Charleston, SC
Solar Incentives in Charleston, SC
Last verified 5 October 2026. What a Charleston homeowner can still claim, from whom, and how.
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Every solar incentive we could verify for Charleston homes
Last verified: 5 October 2026. An incentive is listed only after we read it at the provider’s own document.
| Incentive | Provider | Who qualifies in Charleston | Amount and maximum | How to apply | Deadline | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC solar energy credit (SC Code §12-6-3587) | SC Department of Revenue | A taxpayer who buys and installs a certified system on SC property; not a lessee | 25% of cost; the lesser of $3,500 or 50% of liability each year; 10-year carryforward | Form TC-38 with the state return for the year installation is complete | No end date for solar | SC Code, SCDOR manual |
| Solar Choice export credit | Dominion Energy South Carolina | Dominion customers who applied on or after 1 June 2021, systems up to 20 kW AC | Exports net monthly within each Rate 5 period; November bank paid at avoided cost; $13.50 minimum bill | Interconnection application to Dominion | Customers may stay at least 10 years | Rider to Rate 5 |
| Renewable Surplus Rider | Berkeley Electric Cooperative | Berkeley Electric members on a non-time-of-day, non-demand rate, up to 20 kW AC | 6.03¢/kWh exported; reset each year around 1 March | Application ($150) and field inspection ($50) | None published | Berkeley Electric |
| Legacy net metering | Dominion (Act 62) | Only systems that applied before 1 June 2021 | Retail-rate netting | Closed to new applicants | Ends 31 May 2029 | SC Code Title 58 Ch. 40 |
| Clean Energy Credit (TC-54) | SC Department of Revenue | Businesses, not homeowners | Up to $500,000 a year, 15-year carryforward | Form TC-54 | See form | TC-54 |
Rows checked at each linked document. Amounts change; confirm before you sign.
Federal solar incentives for Charleston homeowners after 2025
There is no federal homeowner credit for a Charleston system placed in service in 2026. The IRS says §25D "is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025."
The date that counts is when the system is placed in service, not when the contract was signed, so a 2025 contract finished in 2026 does not qualify. What the end of 25D means.
A leased system is treated differently because the lessor, not you, is the taxpayer.
Leased and business systems may use §48E; it ends for wind and solar placed in service after 2027 where construction begins after 4 July 2026 (Form 3468 instructions; Notice 2025-42).
A lease quote may reflect that credit in its price; ask whether it does. Business and farm credits are covered on commercial solar in Charleston and solar for farms near Charleston.
How the South Carolina credit works for a Charleston return
The credit is 25% of the cost of buying and installing a system you own, and each year you may take only the lesser of $3,500 or 50% of your state income tax liability.
The rest carries forward up to 10 years. The system must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation, or an equivalent the State Energy Office endorses.
Act 47 of 2019 re-enacted the credit with none for solar (Act 47 of 2019 re-enacted it; only the geothermal part ends, on 1 January 2032).
Two Charleston households with the same system can therefore recover it at very different speeds: one with $8,000 of state liability can claim the full $3,500 a year, one with $4,000 only $2,000 (both liabilities are examples).
Whether a battery counts toward the credit is not settled in the statute and we have not seen a ruling; ask a tax preparer before relying on it.
Worked examples are on the SC solar tax credit, and the effect on net cost on solar cost in Charleston.
What Dominion and Berkeley Electric offer Charleston solar owners
Neither of Charleston’s two electric utilities publishes a rooftop solar rebate that we could find. Their incentive is the export credit.
On Dominion, Solar Choice moves you to time-of-use Rate 5 and nets exports against use in the same or lower-priced periods each month; whatever is left in the bank is paid at avoided cost on the November bill.
On Berkeley Electric, exports earn a flat 6.03¢, and the rider cannot be combined with a time-of-day rate. The full side-by-side for every South Carolina utility is on net metering in South Carolina.
Santee Cooper’s Solar Home rebate ($0.95/W AC up to 6 kW AC, owned systems only, installed by a Santee Cooper trade ally) appears in many Lowcountry search results. It applies only where Santee Cooper bills you directly, so check the name on your bill.
City of Charleston and Charleston County solar incentives
We found no City of Charleston or Charleston County rebate, grant or fee waiver for homeowner solar.
The City’s Climate Action Plan, adopted in May 2021, targets a 56% emissions cut by 2030 and puts solar on City facilities such as new fire stations, not on private homes.
The City’s building fee schedule waives fees only for certified affordable single-family new construction, which does not cover a solar permit on an existing house. We also found no residential solar property-tax exemption in SC Code Title 12 Ch. 37.
If the City’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability launches a homeowner program, we will add it here.
Battery incentives for Charleston homes
We found no battery rebate from Dominion, Berkeley Electric, the City or the state.
Dominion’s Solar Choice rider counts storage as part of your system only if it charges solely from onsite renewables, which matters for how it is metered rather than for any payment.
The value of a battery on Rate 5 comes from shifting energy into the 29.907¢ on-peak window, worked through on solar battery storage in Charleston.
Solar incentives that no longer reach Charleston homes
| Program | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Federal §25D Residential Clean Energy Credit | Not available for property placed in service after 31 December 2025 | IRS |
| Solar for All (SC Office of Resilience, $124,440,000) | EPA ended the program in August 2025; do not plan on it | SCOR |
| Dominion legacy net metering | Closed to applications from 1 June 2021; existing customers move off it after 31 May 2029 | SC Code |
| Solar Energy Property Credit (TC-58) | nonresidential systems of at least 1,900 kW; SCDOR lists it as repealed on 31 December 2024 | TC-58 |
Checked 5 October 2026. If a seller quotes any of these as available for a Charleston home, ask for the program document.
Claiming solar incentives on a Charleston system, in order
Dominion or Berkeley Electric decides which export credit you apply for. Johns Island addresses can be either.
The signed contract, itemised invoice, proof of payment, the SRCC (or equivalent) certification of the system, the City permit and final inspection, and the utility’s permission to operate.
Dominion lists a $100 interconnection fee in its programs chart; Berkeley Electric charges $150 and a $50 inspection.
With your South Carolina return for the tax year the installation was completed, then track the carryforward each year after.
Questions
What solar incentives are available in Charleston, SC in 2026?
Does Dominion Energy give a solar rebate in Charleston?
Can I get the Santee Cooper solar rebate in Charleston?
Does the SC solar tax credit cover a battery?
Can I claim the SC credit on a leased system?
Is there a solar property-tax exemption in Charleston?
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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.