How much can solar certificates pay you?
Program reference in review · math runs in your browser
Pick a state with a certificate (SREC/TREC) or per-kWh (SMART, Shines) market, size your system, and put in today's price — you get the annual output math and a 10-year income view. Nothing you type is uploaded anywhere.
The honest print
Certificate income is the least certain line on any solar projection — treat it as a bonus, not a payback pillar.
- What's measured: annual solar radiation at the state capital from the 2024 Open-Meteo archive (the same numbers as the sun look-up). Output = measured sun × system size × a PVWatts-style derate.
- What you must supply: today's certificate price. SREC/TREC prices trade by vintage and month; SMART and Illinois Shines pay fixed per-kWh tariffs set at contract. The defaults in the box are in review — check the official program page before quoting any number.
- Risks this tool won't hide: program vintages expire, alternative-compliance payments can cap or kill markets, and a certificate that can't be sold is worth $0. Income is also taxable.
Questions homeowners ask
What is an SREC?
A Solar Renewable Energy Certificate is a tradable certificate issued for each 1,000 kWh (1 MWh) of solar generation, used by electricity suppliers to prove they met state renewable mandates. Its value floats with supply, demand and each state's rules — it is not a fixed rebate.
Why do you ask me for the price?
Because certificate prices are the least stable number in solar finance — some trade bid/ask like stocks, others are set by a fixed tariff at contract time. Publishing our own price would go stale fast; letting you type today's number keeps the math honest and current.
Which states actually pay certificate income?
The states with active markets as of this writing: MA, DE, NJ, IL, plus MD, DC and VA whose programs are marked in review; tradable SREC markets persist in PA and the PJM region. Every state's page lists its own rules; the tool's status chips tell you where to verify.
Is certificate income guaranteed?
No. Program vintages expire, compliance periods change, and alternative-compliance payments can cap or kill a market. Treat certificate income as a bonus that may shrink to zero — never as the pillar of your payback case.