Donald Trump's cuts to U.S. solar tax credits have caused a flurry of installations, according to The Verge.
The Republicans' "Big Beautiful Bill" caused an early expiration of the 30% federal tax credits on solar installation costs. This caused a rush of homeowners to sign up and get their projects completed before the Dec. 31 deadline. These federal solar tax credits have been available since 2005.
"It's a mad rush and it's crazy," said California Solar & Storage Association President Ed Murray to The Verge.
According to a Vital Energy Solutions press release, 120 of its customers may lose out on the tax credit because of delays. Those thousands of dollars could be the difference between homeowners saving more in the future or losing out on the benefits of solar.
The upfront cost of panel installations is often solar's biggest barrier, but one thing many don't realize is that $0-down solar subscription plans can still benefit from tax incentives in 2026 and 2027, like those from TCD partner Palmetto's LightReach program.
If you're interested in tapping into the economic and environmental benefits of solar power, check out TCD's Solar Explorer. It can connect homeowners to a range of solar solutions.
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For example, the Solar Explorer can point residents to Palmetto's LightReach program if available in their area. This can get solar panels on your home for $0 down and lock in a lower utility rate (up to 20% lower), with pricing that benefits from an extension the Big Beautiful Bill carved out for solar leasing.
EnergySage can also connect homeowners to local, vetted solar installers. They can save you up to $10,000 on installation costs by offering comparison shopping across multiple installers.
Over time, savings from generating solar power versus purchasing utility energy end up paying for the installation costs. After that, solar panel owners get to enjoy pure savings.
Even better, renewable energy sources help to replace coal and gas generation. These energy sources produce pollution, which exacerbates costly, destructive weather patterns like storms and floods.
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Pairing solar upgrades with efficient heating and cooling can save up to 50% on energy costs. Like the Solar Explorer, TCD's HVAC Explorer can help you discover money-saving home upgrades. Even the Palmetto Home app offers up to $5,000 towards home energy upgrades.
For now, any new attempts to get solar are likely looking at January at the earliest. As the clock winds down to the deadline for solar tax credits, it's not just suppliers and installers that are facing delays.
"It's no secret that these permitting offices are just totally overwhelmed because of the flood of customers that are just clamoring to get their systems installed before Dec. 31," said director of sales and marketing at Vital Energy Solutions, Kevin McGuire, to The Verge.
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