Dean has connected tens of thousands of homeowners with residential solar installers across all 50 states since 2021, and works directly with installers on pricing and financing.
South Carolina is one of the few states where a meaningful state tax credit survived, and that changes the arithmetic here more than anything else. The state credit now carries the load that the 30% federal residential credit used to, after that federal credit reached $0 for systems whose installation is completed after December 31, 2025. In most states that federal expiry removed the largest number in the quote. In South Carolina there is still a state number underneath it.
The other South Carolina specific runs the other way. Exports are credited at avoided cost rather than at the retail rate you pay, so power you send to the grid is worth noticeably less than power you use as it is generated. Those two facts together define the installer test here: whether they model the state credit correctly, including how it carries forward against your actual tax liability, and whether they size the system to your own consumption rather than to your roof.
Three vetted installers serve South Carolina. Because the state credit is claimed against your own tax liability rather than handed over at signing, the decisive question is whether an installer can explain how much of it you will actually absorb, and over how many years, rather than subtracting the headline figure and calling it your price.
Our Top 3 Solar Companies in South Carolina
Renu Energy Solutions
The only company here that publishes its full license set rather than describing itself as licensed: South Carolina General Contractor 119903 and South Carolina Electrical Contractor CLM.113782, alongside NABCEP certification. That is the single hardest credential to fake and the easiest for you to check with the state. Ask them to walk you through the state credit against your own tax liability.
Palmetto
Publishes its warranty terms in full: 25 years on panels and inverters with a separate 10-year workmanship commitment, which is a clearer written position than most companies offer anywhere. It works across fifteen states including South Carolina, so ask how often a crew is in your part of the state and who returns for a callback.
Purelight Power
The only one of the three publishing a PRODUCTION warranty alongside parts, which is a different and stronger promise than equipment cover: it commits to output rather than only to hardware. In a state where exports are worth less than the power you use, underproduction costs you more than it would elsewhere. Ask exactly what output it guarantees and what the remedy is.
South Carolina Solar Companies Compared
Company | SC Licenses Published | Warranty Published | Coverage | Where It Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Renu Energy Solutions | Yes, GC 119903 and Elec CLM.113782 | Not published | North and South Carolina | The only published SC license set, checkable with the state |
Palmetto | Not published | 25-yr panel and inverter, 10-yr workmanship | 15 states including SC | The clearest written warranty position |
Purelight Power | Not published | 25-yr parts and production | Multi-state including SC | The only production guarantee, not just parts |
No company here publishes both its licenses and its warranty terms, which is worth knowing rather than glossing over. Ask whichever you are leaning toward for the half they do not publish, and get it in writing before you sign.
Dominion, Duke Energy or Santee Cooper: The Bill Decides the Export Credit
Under Solar Choice, the net-billing tariff created by Act 62, Duke Energy Carolinas credits exported surplus at 4.19¢ and Duke Energy Progress at 4.01¢, while Dominion Energy South Carolina first offsets same-period usage at retail and pays the remainder at 4.14¢ at the November true-up. Duke also holds solar customers to a $30 monthly minimum bill against $13.50 at Dominion. Santee Cooper sits outside the Public Service Commission, credits exports at 4.15¢ under its own rider with a $10 monthly charge, and is the only utility paying an upfront rebate, $950 per kW up to $5,700. So ask every bidder which territory your address is in, which export credit and minimum bill it modeled, and whether its crews are NABCEP-certified if the Santee Cooper rebate is in the quote.
Questions to Ask a South Carolina Solar Installer
Am I on Dominion, Duke Energy or Santee Cooper, and what export credit and minimum bill did you model?
How much of the state tax credit will I actually absorb, and when?
What are you assuming my exports are worth?
Are you deducting a federal tax credit from this price?
What are your South Carolina license numbers?
How is this array specified for coastal conditions?
Red Flags in a South Carolina Solar Pitch
South Carolina Solar FAQs
Does South Carolina still have a state solar tax credit?
Yes, and it now carries the load the federal credit used to. It is claimed against your own state tax liability rather than paid at signing, so how quickly you absorb it depends on your tax position.
What am I paid for exported power in South Carolina?
Exports are credited at avoided cost rather than at the retail rate you pay for power. That means self-consumption is worth more than export here, and a system sized well beyond your usage returns less per dollar spent.
Is there still a federal tax credit for South Carolina homeowners?
Not for a purchased or financed system completed after December 31, 2025. The residential credit reached $0. The separate commercial credit can apply to leases and power purchase agreements, but the company owning the system claims it.
How do I check a South Carolina solar installer’s license?
Ask for the license numbers and verify them with the state licensing board. Renu Energy Solutions publishes both its general contractor and electrical license numbers openly, which is the standard worth holding every installer to.
Does a battery make more sense in South Carolina?
It can, because exports earn avoided cost rather than retail. Storing production to use in the evening is worth more than sending it out. Ask for the numbers with and without, built on your own usage rather than a generic profile.
References & Research Sources
- South Carolina Department of Revenue. Residential solar energy system tax credit. Credit rate, carryforward provisions and how it is claimed against liability. Accessed August 31, 2026.
- South Carolina Public Service Commission. Solar choice metering and avoided-cost export compensation. Basis on which exported power is credited. Accessed August 31, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. One, Big, Beautiful Bill Provisions. Section 25D repeal for systems whose installation is completed after December 31, 2025. Accessed August 31, 2026.
- South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Contractor and electrical licensing lookup. Verification route for the license numbers published above. Accessed August 31, 2026.
