Trevor Guilday
Founder
Expertise:
Solar Cost Modeling | State Solar Economics | Residential Solar Research
Education:
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Drexel University
About Trevor Guilday
Trevor Guilday is the founder of EcoGen America and leads the data and analytics team behind the EcoGen Solar Database. He has worked in home improvement and residential solar since 2016, bringing that industry experience to research on what homeowners can expect to pay and which local conditions change the economics.
Trevor leads the EcoGen Solar Cost Index, September 2026 edition. Its model connects a federal system-cost benchmark with state labor costs, household electricity use and sunlight, then calibrates estimates against marketplace quotes and compares them with available installed-price data. His role is cost research and model development; the resulting figures are planning benchmarks, not personalized installation quotes.
His state guides examine prices alongside utility rules, incentives, export credits and payback assumptions. Examples include his Maine solar cost guide and Georgia solar cost guide. These show how a national methodology needs local context to help a homeowner compare offers.
Trevor studied business administration at Drexel University. See his LinkedIn profile for his professional background and our editorial standards for how EcoGen distinguishes research, writing and specialist review.
Areas of Expertise
Solar Cost Modeling
Leads the data and analytics team behind the September 2026 Solar Cost Index, combining benchmark costs, state inputs and marketplace calibration.
State Solar Economics
Writes state guides explaining solar prices, utility rules, export credits and the assumptions behind payback estimates.
Residential Solar Research
Has worked in home improvement and residential solar since 2016, bringing industry context to homeowner cost research.
Recent Articles by Trevor Guilday
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October 22, 2026Cost of Solar Panels in Maine (2026): Prices & Payback for CMP vs Versant Customers
The average cost of solar panels in Maine is $3.05 per watt in 2026, which equates to $27,115 for an 8.89 kW system. The 30% federal credit is gone, but with some of the nation’s highest electricity rates and protected 1:1 net billing, Maine solar can still pay for itself in about 8.9 years statewide. Here’s what you’ll pay on CMP versus Versant and what can push your quote higher.
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October 22, 2026
Cost of Solar Panels in Georgia (2026): Prices, Payback and What Quotes Hide
Solar panels in Georgia cost $2.78 per watt in 2026, putting a typical 9.21 kW system at $25,604, but the low sticker price hides a slow return. With no federal or state solar tax credit and Georgia Power paying just 7.22¢/kWh for exports, payback depends on your utility and how much solar power you use at home. This guide breaks down fair prices by system size, the hidden costs that inflate quotes, and how to size a system correctly so that it actually pays off.
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October 22, 2026
New Hampshire Solar Panels Cost Guide (2026 Pricing)
The typical 9.87-kilowatt system, the median size New Hampshire homeowners installed in 2025, costs $28,820 before incentives, at $2.92 a watt.
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October 22, 2026
How Much Do Solar Panels Cost in Pennsylvania? (2026 Price Guide)
Solar in Pennsylvania costs about $2.87 per watt, so the 8.26 kW system Pennsylvania homeowners typically install runs $23,706. Every kWh you export earns a full-retail credit against the 20.86¢ statewide rate, so simple payback before incentives is about 10.8 years statewide.
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October 22, 2026
South Carolina Solar Panel Cost: 2026 Prices & Savings Guide
South Carolina prices solar a little below the US average, at $2.85 per watt installed, and it gets enough sun for a system to produce well. Yet the economics here are harder than that sunshine suggests, because the state pairs a moderate electricity rate with an export policy that pays only a few cents for the power you send back.
With the 30% federal credit gone for buyers, a 2026 quote shows the whole cost, with nothing subtracted at tax time. That leaves South Carolina’s 25% state tax credit to carry the entire incentive load, though it arrives over several tax years rather than as a check at purchase.
Here is what a system costs in South Carolina right now, what pushes that number up or down, and how fast it pays back on a Dominion, Duke, or Santee Cooper bill.
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October 22, 2026
How Much Does Solar Cost in Wisconsin? 2026 Prices
Solar in Wisconsin costs about $3.01 per watt, so the typical 7.91 kW system runs about $23,800 before the Focus on Energy rebate of up to $2,400. What it saves depends on your utility: MGE credits exported power at about the retail rate, while We Energies pays 3.6¢ per kWh.
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October 22, 2026
Solar Panel Cost in West Virginia: 2026 Prices by Utility
Solar in West Virginia costs about $2.93 per watt, so the typical 9.70 kW system runs about $28,400 before incentives, and there is no federal or state credit to take off. Power costs 15.53¢ on average. How fast the system pays back depends on how much of its power you use at home and on your utility’s export credit.
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October 19, 2026
What Solar Panels Cost in Washington, D.C. (2026), and What the Certificates Give Back
Expect about $3.21 per watt for a professionally installed District system in 2026. What makes D.C. different is the income that starts flowing back the month the meter spins. -
October 19, 2026
Washington Solar Costs and the Clock That Already Expired
The law obliging your utility to credit you at full retail has already been satisfied at the biggest one. It continues by choice, not requirement. -
October 19, 2026
Utah Solar Costs and the Export Credit Cut of March 2026
The credit for exported power fell again on March 1, 2026, and the Public Service Commission resets it by order. Whatever you bank expires at your March meter read. -
October 14, 2026
Cost of Solar Panels in Texas (2026): $2.57/W, and What the Sticker Hides
Around $23,875 buys a typical 9.29 kW system in Texas ($2.57/W). Here is what that sticker includes, where quotes quietly leak money, and the property-tax exemption that protects the win.
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October 19, 2026
South Dakota Solar Costs Without Any Net Metering
One of only two states with no net metering at all. The grid here is not a battery, it is a buyer paying wholesale, and that changes the whole design.
