Live twin payback clocks — so sticker years never pretend to be after-incentive cash.
Educational Gross ≠ net sketch. Not a bid, ITC eligibility opinion, or tariff study.
By Ahmet C. Toplutaş·Site owner & editor · Environmental tools
Last updated May 21, 2026 · Reviewed May 21, 2026 · Planning estimates only - not tax, medical, or investment advice
01
Solar quotes lead with a gross installed price. Cash after an illustrative incentive (ITC-era sketch, rebates, or planning percent) is the net you actually put at risk. Simple payback on those two bases is not the same clock.
This page’s framing is Gross ≠ net. The panel still shows years-to-payback, then refuses to let the sticker alone stand in for after-incentive cash.
That is a different job from energy efficiency (Portfolio ≠ priority across upgrades) and battery storage (nameplate ≠ usable). Here we stay on one PV asset’s dual payback.
Decision framing: “Which payback am I quoting — sticker or after credit?” — not only “How many years?”
02
Chips for 0% / 26% / 30% / 40% (plus a custom field) rewrite net cost instantly while production and retail value stay fixed. That is the unique affordance: watch net payback years move without pretending the sun changed.
The dial is not tax advice. Replace the percent with your real net after credits before you sign a contract.
03
Gross payback divides sticker cost by year-1 net benefit (production × $/kWh − O&M). Net payback divides after-incentive cash by the same benefit. The gap in years is Gross ≠ net made numeric — not a first-dollar efficiency rail and not a TOU battery clock.
04
Beyond simple payback, the horizon strip compounds degradation and rate escalation, then accumulates cash after subtracting net cost up front. Break-even year is when cumulative crosses zero on that net basis. Treat it as literacy — tariffs, export rates, and loans will move the real curve.
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Single volumetric $/kWh — not a full net-metering tariff. For bill anatomy see home energy (Bill ≠ footprint).
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Scenario A — CA high rate. Load the preset. Note gross vs net years. Flip incentive 30% → 0% and watch the gap close — Gross ≠ net without touching kWh.
Keep production and rate fixed. Change only the incentive dial and recount the gap.
Scenario B — TX cheap power. Lower $/kWh stretches both clocks. Incentives still matter, but the bill story is thinner — pair with home energy for rate context.
Scenario C — AZ high sun. More kWh per kW shortens payback even when rates are moderate. Sun hours help; they still do not erase Gross ≠ net.
Scenario D — No incentive. Gross and net clocks agree. Useful as a control when marketing quotes only “after tax credit” years.
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Stop here for sticker vs after-incentive payback literacy. Hand off for bill anatomy, storage, efficiency order, or ground loops.
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Gross is the sticker installed cost before incentives. Net is cash after an illustrative incentive percentage (for example an ITC-era sketch). Simple payback on gross and on net are different clocks — the gap in years is the product teaching Gross ≠ net.
No. Eligibility, basis, adders, and phase-downs change by year and project. Enter a planning percent, then replace it with your installer/tax professional’s net after credits before you sign.
Year-1 production × rate minus annual O&M is the first-year net benefit. Gross payback is gross cost ÷ that benefit; net payback is net cost ÷ the same benefit. Horizon cash flows then apply degradation and rate escalation for a cumulative sketch after net cost.
Not in detail. The rate field is a single volumetric $/kWh value for production. Real bills mix retail, export credits, fixed charges, and non-bypassable fees. Pair with the home energy calculator for bill anatomy, then refine with your tariff.
Energy efficiency owns Portfolio ≠ priority across multiple upgrades. This page owns one generation asset’s Gross ≠ net payback. Do not rank LEDs against solar on this board — hand measure order next door.
Battery owns nameplate ≠ usable and outage runtime. Solar ROI owns generation payback before and after incentives. Pair them when you are sizing storage with new PV.
This sketch assumes cash-like net cost for payback literacy. Loan interest, dealer fees, and PACE products change cash flow. Ask your lender for an amortization that matches the bid.
LIVE PAYBACK · GROSS ≠ NET
Gross ≠ net ↓Scene presets
Incentive dial (% of gross)
GROSS ≠ NET PAYBACK
Gross payback
8.9 yr
on $21,000 sticker
Net payback
6.2 yr
on $14,700 after incentive
HORIZON CASH (AFTER NET COST)
Break-even on net (cumulative ≥ 0): year 6 · horizon ROI sketch 459%
Updates as you type. Share writes the URL; typing does not. Educational payback sketch — not a bid, ITC opinion, or tariff study.
Net payback
6.2 yr
Gross 8.9 yr · gap 2.7 yr · net $14,700
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