Solar Energy in Indianapolis, IN: Facts, Statistics, Companies

Solar Energy in Indianapolis

Solar Rates, Incentives, Plans & Statistics

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Going solar in Indianapolis, IN

In Indianapolis, an average home needs a 8kW solar system in order cover most of their electricity needs. Given the average residential price-per-watt of $4.26 in Indianapolis, a 8kW system can cost around $34,080 depending on applicable rebates and other factors.

Average out-of-pocket cost for a 5 kW system The upfront amount spent to buy and install solar.
Indianapolis: $21,300US Average: $18,171
Average Payback Period The number of years until you break even on the solar investment.
Indianapolis: 15 yearsUS Average: 11 years
Average Net 20-year savings The total amount of money saved over 20 years minus the out-of-pocket cost.
Indianapolis: $7,432US Average: $14,760

Solar Potential in Indianapolis

Estimated system size and solar electricity production per median viable roof in
Indianapolis.

Roof size 679sq. ft.
Capacity 9.5kW DC
Electricity 11kkWh AC per yr.

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Compare solar panels by system size in Indianapolis

Get the most value out of your roof by comparing the different benefits a given system size has.

System Size 4kW
Roof Size Min. space required
286 ft²
Electricity Value Annual Production $777 a year
Est. Price
$17,040
Savings from a 4kWthis system
  • Est. yearly production 5,649 kWh
  • Est. monthly savings $65
  • Full payback in 22 years
Environmental Impacts
  • Reduces CO2 emissions by 4.93 tons a year
  • Equivalent to planting 226 trees a year
  • Equivalent to driving 12,203 mi less a year
System Size 5kW
Roof Size Min. space required
358 ft²
Electricity Value Annual Production $971 a year
Est. Price
$21,300
Savings from a 5kWthis system
  • Est. yearly production 7,061 kWh
  • Est. monthly savings $81
  • Full payback in 22 years
Environmental Impacts
  • Reduces CO2 emissions by 6.16 tons a year
  • Equivalent to planting 283 trees a year
  • Equivalent to driving 15,254 mi less a year
System Size 6kW
Roof Size Min. space required
429 ft²
Electricity Value Annual Production $1,166 a year
Est. Price
$25,560
Savings from a 6kWthis system
  • Est. yearly production 8,474 kWh
  • Est. monthly savings $97
  • Full payback in 22 years
Environmental Impacts
  • Reduces CO2 emissions by 7.4 tons a year
  • Equivalent to planting 340 trees a year
  • Equivalent to driving 18,305 mi less a year
System Size 7kW
Roof Size Min. space required
501 ft²
Electricity Value Annual Production $1,360 a year
Est. Price
$29,820
Savings from a 7kWthis system
  • Est. yearly production 9,886 kWh
  • Est. monthly savings $113
  • Full payback in 22 years
Environmental Impacts
  • Reduces CO2 emissions by 8.63 tons a year
  • Equivalent to planting 396 trees a year
  • Equivalent to driving 21,355 mi less a year
System Size 8kW
Roof Size Min. space required
572 ft²
Electricity Value Annual Production $1,554 a year
Est. Price
$34,080
Savings from a 8kWthis system
  • Est. yearly production 11,298 kWh
  • Est. monthly savings $120
  • Full payback in 24 years
Environmental Impacts
  • Reduces CO2 emissions by 9.13 tons a year
  • Equivalent to planting 420 trees a year
  • Equivalent to driving 22,610 mi less a year

Indianapolis solar incentives, tax credit, and rebates

Indianapolis has 5 rebates and tax credits that you may be eligable for. Visit the official links for more details to see if you apply.

Solar incentives in IN

Renewable Energy Property Tax Exemption

Value:Varies

Property tax exemptions apply in Indiana for solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric power and thermal devices. (Solar devices installed before January 1, 2012 do not qualify for an exemption.) For most generation systems, exemptions will amount to the currently assessed value of the system (adjusted for depreciation.) Solar thermal, HVAC, or pool heating systems will be exempted at a fixed amount equal to parts and labor costs. Unique to Indiana, should the owner sell their property, exemptions will not apply to the new owner. Qualifying taxpayers may claim the exemption by filing Form 18865 with their county. Additional information is available from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance website.

Community Conservation Challenge

Value:Varies

NOTE: This program is closed to new applicants. Indiana's Community Conservation Challenge is a grant program managed by the Office of Energy Development. Commercial, industrial, or agricultural property owners may be eligible for $20,000 - $80,000 to install new renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements. Projects that may qualify for funding include green vehicles, HVAC, lighting, solar PV/thermal systems, and wind turbines. At least one community must partner with the property owner, and the completed project should be visible to the public eye. Additional information is available from the OED website.

