Trump bill ends rooftop solar tax credits; Nevadans urged to sign up now to claim savings
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Time is running out for Nevadans to claim thousands of dollars in tax savings for residential rooftop solar after the Trump administration eliminated a longstanding tax credit.
Federal solar tax credits, available since 2006 but eliminated in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, are set to expire at the end of 2025.
Trump bill ends rooftop solar tax credits; Nevadans urged to sign up now to claim savings
The expiration is expected to contribute to a slowdown in the transition to solar power — Nevada had the ‘highest rate of tax returns claiming a residential clean energy credit’ in 2023, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Nevadans claimed over $137 million in residential clean energy tax credits on their 2023 tax returns, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Kirsten Stasio, CEO of the nonprofit Nevada Clean Energy Fund, told News 4-Fox 11 the solar credits have helped people save roughly $6,000 for a typical rooftop solar system.
“They’re really significant, they can cover 30% or more of the cost of rooftop solar systems,” Stasio said. “We are disappointed that these federal tax credits are going away because many households in Nevada face significant costs on their utility bills.”
It is going to have a huge impact … I think in the medium and long term it will slow down solar adoption.
A White House fact sheet outlined the administration’s opposition to ‘unreliable’ green energy sources and their focus on ‘harnessing nuclear, fossil fuels, and emerging technologies.’
The tax credit has helped incentivize many people to transition to rooftop solar, said Kasondra Cory, an energy consultant at Sol Up, a Nevada-based company that installs solar systems.
“The tax credit has been a great thing for a lot of homeowners,” she said. “The market is definitely going to be changing over the next year or couple years.”
People that are ready to transition to solar can still act fast and claim the federal tax credit by signing a non-binding letter of intent through the Nevada Clean Energy Fund’s Nevada BRIGHT program before Dec. 12.
Following that deadline, Stasio said the nonprofit will push people to instead pursue a commercial tax credit program, which entails leasing the solar panel system from a company that owns and maintains it. Homeowners can still get a 15-25% discount on the overall cost.
“They lease a solar project from a commercial entity. And after 6 years, after the tax credit is taken advantage of, then the system ownership transfers back to the homeowner,” she said.
Contact the Nevada Clean Energy Fund to learn more about the options available to homeowners both before and after the Dec. 12 deadline.
Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.