Solar Panel Cost in Nebraska (2026)

Net metering: Statutory net metering to 25 kW; terms vary by public power district

Nebraska approaches solar differently from every other state because of how its electricity industry is organised. It is the only state with 100 percent public power: there are no investor-owned electric utilities, and every customer is served by a public power district, a municipal utility or a cooperative, more than 165 entities in all. The consequence for a homeowner is that there is no single regulated tariff to consult. State statute at Sections 70-2001 to 70-2004 requires net metering to be offered to customer-generators at up to 25 kW, which is comfortably above household need, so the statutory ceiling is rarely what constrains a design. The statute does not require net metering above 25 kW, though utilities may allow larger systems at their discretion. What the statute does not do is impose a uniform crediting scheme, and net metering and credit rules vary by district. How excess generation is credited, whether credits carry forward, whether they expire and on what date, what the interconnection process costs and how long it takes are all decided by your own utility. Omaha Public Power District, Nebraska Public Power District and Lincoln Electric System all run net metering programmes, and each sets its own terms. There is one genuine advantage in this structure that is easy to miss: because these utilities are customer-owned and governed by boards rather than by shareholders, the people setting your solar terms are accountable to you as an owner rather than to investors.