Is solar worth it in Nebraska in 2026?

How Nebraska pays for your solar power

Net metering at the retail rate. Nebraska's Net Metering Act makes every public power utility net solar of 25 kW or less against use each billing period; only the surplus is paid at avoided cost. OPPD pays 3.52 to 4.00 cents/kWh.

In the calculator, 40% of your solar output is used at home at the retail price and the rest is exported at about 100% of retail (our default for this kind of rule), so each solar kWh is worth 100% of the retail price on average. Change it if your utility pays more or less. Method

State or utility incentive	What it is worth
OPPD solar rebate (OPPD customers only)	One-time $2,000 rebate for a qualifying system installed through an OPPD Trade Ally

How exports are credited

Nebraska has no investor-owned electric utilities. Power is sold by public power districts, municipal systems and cooperatives, and the Nebraska Net Metering Act (Revised Statutes 70-2001 to 70-2005, enacted in 2009) applies to each of them as a “local distribution utility.”

The statute defines net metering in two parts. First, the utility credits the customer “at the applicable retail rate for each kilowatt-hour produced” by the solar system during the billing period, up to the customer’s total electricity requirements in that period. Solar output used on site or netted against use is therefore valued at retail. Second, any net excess generation, meaning production above total use in the period, is paid at the utility’s avoided cost of electric supply. Those monetary credits carry over from month to month, and any balance left at the end of the annualized period is paid out with the final bill.

Only the surplus earns the lower avoided-cost value, so this is net metering rather than net billing. See net metering vs net billing for the difference.

A qualifying facility is solar, wind, methane, biomass, hydro or geothermal with a rated capacity of 25 kilowatts or less, sized to offset the customer’s own use at that location. The utility may charge the same minimum monthly fee as other customers in the rate class but no extra standby, capacity, demand or interconnection fee. A utility does not have to take on more net metering customers once their combined capacity reaches 1% of the utility’s forecast average aggregate monthly peak demand (70-2003).

Utilities can go beyond the statute. The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), the largest, sets its terms in Rider Schedule 483. Its rate manual allows systems up to 100 kW and pays 4.00 cents/kWh for net excess generation from June 1 to September 30 and 3.52 cents/kWh from October 1 to May 31. Leftover credits are paid out at year end. Lincoln Electric System (LES) offers net metering up to 25 kW and credits the surplus at a renewable rate based on its residential retail energy rate. The rate manual copy checked shows Rider 483 as last revised in 2021, so confirm the current figures with OPPD.

State incentives in 2026

No statewide residential solar rebate or income tax credit was confirmed. The one open program found is utility-specific:

• OPPD solar rebate: a one-time $2,000 rebate for customers who install a qualifying system through an OPPD Trade Ally. The installer applies on your behalf, and OPPD limits it to one rebate per address per calendar year. OPPD’s page describes rebates as still open for the current budget year.

Customers of LES, Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) and the many municipal and co-op systems should ask their own utility about rebates. None was confirmed here.

The federal residential credit ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025. See what ended and what it means.

What it means for payback

The retail-rate netting happens inside each billing period, so the best-valued solar is output you use that month. In OPPD territory, a surplus month is paid 3.52 to 4.00 cents/kWh, far below a retail energy rate, so oversizing is poorly rewarded. Size the system to your annual use and avoid padding it for exports.

Batteries have a narrow case. Since exports above use earn only the avoided-cost rate, storing midday surplus for the evening could be worth more than selling it, but OPPD’s Rider 483 states that storage systems able to export OPPD-supplied energy to the grid do not qualify. Whether a battery pays back depends on its added cost. See are solar batteries worth it.

Check the payback method in how we calculate solar payback before relying on the generic calculator, which assumes a single export value.

Other rules worth knowing

• Inspection and notice: customers must get an inspection from the State Electrical Division and tell the utility at least 60 days before installing (70-2004).
• Interconnection cost: the customer pays equipment or service costs needed only because of interconnection, though the utility must provide a bidirectional meter at no extra cost.
• Renewable energy credits: the customer owns the credits their system generates.
• OPPD billing: customers on Rider 483 are not eligible for the Level Payment Plan.
• Reporting: utilities report net metering data annually to the Nebraska Power Review Board.
• Other utilities: NPPD, municipal systems and co-ops may set different size limits and surplus rates. Get the tariff in writing before signing.

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