If Delmarva Power is your Delaware utility, solar pays through full retail net metering on systems up to 25 kW, plus a state Green Energy Program grant of $0.80 per watt up to $10,000. Delaware power runs about 19.4 cents per kWh. The 30% federal homeowner credit ended December 31, 2025. (As of August 2026.)
- Delaware residential power averages about 19.4 cents per kWh (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, May 2026), just above the national average of about 18.4 cents.
- Delmarva Power offers full retail net metering in Delaware on residential systems up to 25 kW, with credits that roll forward month to month (DSIRE Delaware net metering, as of 2026).
- Delaware’s Green Energy Program pays Delmarva residential customers $0.80 per watt, up to a $10,000 grant (Delaware DNREC, effective July 1, 2026), so this grant, not SREC income, is the headline Delaware incentive.
- Delaware charges no statewide sales tax at all, so there is no sales tax on your solar equipment to begin with.
- The 30% federal homeowner credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025 (IRS), so most 2026 buyers cannot claim it.
If Delmarva Power is your electric utility in Delaware, this page is about your side of the line, not Maryland’s. Delmarva Power runs across state lines, and its Delaware programs are different from its Maryland ones, so advice written for the Eastern Shore does not apply here. In Delaware you get full retail net metering on your Delmarva bill, a state Green Energy Program grant that is paid per watt, and no state sales tax on the equipment. This page explains how the credits work, what the Green Energy Program grant is worth, how Delaware handles solar certificates differently from Maryland, how you connect, and how to tell whether your roof is a good fit.
Delmarva Power in Delaware at a glance
Delmarva Power is the largest regulated electric utility in Delaware and the interconnection authority for solar across most of the state, from New Castle County down through Kent and Sussex. Because Delmarva also serves Maryland’s Eastern Shore, always confirm that any program you read about is the Delaware version. In New Castle County that includes Wilmington, where the city handles its own permitting, so see our Wilmington, Delaware solar guide for the local details.
| Detail | What to know in Delaware |
|---|---|
| Service territory | Most of Delaware across all three counties, New Castle, Kent, and Sussex, excluding the Delaware Electric Cooperative and the state’s municipal electric companies (Delmarva Power) |
| Rate context | Delaware residential power averages about 19.4 cents per kWh (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, May 2026), just above the national average of about 18.4 cents |
| Net metering | Full retail credit on residential systems up to 25 kW, with credits that roll forward month to month |
| State grant | The Green Energy Program grant for Delmarva customers: $0.80 per watt, up to a $10,000 grant |
| Solar certificates | One Delaware SREC per megawatt-hour, but taking the Green Energy Program grant means assigning your SRECs to the state, unlike Maryland where you sell them |
| Before you switch on | Delmarva Power must grant Permission to Operate (PTO) first |
How Delmarva Power net metering works in Delaware
Delmarva Power credits your exported solar at the full retail rate and rolls the credit forward each month, on residential systems up to 25 kW.
Net metering is the everyday value, and Delaware keeps it at the full retail rate. When your panels make more than your home uses, the extra power flows to the grid and Delmarva Power credits it on your bill, then rolls that credit forward to your next month (DSIRE Delaware net metering, as of 2026). Delaware allows residential systems up to 25 kW to net meter, which covers essentially any normal home roof. For a plain-English primer on how export credits work in general, see how net metering credits your solar exports.
The one detail to confirm is the yearly reconciliation. Credits build through the sunny months and draw down in winter, and at the annual true-up any leftover credit is reconciled at a lower supply-based rate rather than the full retail rate you pay, so ask Delmarva Power how your remaining credit is handled before you size the system. The practical lesson is the usual one: size the system to your own yearly usage so most of your production offsets retail-priced power rather than being trued up cheaply.
See which solar programs are available at your Delaware address
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The Delaware Green Energy Program grant, the headline incentive
This is what sets Delaware apart from most states, and from Maryland. Instead of leaning on a certificate market, Delaware pays Delmarva Power customers an up-front grant through the Green Energy Program, administered by the state and funded through Delmarva. As of the schedule effective July 1, 2026, the residential solar grant is $0.80 per watt, capped at a $10,000 grant per site (Delaware DNREC Green Energy Program incentives, effective July 1, 2026). A few rules shape whether you qualify and how much you actually receive.
