Without the 30% Federal Credit, a US-Average Solar Roof Pays Back in 10.7 Years Instead of 7.4
The 30% residential solar credit ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. We reran four US scenarios at 2026 net costs of $16-19K: payback runs from 4.4 years in high-rate states to 17.6 years where power is cheap.