Bend, OR Solar Panels

The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) Solar + Storage Rebate Program provides rebates for solar and battery storage systems to Oregon residents, including homeowners in Bend, regardless of their utility provider. Homeowners are eligible for rebates up to $5,000 for solar and up to $2,500 for energy storage. Low-income service providers such as nonprofits, municipalities, and organizations serving low-income Oregonians are eligible for up to $30,000 for solar plus $15,000 for storage.

Rebates are issued to ODOE-approved contractors, who pass the full amount on to their customers as up-front savings on their installation cost. Following SB 827 (2025) and recent administrative rulemaking, ODOE also accepts applications for storage-only installations being added to existing solar systems.

The program operates on limited funding rounds. After reopening on June 15, 2026, the $1.1 million made available was fully reserved, so the program is not always accepting new applications. Homeowners should sign up for ODOE email updates and work with an approved contractor to reserve funds when the program reopens.

The Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO) offers cash rebates to help homeowners in Bend lower the cost of installing solar panels. For 2026, the standard solar rebate is a flat $2,500 per system for qualifying Portland General Electric (PGE) and Pacific Power customers.

To qualify, you must be a customer of PGE or Pacific Power and install your system through a certified ETO Trade Ally contractor. Customers of smaller PUDs or co-ops generally do not qualify for Energy Trust funds. The rebate is applied directly as a discount on your installation quote by your contractor, so you never have to file paperwork or wait for a check.

This rebate can be combined with battery storage incentives and the ODOE Solar + Storage Rebate. A solar-plus-storage setup could see up to $7,500 in combined Energy Trust incentives before factoring in net metering credits.

The Energy Trust of Oregon offers a battery storage incentive for customers who pair energy storage with their solar system, or add storage to an existing solar installation. PGE customers can receive $400 per kWh of battery installed, up to a maximum rebate of $5,000. Pacific Power customers can receive $320 per kWh of battery installed, up to a maximum rebate of $4,000.

A standard 15-kWh battery, such as a Tesla Powerwall 3 or Enphase IQ Battery, would reach the PGE cap exactly. To qualify, the system must be installed with ‘islanding’ capability, meaning it can operate independently of the grid to provide backup power during an outage.

The battery incentive stacks on top of the standard $2,500 solar rebate. Systems must follow electric utility-specific rules and regulations as well as other technical and programmatic requirements. You must be a PGE or Pacific Power customer and use a certified Trade Ally contractor.

Solar Within Reach is an Energy Trust of Oregon income-qualified program designed to make solar accessible to working families and retirees. For 2026, a family of four with gross annual income under approximately $120,000 often qualifies, with income thresholds increasing with household size. Your utility must be PGE or Pacific Power to participate.

PGE customers can earn $1,100 per kW for solar (up to $6,600) and $900 per kWh for storage (up to $11,700). Pacific Power customers can earn $900 per kW for solar (up to $5,400) and $750 per kWh for storage (up to $9,000). You must own and live in an eligible home type, such as a single-family home, manufactured home, floating home, or attached unit like a duplex, triplex, or fourplex.

Solar Within Reach can be combined with the ODOE Solar + Storage Rebate for additional savings. Income-qualified households in Bend have reduced their out-of-pocket system cost by $10,000 or more through combined program stacking.

Oregon’s net metering policy allows solar customers with systems under 25 kW connected to the grid to earn credits for excess electricity sent back to the grid. When your system overproduces, credits are applied to offset electricity you pull from the grid when the sun isn’t shining. The policy covers all investor-owned utilities except Idaho Power, which shifted to net billing in 2024.

Historically, Oregon offered a 1:1 retail-rate credit. However, as of 2026, PGE credits excess generation at the avoided cost rate (roughly 4 to 5 cents per kWh), lower than its retail rate of around 12 cents, under a ‘net metering 2.0’ structure. Pacific Power continues to offer retail-rate net metering, producing a noticeably higher per-kWh export value than PGE.

When you sign your net metering contract with your utility, your credit value is locked in for the lifetime of your system. Any credits remaining at the end of the annual billing cycle are donated to low-income bill assistance programs under Oregon’s net metering rules.

Under Oregon Revised Statute §307.175, the value added to your property by a qualifying solar energy system is exempt from property tax assessment. This means your solar panels won’t increase your property taxes even though they increase your home’s value. The exemption applies to grid-connected systems used for net metering.

Solar typically adds 3–4% to home value. On a $500,000 home, that could be $15,000–$20,000 in additional equity that is never taxed. With Oregon’s average property tax rate around 0.82%, this can save roughly $255 to $378 annually depending on whether batteries are included.

Homeowners in Bend should apply for the exemption through their county assessor’s office on or before December 31 of the year in which the system was installed, as it is not entirely automatic in all counties. Note that this exemption may not be allowed for tax years beginning after July 1, 2029.

Oregon has no state sales tax, which means all solar equipment — including panels, inverters, racking, batteries, and installation labor — is automatically exempt from sales tax. This is a meaningful cost advantage over neighboring states such as Washington.

Unlike many state incentives, there is no application process or paperwork required to benefit from this exemption; it applies automatically to every solar and battery purchase made in Oregon.

Over the cost of a typical solar-plus-storage installation, avoiding sales tax can save homeowners hundreds to over a thousand dollars compared to purchasing the same equipment in a state with sales tax.

Portland General Electric’s Smart Battery Pilot Program offers residential customers an upfront rebate of $1,000 to $3,000 toward the cost of installing a qualifying battery storage system. The program is designed to help stabilize the grid during periods of high demand.

In addition to the upfront incentive, participants can earn $1.70 per kWh during each Peak Time Event, when PGE remotely draws on your battery to help stabilize the grid. This provides an ongoing revenue opportunity on top of the initial rebate.

To participate, you must be a PGE residential customer with a qualifying battery storage system that meets the program’s technical requirements. This incentive can be combined with other solar and storage rebates available to PGE customers.

The Oregon Community Solar Program allows customers who cannot or do not wish to install rooftop solar — including renters, residents of multifamily buildings, low-income customers, and small businesses — to subscribe to a shared community solar project and receive credits on their utility bill for their share of the electricity produced.

Most customers of Pacific Power, Portland General Electric, and Idaho Power are eligible. You can participate as a resident, business, nonprofit, or government entity as long as you have a utility account with one of these three utilities.

The program includes unique protections for income-qualified households, such as no up-front costs and guaranteed bill savings. This makes it an accessible option for households that want to benefit from solar energy without the expense of installing their own system.

The Making Solar Equitable Program, offered through Energy Trust of Oregon, provides larger solar and battery storage incentives for tribes, nonprofits, and affordable housing projects. Incentives vary by project type and utility service area.

Incentive amounts can reach up to $50,000 for tribal solar projects, $42,000 for affordable housing, $30,000 for nonprofits, and $13,500 for battery storage. These enhanced amounts are designed to bring the benefits of solar and storage to organizations serving communities that have historically had less access to clean energy.

Eligibility depends on the project type and whether the project is located in PGE or Pacific Power service territory. Organizations should contact Energy Trust to confirm eligibility and current incentive levels for their specific project.