Solar Incentives in Kansas
Kansas homeowners installing solar in 2026 can draw on two active state-level programs. First, the state's Renewable Energy Property Tax Exemption exempts qualifying solar generation property from property taxes for 10 taxable years after project completion, for applications filed after December 31, 2016. The exemption covers 100% of the added property value attributable to the renewable energy system and is administered through county appraisers with oversight by the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals and the Kansas Department of Revenue's Division of Property Valuation. Second, the Net Metering and Easy Connection Act requires the state's two investor-owned utilities—Evergy and Empire District Electric—to offer net metering to eligible customer-generators and to supply a bi-directional meter at no charge, on a first-come, first-served basis up to a statutory capacity cap. Monthly net excess generation is credited at no less than the utility's monthly system average cost of energy per kilowatt-hour; the precise credit rate varies by utility and can change with rate proceedings, so homeowners should confirm current figures directly with their utility or the Kansas Corporation Commission.
On the federal side, the residential Clean Energy Credit under Internal Revenue Code §25D—commonly known as the 30% federal solar tax credit—expired for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful America Act (Pub. L. 119-21). A residential solar system installed in 2026 does not qualify for that credit. Its absence meaningfully lengthens the payback period compared to recent years when the credit was available.
Kansas's residential electricity rate averaged approximately 15.34 cents per kilowatt-hour as of March 2026, up about one cent from the prior year. A higher rate generally improves the economics of self-generation, but without the federal credit, the remaining incentives—the property-tax exemption and net metering—carry more of the financial case for new installs than they previously had to.
These figures are verified as of June 2026 against official sources; programs and utility rate structures change with each legislative session and rate case. The Kansas Corporation Commission (kcc.ks.gov) is the authoritative source for net metering rules and rates, and the Kansas Department of Revenue and Board of Tax Appeals govern property-tax exemption eligibility.
Federal credit update. The federal residential Clean Energy Credit (the 30% “solar tax credit” under §25D) expired for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. New 2026 residential installs do not qualify; a 2025 install can still be claimed on a 2025 return (IRS Form 5695). What this means for 2026 →
Current solar incentives in Kansas
Renewable Energy Property Tax Exemption
Kansas exempts from property tax all property actually and regularly used predominantly to produce and generate electricity from renewable energy resources or technologies, which the statute defines to include solar and photovoltaic. For applications filed after December 31, 2016, the exemption runs for the 10 taxable years immediately following the year in which construction or installation is completed (applications filed on or before that date received an indefinite exemption). Per Kansas Department of Revenue guidance, the exemption must be applied for and granted by the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals under the K.S.A. 79-213 process, with locally appraised projects filing through the county appraiser.
| Amount | 100% property tax exemption on qualifying renewable generation property for 10 taxable years after completion (for applications filed after December 31, 2016). |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Owners of property in Kansas used predominantly to produce and generate electricity from wind, solar, photovoltaic, biomass, hydropower, geothermal, or landfill gas resources; exemption must be applied for through the Board of Tax Appeals. KDOR guidance treats battery energy storage as outside the generation exemption. |
| Administered by | Kansas Board of Tax Appeals / Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Property Valuation (county appraisers process local applications) |
Source: K.S.A. 79-201 Eleventh; application process per K.S.A. 79-213; KDOR Property Valuation Division memo 'Renewable Energy Resources & Battery Energy Storage Systems' (Nov. 21, 2024) Official source →
Kansas Net Metering (Net Metering and Easy Connection Act)
The Net Metering and Easy Connection Act (2009, amended 2014 and by HB 2527 in 2024) requires Kansas's two investor-owned utilities, Evergy and Empire District, to offer net metering and to provide eligible customer-generators a bi-directional meter at no cost, first-come first-served, until aggregate net-metered capacity reaches a cap that rises 1% each July from 2% of prior-year peak demand toward 5% of the utility's highest annual peak since 2014 by 2027. Customer-generators interconnecting after July 1, 2014 may export up to 150 kW AC, and their monthly net excess generation is credited at a rate of at least 100% of the utility's monthly system average cost of energy per kWh (earlier systems kept 1:1 kWh carryover, with credits expiring March 31 each year, and limits of 25 kW residential / 200 kW non-residential). Systems interconnecting on or after July 1, 2026 face new generating-versus-export capacity rules and a statutory load-based sizing formula. Electric cooperatives and municipal utilities are not bound by the Act, though many offer their own net metering.
| Amount | Monthly net excess generation credited at no less than 100% of the utility's monthly system average cost of energy per kWh (systems interconnected on/after July 1, 2014); export limit 150 kW AC; free bi-directional meter; time-of-use netting rules apply to post-July 2024 systems on time-varying rates. |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Customers in good standing of Kansas investor-owned utilities (Evergy, Empire District) with on-premises renewable generation, including solar PV, intended primarily to offset the customer's own load, subject to the aggregate capacity cap and statutory sizing rules; cooperative and municipal customers must check their own provider's policy. |
| Administered by | Kansas Corporation Commission |
Source: K.S.A. 66-1263 through 66-1271 (Net Metering and Easy Connection Act, as amended by HB 2527, 2024); K.A.R. 82-17-1 through 82-17-5 Official source →
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Programs verified as of June 2026 against official state and federal sources (each cited above); refreshed quarterly as legislatures and utility rate cases change the rules. How we verify this data. This page is informational only — not tax or legal advice.