¢ | Not used here | Renewable rate codes 750 and 704 with on-peak and off-peak credits; amounts not verified |
| City of Rock Hill (municipal electric) | 12.55¢ | 36,492 | Solar terms not published in a source we could verify |
EIA-861 2024 (HyreSolar calculation) and each utility’s tariff, retrieved 5 October 2026.
Other co-ops and Duke Energy Progress publish their own riders; we have not verified their current terms. The full comparison is on net metering in South Carolina.
How much solar a South Carolina home might need
South Carolina’s average system was 7.54 kW in 2024. Treat that as a description of the market, not a target.
Under every current SC export rule, power you use yourself is worth your retail rate, while surplus is credited at a lower rate or cashed out at avoided cost, so the size that pays best tracks your own daytime use.
Utility caps matter too. Dominion’s Solar Choice and Duke’s Rider RSC both cap residential systems at 20 kW AC; Santee Cooper caps at the lesser of 20 kW or your estimated maximum monthly demand; Berkeley Electric sizes from annual kWh ÷ 1,800 or average monthly kWh ÷ 150.
Start from twelve months of bills: system size calculator.
How HyreSolar estimates savings in South Carolina
Savings in South Carolina split into two parts. Each kilowatt-hour your home uses as it is produced avoids your full energy rate.
Each kilowatt-hour exported earns the utility’s export credit, which ranges from 4.19¢ (Duke Energy Carolinas) to 6.03¢ (Berkeley Electric) among the rates we verified. Fixed charges and minimum bills are not offset by either.
So the honest estimate needs three inputs from you: annual use, how much of it falls in daylight hours, and your utility. We do not publish a typical South Carolina saving or installed price; the savings calculator and payback calculator run your own numbers, and solar cost in South Carolina shows the scenario math.
South Carolina rules every solar buyer shares
Act 62 and Solar Choice
Act 62 of 2019 closed traditional net metering to new applicants from 1 June 2021 and told the Public Service Commission to set “solar choice” tariffs for Dominion and Duke. It also requires that you can use your own power behind the meter without penalty. How each utility applies it.
The state tax credit
SC Code §12-6-3587 gives 25% of purchase and installation cost for a system you own, certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation, or an equivalent the State Energy Office endorses. It is claimed on Form TC-38 after installation, with no end date for solar. Worked examples.
Leasing law
Lessors need a certificate from the Office of Regulatory Staff, one premises per lease, and the customer owns the output. Third-party sales of electricity from a system on your property (power purchase agreements) are not permitted. Act 62 removed the old leasing cap. Financing options.
Consumer protection
Sellers must comply with SC consumer-protection law (Title 37); the Office of Regulatory Staff can fine up to $2,500 per violation and void the agreement (SC Code §58-27-2660). A home-solicitation sale can be cancelled until midnight of the third business day after signing, by written notice (SC Code §37-2-502).
Property and sales tax
We found no residential solar exemption from property tax in SC Code Title 12 Ch. 37, or from sales tax in Ch. 36. Ask your county assessor before assuming either way.
South Carolina solar installation, step by step
The tariff decides system size and whether a battery pays. Dominion moves new solar customers to time-of-use Rate 5; Duke moves them to Schedule R-STOU.
Attachments are engineered to your local design wind speed under the 2021 South Carolina Building Codes; the City of Charleston, for one, designs to 150 mph.
Your city or county building office issues the building and electrical permits. Fees and portals differ by jurisdiction; your city page lists its own.
Filed with your utility. Fees we verified: Santee Cooper $100, Palmetto Electric $100 residential, Berkeley Electric $150 plus a $50 inspection.
Local inspection first, then written permission from the utility. What permission to operate means.
After installation, file Form TC-38 with your South Carolina return.
South Carolina roofs, wind and climate
South Carolina’s risk to a solar array is wind, and on the coast, salt and flooding.
Design wind speeds are set locally under the 2021 South Carolina Building Codes, which follow the 2021 IRC and IBC; the 2024 IRC is scheduled for local implementation from 1 January 2027. Ask for attachment engineering that names your jurisdiction’s design wind speed.
A roof with less life left than the panels’ warranty is a common reason to re-roof first, because the credit covers the solar system and, by statute, not “structural elements of the building such as walls and roofs”. Re-roofing before solar.
Choosing a South Carolina solar installer
South Carolina splits a solar job across licences. "Solar Panel Installer" is a Residential Specialty registration with the Residential Builders Commission (SC LLR): fabricating, assembling, installing and replacing panels and related components.
Roof mounting and the electrical connection need their own licence holders, so ask each company which licence covers each part, then check it with SC LLR. We do not rank installers. The full checklist.
South Carolina solar topics
South Carolina city solar guides
Each city page carries its own permit office, utility split and local rules.
Questions
Is solar worth it in South Carolina in 2026?
Does South Carolina still have net metering?
What is the South Carolina solar tax credit?
Can I get a solar power purchase agreement in South Carolina?
How many homes in South Carolina have solar?
Who licenses solar installers in South Carolina?
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Data as of Last verified: 5 October 2026. Authorship on this site is organizational: the analysis belongs to the desk rather than to a named individual, and we do not publish credentials we do not hold. Our editorial policy sets out how we source, date and correct what we publish.