| Green Energy Program rule | The Delaware detail |
|---|---|
| Grant amount | $0.80 per watt for residential solar, up to a $10,000 grant (DNREC, effective July 1, 2026) |
| Who is eligible | Delmarva Power and Light (DPL) customers only; co-op and municipal customers use a different fund |
| Cost caps | The grant cannot exceed 50% of total project cost, and the project must cost $6.00 per watt or less to qualify |
| Shading rule | A solar shade analysis is required, and your roof’s solar resource (TSRF) must be 70% or greater |
| Lease or PPA | The residential grant is for owned systems; a residential lease or PPA does not receive this grant |
| Certificates | Taking the grant means assigning your SRECs to the state, so you trade certificate income for the up-front cash |
The program is funded through Delmarva, so treat the budget as a live thing, not a guarantee. Confirm the current per-watt figure and that funds are available for your county before you sign, because the schedule resets over time and applications must be filed within a set window after your install is complete (DSIRE Delmarva Green Energy Program, as of 2026). For how this fits with the rest of the picture, see our guide to solar incentives.
What a typical Delaware system produces
A typical 7 kW Delaware home makes about 9,600 kWh a year, enough to offset most of a normal power bill.
A right-sized system in Delaware offsets a real chunk of a normal bill. According to MySolarFY’s analysis (August 2026), a typical 7 kW rooftop system in Wilmington produces about 9,600 kWh a year (NREL PVWatts v8), which offsets roughly $1,860 of grid power at Delaware’s 19.4 cents per kWh, and the Green Energy Program grant would add about $5,600 up front at $0.80 per watt on that system, within the $10,000 cap. Your own numbers depend on your roof, shading, and usage, so treat this as an illustration and ask an installer to model your address.
Delaware SRECs, and why they work differently from Maryland
Delaware has solar certificates, but the Green Energy Program changes who keeps them. Like Maryland, a Delaware system earns one Solar Renewable Energy Certificate for every megawatt-hour it produces. The difference is the trade-off: in Maryland you sell your SRECs for income on top of net metering, while in Delaware, taking the Green Energy Program grant generally means assigning those SRECs to the state as a condition of the grant (DNREC, as of 2026). So a Delaware homeowner usually chooses the up-front grant rather than a certificate income stream, which is the reverse of how a Maryland Delmarva customer thinks about it. If you want to see the Maryland side for contrast, read how Delmarva Power solar works in Maryland.
Which utility serves you in Delaware
Delmarva Power is the largest electric utility in Delaware, but it is not the only one, and the Green Energy Program figures above apply to Delmarva customers only. Delaware is also served by the Delaware Electric Cooperative in parts of Kent and Sussex, and by about nine municipal electric companies, including Dover, Newark, and Lewes. If your bill comes from the co-op or a town electric department, you fall under a different green energy fund with its own amounts and rules, so confirm your provider before you count on the $0.80 per watt figure. For the statewide picture across every provider, see our Delaware solar guide.
How to connect solar to Delmarva Power in Delaware
Connecting a home system follows Delaware’s interconnection rules, administered by Delmarva Power, and the rule that matters most is that you cannot turn the system on until Delmarva grants Permission to Operate. The general path is:
- Interconnection and net-metering application. You or your installer file with Delmarva Power before installation, with the system design, inverter data, and the net-metering request.
- Green Energy Program reservation. If you are taking the grant, the shade analysis and application are handled up front, since funding is reserved, not automatic.
- Utility review. Delmarva reviews the package. Standard residential systems generally move faster than large or grid-constrained projects.
- Install and inspect. A licensed contractor installs the system and it passes your local electrical inspection.
- Meter and Permission to Operate. Delmarva sets the bidirectional meter and issues Permission to Operate. Your system only starts banking credits once it is approved to run.
A licensed installer normally manages this whole process, including the interconnection paperwork and the Green Energy Program application.
What changed federally in 2026, and what it means in Delaware
The 30% federal solar tax credit ended December 31, 2025, but Delaware’s own incentives continue.
The federal homeowner credit is gone, but Delaware’s own programs are not. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so a Delmarva Power customer who buys solar with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it (IRS, as of 2026). For the full timeline, see what the end of the federal solar tax credit means in 2026. What carries the Delaware math now is the local stack: full retail net metering, the Green Energy Program grant if you qualify, and no state sales tax on the equipment.
One federal exception remains, and it is not yours to claim. A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, is claimed by the business that owns a leased or PPA system, not by the homeowner. On a leased system you do not file for a federal credit yourself; the company that owns the panels does. The 25D homeowner credit, by contrast, ended after December 31, 2025, so do not let a sales pitch tell a 2026 cash or loan buyer otherwise.
