South Carolina

South Carolina solar in 2026

South Carolina still has something most states do not: a state income-tax credit with real weight. The catch is in the plumbing. It is 25% of cost, capped at $3,500 per facility per tax year and limited by tax liability, so it can take years to use. Pair that with Solar Choice tariffs and a proposal needs more than a headline percentage.

The coast leads the production table

Charleston produces the highest of these four runs, while Columbia is the lower bound. That range is narrow enough that roof design and tariff terms can matter more than your side of the state line.

Method: PVGIS v5.2 model runs by Solar Learning Lab on August 18, 2026, using the NSRDB radiation database. Assumptions: fixed roof mount, south facing, 30 degree tilt, 14 percent losses. Your roof will differ.

A valuable credit arrives on a schedule

South Carolina has two timelines to model

The first timeline is tax use. The state credit equals 25% of purchase and installation cost, but the claim is capped at $3,500 per facility per tax year or 50% of the taxpayer's tax liability, whichever is less. Unused credit can carry forward for 10 years. That makes a large headline credit meaningful, but it also means the timing depends on a household's tax position rather than the installation date alone.

The second timeline is the tariff. Act 62, the South Carolina Energy Freedom Act, was enacted in 2019 and signed May 16, 2019. New customer-generators moved to Solar Choice Metering Tariffs beginning June 1, 2021. Solar Choice measures exported electricity for billing and crediting at a commission-determined value. It replaced the older one-to-one expectation for new applicants.

The remaining grandfathered group deserves a separate calculation. Customers who applied between May 16, 2019 and May 31, 2021 retain full-retail credit through May 31, 2029. Applicants before May 16, 2019 had the full-retail credit only through December 31, 2025, a date already passed. A property sale, a battery decision, or a revised proposal should not assume that everyone is on the same tariff.

One final service-area check matters. Utilities with fewer than 100,000 customer accounts are exempt from Chapter 40. Ask the installer which utility's rules apply and request the exact Solar Choice components used in the forecast. South Carolina has a real incentive, yet the credit and the tariff solve different parts of the economic question.

The state's market scale does not remove the need for this audit. South Carolina had 2,046.9 MW of solar capacity in 2024, ranking 20th of 51. EnergySage puts the average state system at 14.54 kW, $37,650 before incentives, $2.59/W, and a 15.4-year payback. Use that only as market context. The homeowner's tax liability, tariff, and pattern of consumption are still what decide whether a particular offer is sensible.

SCDOR Form TC-38; SC ORS Solar Choice overview; S.C. Code Chapter 40.

Put the annual credit limit into the calculation

The calculator applies the $3,500 yearly limit. Tax liability and the 10-year carryforward determine when a household can use it, so it should not be counted as immediate cash without tax advice.

South Carolina installers to research

These names and ratings are EnergySage marketplace profiles, not paid placement. A marketplace score is a different signal from a local Google review set.