NIPSCO - Feed-In Tariff

Value:Varies

NIPSCO pays feed-in tariffs to distributed renewable energy customers with systems rated for 3 kilowatts to one megawatt of capacity. Monthly compensation will take the form of a bill credit based on the amount of excess energy sent back to the grid. Unlike net metering, NIPSCO has greater control over how much of a customer's generated energy can be considered "excess." This control is to keep the grid stable. Customers must "opt in" to receive tariffs by filling out an application on the NIPSCO website and paying an administration fee based on system capacity; the current fee is $1 per kilowatt plus $25.

Clean Energy Portfolio Standard

Value:Varies

Indiana has adopted a non-binding renewable portfolio standard called the CHOICE. There have been three clean energy targets set with the final goal of sourcing 10% of the state's energy from renewable sources by 2025. Unique to the CHOICE standard, up to 30% of investments can be in cleaner conventional energy (natural gas, CHP, and clean coal). Participation in the CHOICE is completely voluntary. Interested utilities can register with the state's Utility Regulatory Commission to submit business and project plans. As a utility makes CHOICE investments, they will earn Clean Energy Credits pegging energy capacity to a fixed dollar value. Additional information is available from the CHOICE website.

City of Indianapolis - Green Building Incentive Program

Value:Varies

Special permitting privileges may apply to new projects in Indianapolis or greater Marion County if designers adhere to certain energy efficiency standards. Qualifying structures should either use on-site solar panels/small wind equipment or be ASHRAE 90.1 certified. Appliances, lighting, and HVAC systems used should be ENERGY STAR certified. Once the builder applies for permits, the structure will be ranked across six sustainability criteria. If it passes minimum standards on at least half of the criteria, 30% of the total permit fees will be refunded. For each additional criterion, another 10% will be added to the total rebate. Additional information is available from the Indianapolis city website.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • As a general rule, unless there are local limitations, the main limitations to the amount of solar panels you can put on your roof are the available space on your roof, your electricity usage, your providers net metering rules, and the limitations of your house hold electrical system.
  • Based on our research the average price per installed watt is $4.26 in Indianapolis. This means for a 10kW system you can expect to pay $42,600 though pricing can vary significantly between installers based on the projects requirements.
  • Based on a Zillow research study from 2019, home with solar panels sell for roughly 4.1% more.
  • To generate the most power, solar panels in the United States should face true south as this generally results in the solar panels receiving the most light each day throughout the course of the year. That said, given that energy prices are often variable throughout the day, your installer may recommend you rotate your panels slightly so that the panels will receive more light at the end of the day when energy prices can be more expensive. That said, for most consumers the positioning of solar panels is highly dependent on your home's roof.
  • Based on our continuously updated database of solar installers, we have found 18 verified solar install companies in Indianapolis

Solar installers in Indianapolis (18)

YellowLite

Cleveland, OH(877) 743-8757

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Reparation of solar arrays.
  • Installation of batteries for energy storage.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.

Academy Energy Group

Newburgh, IN(812) 518-2150

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Reparation of solar arrays.
  • Auditing of energy requirements for independent energy generation.
  • Monitoring of independent energy generation.
  • Solar systems for selling electricity back to the grid.

Power Home Solar

Mooresville, NC(704) 870-3670

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Reparation of solar arrays.
  • Installation of batteries for energy storage.
  • Solar systems for selling electricity back to the grid.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.
  • Consulting on all things solar related.

SunPower Corporation

San Jose, CA(800) 786-7693

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Reparation of solar arrays.
  • Installation of batteries for energy storage.
  • Monitoring of independent energy generation.
  • Solar systems for selling electricity back to the grid.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.
  • Consulting on all things solar related.

Silver Sun Solar

Deltona, FL(340) 227-7785

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Installation of batteries for energy storage.
  • Solar systems for selling electricity back to the grid.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.

Harvest Solar

Jackson, MI(888) 907-6527

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.
  • Consulting on all things solar related.

GRNE Solar

Palatine, IL(312) 859-3417

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Installation of batteries for energy storage.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.
  • Consulting on all things solar related.

Sigora Solar

Charlottesville, VA(434) 465-6192

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Installation of batteries for energy storage.
  • Solar systems for selling electricity back to the grid.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.

Entegrity

Little Rock, AR(800) 700-1414

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.

Ideal Energy

Fairfield, IA(800) 634-4454

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Reparation of solar arrays.
  • Installation of batteries for energy storage.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.

City Electric Supply

Dallas, TX(866) 634-9853

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.
  • Consulting on all things solar related.

PowerHome Solar

Mooresville, NC(704) 870-3670

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Installation of batteries for energy storage.
  • Solar systems for selling electricity back to the grid.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.

Icon Solar

Milford, OH(513) 396-7777

Services

  • Installation of solar arrays.
  • Installation of batteries for energy storage.
  • Solar systems for selling electricity back to the grid.
  • Expertise in consulting on advantageous financing for solar.
  • Consulting on all things solar related.
Alex Zdanov
Last Reviewed By: Alex Zdanov
Published: 2024-03-01