Is solar worth it in Georgia in 2026?

How Georgia pays for your solar power

Net billing (exports credited below retail). Georgia Power pays new rooftop solar customers its avoided cost (3.2188 cents/kWh in 2026) plus a 4 cents/kWh adder, credited monthly; the full-retail monthly netting cap was filled in 2021.

In the calculator, 40% of your solar output is used at home at the retail price and the rest is exported at about 47% of retail, so each solar kWh is worth 68% of the retail price on average. Change it if your utility pays more or less. Method

How exports are credited

Georgia has no statewide net metering requirement. DSIRE notes that Georgia allows, but does not require, utilities to offer net metering. The rules that matter for most homeowners are Georgia Power’s, approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC). Georgia Power serves 155 of the state’s 159 counties, according to DSIRE. Customers of the state’s electric membership corporations (EMCs) follow their own co-op rules, so ask your EMC for its terms.

Georgia Power has two rooftop crediting programs, both under its RNR tariff:

• RNR-Monthly Netting. This is the older pilot, created in the 2019 rate case. It was limited to 5,000 customers or 32 MW, whichever came first. Solar Power World reported that the cap was reached by July 2021, so new customers cannot join. Customers on it were credited the full retail value of excess solar, applied against their monthly consumption.
• RNR-Instantaneous Netting. This is the program a new customer joins. Solar used in the home at the moment it is produced offsets usage. Excess generation is credited at the annual Solar Avoided Energy Cost Rate, which Georgia Power lists as 3.2188 cents per kWh for 2026. The PSC added 4 cents per kWh on top of that in the 2022 rate case. The excess is summed monthly and reduces the monthly bill.

Georgia Power’s page states the program is open, with residential systems capped at 10 kW AC. Enrollment runs first come, first served until cumulative capacity reaches 0.2% of Georgia Power’s previous-year annual peak demand. The avoided cost rate resets each year, so the 2026 figure may differ from later years. Georgia Power also offers an “Energy Offset Only” option with no system size limit but no payment for excess energy. The interconnection fee for systems up to 250 kW AC is listed at $100.

State incentives in 2026

No open statewide residential solar tax credit, rebate or sales-tax exemption was confirmed in the sources checked. DSIRE’s Georgia summary describes the Solar Easements Act and the Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act, and lists no current residential incentive. Georgia Power’s own page points readers to DSIRE for other incentives.

The federal residential credit ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025, so it does not apply in 2026.

What it means for payback

Under the current program, excess power is worth far less than power a home uses itself. A kilowatt-hour consumed on site avoids the full retail price, while an exported one earns the avoided cost plus the adder. Because of that gap, a system sized to match daytime consumption, plus loads moved to midday or a battery, matters more here than in a full net metering state. Georgia Power’s own FAQ notes that a bill shows only the excess solar sent to the grid as “kWh Rec”, and that most solar customers do not offset all of their grid usage every month and still pay for grid power.

Other rules worth knowing

The 4 cent adder was set in the 2022 rate case and was tied to a later review in the 2025 rate case, according to press coverage of the 2022 decision. That follow-up was not verified here, so confirm the current adder with Georgia Power or the PSC before relying on it. Applications go through Georgia Power’s PowerClerk interconnection tool, filed by the homeowner or installer.

Berkeley Lab does not publish a Georgia median from enough systems, so the calculator starts from the U.S. median of $3.60/W. Put your own quote in.