Attention:
Funding Opportunity Announcement COMING SOON. See below for more information.
Application portal COMING SOON. Remaining availability of funding will be updated weekly. See below for more information.
Program Purpose: The Maryland Energy Administration is pleased to announce the forthcoming Fiscal Year 2026 Maryland Solar Access Bridge Fund (Bridge Fund), a one-time financial assistance program for
Maryland Solar Access Program applicants who meet the eligibility criteria defined below. The Bridge Fund is designed to help address the unexpected financial gap created by the early phase-out of the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit by providing grants that approximate the value of the expired federal tax credit.
The Maryland Solar Access Program and the Maryland Solar Access Bridge Fund are separate programs – with separate applications and separate eligibility criteria – meaning households may qualify for one, both, or neither to lower the cost of their home solar system. This Funding Opportunity is for the Bridge Fund.
Program Background: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, accelerated the expiration date of the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit to December 31, 2025. This federal tax credit covered 30% of total solar project costs and was previously scheduled to remain available for qualifying projects through December 31, 2034. This abrupt federal policy change dramatically reduced the time available for households to complete solar installations and claim this credit. As a result, some households that applied to the Maryland Energy Administration’s Maryland Solar Access Program and planned their projects around the continued availability of the federal tax credit were unable to access this anticipated incentive.
The Maryland Solar Access Bridge Fund reflects the Maryland Energy Administration’s commitment to ensuring that Marylanders can pursue clean energy investments in an affordable manner, regardless of changes in federal policy.
Type of Grant Program: Non-competitive (first-come, first-serve); statewide
Application Portal Status: COMING SOON (April 2026)
Application Portal: >>> FY26 BRIDGE FUND MYMEA PORTAL <<<
Program Documents: Funding Opportunity Announcement Coming Soon
Application Deadline: Sunday, May 31, 2026 or until budgeted funding is exhausted, whichever comes first.
Anticipated Budget: A total of up to $7,800,000 is anticipated to be available for the Program from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund Solar Alternative Compliance Payments. The final funding amount may vary based on the number and quality of applications received and MEA’s available resources.
PERCENTAGE OF BUDGET RESERVED
The table below provides the percentage of the FY26 Maryland Solar Access Bridge Fund budget that has been assigned to eligible applications. MEA will update this table regularly, and post the date of the last update below the table.
Last Update to Percentage of Budget Reserved: March 20, 2026
Grant Amount: The grant amount will be calculated using the following formulas:
If the Net Project Cost to Customer* is greater than $15,000
| $1,000 per kW of installed solar capacity, up to $15,000 maximum |
If the Net Project Cost to Customer* is less than $15,000
| $1,000 per kW of installed solar capacity, up to the Net Project Cost to Customer |
| *Net Project Cost to Customer is the total amount the customer paid for the solar system (or financed for the solar system) after all rebates, tax credits, grants, or discounts are applied, including the Maryland Solar Access Program grant. |
Eligible Applicants: Only households may apply for a grant.
Ineligible Applicants: Contractors may not apply on behalf of a household.
Eligible Activities: A Maryland Solar Access Bridge Fund grant discounts the costs of installing a qualified solar PV system at the eligible applicant’s Maryland residence.
Eligibility Criteria:Applicant
| | - Contractors may not apply on behalf of a household.
|
System Ownership
| - Applicant must directly own the solar system (through cash purchase or loan financing).
- The solar PV system must be “paid-in-full” to the solar PV system provider before the issuance of grant funds. If the system is financed through a third-party financing agreement or financed directly with the vendor, the application must include a fully executed financing agreement before the issuance of grant funds.
| - Applicant that entered into a power purchase agreement or lease agreement with a solar company.
|
Project Location
| - The solar PV system must be installed on a residential property in the State of Maryland.
| - A solar PV system that is installed on a boat, camper, trailer, or other mobile vehicle.
|
MSAP Program Participation
| - Applicant must have applied to the Maryland Solar Access Program between July 1, 2025 and November 30, 2025.
| - Applicant that purchased a solar system but did not apply to the Maryland Solar Access Program.
- Applicant that applied to the Maryland Solar Access Program outside the eligible date range.
|
Date of Installation
| - Applicant must receive their home solar installation between January 1, 2026 and May 30, 2026. This requirement refers to the date the physical solar panel installation was completed (i.e., the installation completion date, not the interconnection date).
| - Applicant that receives their home solar installation outside of the eligible date range.
|
Utility Interconnection
| - Utility interconnection is complete; the solar PV system has permission to operate from the utility.
| - Utility interconnection is not complete; the solar PV system does not have permission to operate from the utility.
|
Federal Investment Tax Credit
| - Applicant must self-attest and provide documentation demonstrating they have not filed IRS Form 5695 to claim the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit on their 2025 federal income tax return for the solar system for which they are seeking a Maryland Solar Access Bridge Fund grant (see “Required Application Documents” section).
| - Applicant that claimed the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit on their 2025 federal income tax return for the solar system for which they are seeking a Maryland Solar Access Bridge Fund grant.
|
Household Income
| - Applicant household income must not exceed 150% of statewide median income.
| - Applicant with household income exceeding the eligible income limit.
|
Net Project Cost to Customer
| - Net Project Cost to Customer is greater than $0. Net Project Cost to Customer is the total amount the customer paid for the solar system (or financed for the solar system) after all rebates, tax credits, grants, or discounts are applied, including the Maryland Solar Access Program grant.
| - Net Project Cost to Customer is $0.
|
Registration for Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs)
| - The applicant must self-attest that the solar system:
| - Applicant that does not intend to register the solar system for Maryland SREC Program.
- Applicant that registered or intends to register the solar system for the District of Columbia SREC Program.
|
Program Contact:
Ryan Trauley
Program Manager
Maryland Energy Administration
(443) 571-9998
