Top 5 Solar Companies in nebraska

Below you’ll find the top solar companies in Nebraska as ranked by us and reviewed by verified solar customers. To learn more about what goes into our “Best Rank” score for each company, visit our How We Rank page. For our full Nebraska Solar Overview, keep reading:

#2

LGCY Power

7.4

Overall
Score

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  • Purchase, Loan, and PPA Payment Options
  • Available in 30 States
  • Monitoring and Maintenance Services Available

Nebraska Solar Overview

Despite recent strides in commercial solar farm projects, Nebraska is still one of the lowest solar-performance states in the country. The state has much to offer in terms of peak sunlight and room to grow its solar and renewable energy footprint, but little in terms of pro-solar policies and other incentives.

Read on to learn more about the ins and outs of going solar in Nebraska.

Pros and Cons of Going Solar in Nebraska

Here's an at-a-glance description of the current benefits and drawbacks of switching to solar in Nebraska:

Benefits of Going Solar in Nebraska:

  • Lots of Sunshine
  • Ample Commercial Investment
  • Fast Payback Period
  • Statewide Net Metering
  • Accessible Interconnection Rules
  • Minute State Tax Credits
  • Tax Exemptions

Drawbacks of Going Solar in Nebraska:

  • No Renewable Portfolio Standard
  • No Solar Carve-Out
  • Below Average Electricity Prices

Cost of Solar in Nebraska

For a 9 kilowatts' worth of solar panels in Nebraska, customers could expect to pay upwards of $27,000. That doesn’t include the 30 percent federal tax credit that gets applied to every solar panel installation in the Cornhusker State, or the small rebate from select utility providers. These qualifications will ultimately reduce the cost to somewhere closer to a little less than $19,000, which may still seem like a lot of money, but in a state with as few solar incentives as Nebraska, every dollar counts.

In terms of comparing the long-term energy costs between solar power and traditional electricity, solar wins: solar customers will pay an average of 5 cents per kilowatt-hour over 25 years compared to 19 cents to the utility company. Even without substantial incentives, the savings alone are worth the investment.

Nebraska Solar Financing Options

Nebraska residents can either purchase or receive a loan for a solar energy system; however, leasing and power purchase agreement (PPA) options are unfortunately not available:

Direct Purchase

For a homeowner with sufficient capital, direct purchase of a solar panel system in Nebraska is the best option. A 9 kW system goes for around $27,000, but could be lower depending on system capacity, energy efficiency, and other factors. The federal tax credit reduces that number to just below $19,000, and customers can expect to have their system completely paid off within the first six years of operation.

After the system has been paid off, customers will enjoy nearly 20 years of savings over the remaining lifetime of the system. Those savings will equate to a little more than $10,000 and home value will increase by about the same value.

Solar Loan

The next best option to finance a solar electric system is a solar loan or home-equity line of credit (HELOC). Qualifying customers could obtain a $27,000 loan for zero money down with 15-year terms and a 3.99 percent APR. Borrowers will still have access to the federal solar tax credit.

Because loan payments in Nebraska will be significantly more than utility payments, solar borrowers will pay an annual sum of about $1,500 on solar during their first year; however, these payments will reduce year over year. After the 15 year loan terms are up and the loan paid, borrowers will still be paying more for solar than traditional utilities. After 25 years, they’ll have netted less than $500.

Nebraska Solar Incentives

Other than a property tax exemption, Nebraska has few true solar incentives to speak of. The property tax exemption can be incredibly valuable though, as it will protect solar investments from taxation that would have applied to the increase in home value the solar panel supplies. At an estimated $10,000 after 25 years, that can represent hundreds in savings.

Nebraska has a small solar credit in place: $0.0005 per kWh produced over 10 years, or a few dollars back every year for the first 10 years. Unfortunately, customers cannot expect any solar rebates from their utility providers.

Nebraska Solar Policy Information

Pro-solar policies in Nebraska are almost non-existent. With low electricity rates and no RPS, neither utility providers nor residents have much incentive to adopt solar energy. The state does have a statewide net metering policy that applies to all systems up to 25 kW in capacity; but the credit percentage returned for surplus power varies from company to company.

Nebraska Solar Statistics

Though the state has invested heavily in terms of utility and commercial solar project installations in recent years, residential solar adoption is still pretty low. As of 2020 the state has only installed about 60 megawatts of solar energy -the bulk of that belonging to utility and commercial projects. The state ranks 46th in solar output and investment, and supplies clean energy to a little less than 8,000 households. Nebraska hosts two dozen solar company, installer, and manufacturing entities employing more than 1,000 technicians and other specialists.

Interested in a solar quote? Check out the top-ranked solar companies in Nebraska and read reviews from verified solar customers.

Sources

  • solarpowerrocks.com/nebraska/
  • solarreviews.com/solar-panels/nebraska
  • seia.org/state-solar-policy/nebraska-solar
  • solar-nation.org/nebraska
  • solaractionalliance.org/solar-panel-installation/nebraska/

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