Delaware solar in 2026

Delaware needs production discipline, not a hype cycle

Our levelized owned-solar estimate is about 7.6 cents per kWh, compared with a 19.38-cent statewide residential rate. That spread can work. The limiting factor is often not sunlight. It is sizing within the 110% rule and honestly valuing incentives when current per-system grant and SREC contract figures are unavailable.

The 110% rule is the underwriting line

Delaware Administrative Code 3012 requires each electric supplier to offer net metering. A qualifying facility must be interconnected and operated in parallel with the electric distribution company. It must be designed to produce no more than 110% of the host customer's expected aggregate electricity consumption.

For an existing home, expected consumption uses the average of the previous two 12-month usage periods. New construction uses comparable units. The law currently caps net metering at 8%; SB 239 was released to the Senate floor and would remove that cap. A proposal should explain the current rule, not sell a pending bill as if it already changed the contract.

Policy sources: Delaware Administrative Code 3012; Delaware Public Media on SB 239.

Delaware specifics worth acting on

• Keep the system at or below 110% of expected aggregate consumption. For existing homes, use the average of two 12-month usage periods.
• Ask whether the SREC Delaware annual two-week application window is open and who owns the paperwork. Do not value an SREC contract that was never applied for.
• Delmarva Power, Delaware Electric Cooperative, and City of Dover have different service contexts, even though the net-metering rule is statewide.
• SB 239 is a pending attempt to remove the 8% cap. Treat it as a policy watch item, not as a guaranteed current benefit.

A Delaware quote should follow a calendar and a load record

Start with the electric history, not with panel count. Code 3012 ties an existing home's expected consumption to the average of its prior two 12-month periods, and the proposed facility cannot exceed 110% of that amount. That makes a new EV, heat pump, or household change worth documenting before the size is set. For new construction, comparable units are the substitute. A quote that skips this step has not dealt with the actual eligibility test.

Then separate the recurring bill-credit case from SREC timing. SREC Delaware has operated since 2012, with Delmarva Power purchasing certificates through annual procurement. Applications are accepted only during a yearly two-week window. Ask who will submit the application, what happens if it is missed, and whether the proposal treats an unawarded contract price as guaranteed. It should not.

The Green Energy Fund is another category that needs a real program name, not a vague line item. Created in 1999 under 29 Del. C. §8057, it is funded by a $0.000356 per kWh charge on Delmarva Power customers. DNREC says the programs have awarded over $55 million and supported more than 4,300 renewable energy projects since 1999, while the cooperative and municipal programs set their own incentive levels. That history shows the program is not imaginary. It does not establish a current grant for a particular roof.

Finally, keep the policy status straight. The state cap is 8%, after an increase from 5% in 2022. SB 239 would remove that cap, but it is pending after release to the Senate floor. The 2025 Sustainable Energy Utility study cited in coverage found $1.28 in direct benefits for every dollar spent on net metering. That is useful context. It is not a substitute for the current rule, supplier interconnection, and a signed project scope.

Sources: Delaware Administrative Code 3012; SREC Delaware; DNREC Green Energy Program; Delaware Public Media on SB 239.

Get your Delaware estimate

Start with a few household details, then compare them with the Delaware rate and yield inputs on this page. We are a solar installer and we also partner with other solar companies. The relationship is described in our disclosures.