Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. Utility rates read October 14, 2026. Updated October 14, 2026.
Every Nebraska home buys power from a public utility, and state law makes each one offer net metering until home solar reaches 1% of its peak demand. A typical 7.57 kW system costs about $22,029 in cash at $2.91 per watt. In our two cases it pays back in 18.1 to 28.6 years, because power is cheap here.
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Nebraska is the only state where every home is served by a publicly owned utility: a public power district, a city utility or a co-op. There are 166 of them. Each board sets its own credit for the solar power you send out.
4.00¢ June to September, 3.52¢ the rest of the year, under Rider 483. Its home energy charge is 11.937¢ in summer and 9.503¢ the rest of the year, plus $30 a month.
Next: ask an OPPD Trade Ally about the $2,000 rebate.
Half its home energy charge: about 3.9¢ in summer and 2.8¢ the rest of the year, never below its avoided cost. Plus a one-time payment of $375 or $475 per kW of panels.
Next: pick an installer in the LES Solar Trade Ally Network.
9.07¢ June to September, 5.06¢ the rest of the year, for homes NPPD bills itself, such as in Kearney, Norfolk, Scottsbluff and York. No solar rebate found.
Next: if your town resells NPPD power, ask the town for its own credit.
| Utility | Leftover power, June to September | Rest of the year | Cash at install | Billing for new systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPPD | 4.00¢ | 3.52¢ | $2,000 rebate | Net metering, up to 100 kW AC |
| LES | about 3.9¢ | about 2.8¢ | $375 or $475 per kW | Net metering, up to 25 kW AC |
| NPPD | 9.07¢ | 5.06¢ | None found | Net metering, up to 25 kW AC |
| Norris PPD | 6.25¢ | 4.41¢ | Ask Norris | Net billing on every kWh sent out, plus $1.00 per kW of billing demand a month |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Under net metering, each kWh you send out cancels a kWh you bought in the same month. Only power left over after that swap earns the cents in the table. It is credited in dollars, carried to later bills, and what is left is paid to you once a year: at the end of the calendar year at OPPD and LES, at the end of the yearly period at NPPD.
Nebraska has many more districts, city utilities and co-ops. The same law applies, but each sets its own credit. Southern Public Power District, based in Grand Island, lists 2.61¢ all year in its January 1, 2026 rate sheet. Ask your utility in writing for its credit per kWh and whether net metering is still open to new customers. Each utility’s own board sets its rates, so only your utility can answer.
Two things set a Nebraska payback: cheap power, at 12.86¢ on average, and how much of your solar power is swapped within the month rather than left over. Both cases assume 40% is used at home as it is made.
| Case and export rule | Year-one savings | After upkeep | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net metering, every kWh sent out swapped within the month (best case) | $1,443 | $1,216 | 18.1 years |
| Every kWh sent out earns 6.25¢, Norris PPD’s summer net billing credit | $998 | $771 | 28.6 years |
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Where your home lands depends on how much power is left over each month and on your utility’s credit. A Norris home earns 4.41¢ from October to May and pays a monthly charge, so it would take longer than 28.6 years.
One state law, in force since 2009, gives every Nebraska utility the same floor. It also lets a utility close the door to new customers.
A utility must offer net metering up to this size. It may offer more: OPPD allows 100 kW AC.
Once home and business solar reaches 1% of the capacity a utility needs for its average monthly peak, it may refuse new net metering customers.
With the last bill of each yearly period, or within 60 days if you end service.
The law asks you to tell your utility at least 60 days before installation.
Norris Public Power District, based in Beatrice, shows what can follow. Since January 1, 2026, a new home system there gets net billing. Power you use as you make it still lowers your bill, but every kWh you send out is paid 6.25¢ from June to September and 4.41¢ the rest of the year, with no monthly swap. Norris also adds a Facility Recovery Charge of $1.00 per kW of billing demand each month. Homes that already had net metering keep it.
Each utility measures the 1% against its own peak demand and reports its totals every year, so yours can tell you where it stands. NPPD’s own rider repeats the 1% limit.
At the $2.91 per watt benchmark. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected, and Nebraska’s small market gives the benchmark few quotes to work from.
| Size (kW) | Cash price | Power made a year |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kW | $14,550 | 7,410 kWh |
| 7.57 kW (typical) | $22,029 | 11,219 kWh |
| 10 kW | $29,100 | 14,820 kWh |
| 15 kW | $43,650 | 22,230 kWh |
The cash for solar in Nebraska comes from Omaha’s and Lincoln’s utilities, not from a state rebate. Everyone else can borrow through a state loan program.
One time, through an OPPD Trade Ally. OPPD’s page said rebates were still open on October 14, 2026.
$475 per kW for west-facing or tracking panels. Paid once, through an LES Trade Ally.
Or less, simple interest, for up to 10 years. Ask the lender which rate applies.
Not for a system you own placed in service after December 31, 2025.
| Way to pay | Who owns the panels | Nebraska detail to check |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | You | The OPPD rebate and LES payment need a Trade Ally installer |
| State loan | You | Dollar and Energy Saving Loan: for a system of 10 kW or less, up to $14,000 for the first kW and $4,000 for each added kW. Sign nothing until the lender says the state has committed |
| Installer loan | You | Compare the financed total with the cash price, including any dealer fee |
| Lease or PPA | The company | None of the three installers below lists one |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Nebraska incentives guideWhat $0-down solar means in Nebraska
Three companies that list Nebraska service, A to Z, not ranked. Facts from their own sites and the Nebraska Department of Labor contractor registry, read October 13 and 14, 2026.
None of these three companies buys homeowner leads from EcoGen America. How we make money. Check any Nebraska contractor in the Department of Labor’s registration search.
Ask each installer to name your utility and the credit per kWh its savings estimate uses.
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CEO of EcoGen America. Since 2021 he has connected homeowners with residential solar installers in all 50 states.
About Dean
Founder of EcoGen America. He has worked in residential solar since 2016 and maintains the EcoGen Solar Cost Index.
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