How to choose a solar installer in Delmarva Power territory
Rather than chasing a “best installer” list, screen any company against objective criteria that matter in Delaware:
- NABCEP certification, the industry’s professional standard for PV installers.
- A valid Delaware business license and the right electrical credentials for the work.
- A clear workmanship and equipment warranty in writing.
- Real experience with Delmarva Power interconnection and the Green Energy Program application, so your grant and Permission to Operate are handled correctly.
- A written production estimate and a transparent quote that shows your bill after solar and the grant net of the 50% and $6.00 per watt cost caps.
MySolarFY matches you with licensed installers that serve your area so you can compare real local quotes side by side, with no obligation.
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Frequently asked questions
How does Delmarva Power net metering work in Delaware in 2026?
Delmarva Power credits the power your panels export to the grid at the retail rate and rolls that credit forward month to month, on residential systems up to 25 kW (DSIRE, as of 2026). At the annual reconciliation, any leftover credit is settled at a lower supply-based rate rather than full retail, so it pays to size the system to your own yearly use. You also keep paying the fixed monthly customer charge, so a solar bill is rarely zero. Confirm the current true-up handling with Delmarva Power before you size the system.
What is the Delaware Green Energy Program grant worth?
For Delmarva Power residential customers, the Green Energy Program pays $0.80 per watt of solar, capped at a $10,000 grant per site, under the schedule effective July 1, 2026 (Delaware DNREC). The grant cannot exceed 50% of your total project cost, the project must cost $6.00 per watt or less to qualify, and a solar shade analysis showing a solar resource of 70% or better is required. The program is funded through Delmarva and the amounts reset over time, so confirm the current figure and that funds are available before you sign.
Do Delaware solar owners earn SRECs like Maryland?
Delaware systems do earn one Solar Renewable Energy Certificate per megawatt-hour, but the Green Energy Program changes who keeps them. Taking the grant generally means assigning your SRECs to the state as a condition of the grant, so in Delaware you usually trade certificate income for the up-front cash (DNREC, as of 2026). That is the opposite of Maryland, where a Delmarva customer sells SRECs for income on top of net metering. Ask your installer which path leaves you better off for your system and roof.
Does Delaware charge sales tax on solar equipment?
No. Delaware is one of the few states with no statewide sales tax at all, so there is no sales tax on your solar equipment to exempt in the first place (as of 2026). Delaware does not publish a separate statewide solar property-tax exemption the way some states do, so if you are weighing the effect on your assessed value, confirm it with your county before you decide. The core Delaware value comes from net metering, the Green Energy Program grant, and the low equipment tax base.
What happened to the federal solar credit for Delmarva Power customers?
The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so a homeowner buying with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it (IRS, as of 2026). A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, can apply to leased and PPA systems, but the business that owns the system claims it, not the homeowner. Delaware’s net metering and Green Energy Program grant were not affected and still carry the payback in 2026.
Do I qualify for net metering and the grant if I lease or sign a PPA?
Net-metering credits follow your Delmarva Power account, so the customer of record earns them whether you own, lease, or sign a PPA. The Green Energy Program grant and the SRECs, though, go to the system owner, and the residential grant is written for owned systems rather than a residential lease or PPA. So on a lease or PPA the third-party company keeps the grant and certificates while your benefit is a lower or fixed power price with no up-front cost. If you want the grant in your own name, owning the system through cash or a loan is the path that captures it.
Reviewed by the MySolarFY team. Figures were verified against the linked Delaware DNREC, Delmarva Power, DSIRE, EIA, and IRS sources as of August 2026; net-metering terms, the Green Energy Program grant, and electricity rates reset over time, so confirm current terms with Delmarva Power and the Delaware DNREC before you decide. MySolarFY does not provide tax or financial advice; consult a licensed professional about your own situation. Learn more about the MySolarFY team and how we work.
MySolarFY is a free service that matches homeowners with licensed solar installers. We are not an installer, financing company, or government program. “No up-front cost” refers to qualifying lease or PPA financing, where eligible homeowners may have no out-of-pocket cost at installation. Lease and PPA terms typically run 20 to 25 years, may include an annual price escalator, and total payments may exceed the cost of a cash purchase; on a lease or PPA the Green Energy Program grant and any solar certificates go to the company that owns the system, not the homeowner. Homeowners do not get the federal residential credit that ended after December 31, 2025. Solar panels are not free and monthly payments apply. Eligibility, savings, incentives, and rates vary and are not guaranteed. See our full disclaimer.
