Live twin payback clocks, so sticker years never pretend to be after-incentive cash.
Educational gross-versus-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 vs 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 vs priority across upgrades) and battery storage (nameplate vs 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 vs 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 vs 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 vs 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 vs 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 vs 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 vs priority across multiple upgrades. This page owns one generation asset’s Gross vs net payback. Do not rank LEDs against solar on this board. Hand measure order next door.
Battery owns nameplate vs 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 vs NET
Gross vs net ↓Scene presets
Incentive dial (% of gross)
GROSS vs 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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