Ambit Brand audience: Texas homeowners with rooftop solar shopping REP plans.

The best solar buyback plan in Texas in 2026 depends on how much surplus your panels send back to the grid and how you want to be paid for it. For homeowners who oversize and want the simplest math, TXU Energy's Solar Buyback Match 12 and Green Mountain Energy's Renewable Rewards Solar Buyback 36 pay a 1:1 retail match on every exported kilowatt-hour. For heavier exporters who want a high fixed rate, Ambit Energy's Total Solar Buyback 12 pays 14.5 cents per kWh (as of July 2026) on exports and Green Mountain's Pollution Free Solar Buyback 36 pays 8.5 cents fixed (as of July 2026). For solar-plus-battery households in ERCOT, Chariot Energy's Shine plans pay real-time wholesale prices that can spike past 25 cents per kWh (as of July 2026) during summer peaks. This guide is the side-by-side rate comparison I wish I had when first shopping these plans. Plan details and rates subject to change, and every Energy Facts Label is available on the provider's site.

Key takeaways

• The top three 1:1 retail-match plans in 2026 are TXU Solar Buyback Match 12/24/36 and Green Mountain Renewable Rewards Solar Buyback 36.
• The top three fixed cents-per-kWh export rates are Ambit Total Solar Buyback 12 at 14.5 cents (as of July 2026), Gexa Battery Benefits 12 at 16.9 cents (as of July 2026, battery required), and Green Mountain Pollution Free Solar Buyback 36 at 8.5 cents (as of July 2026).
• Chariot Shine ties your export rate to the ERCOT wholesale market, which can hit 25 cents per kWh (as of July 2026) in a hot Texas afternoon but drops sharply overnight.
• Almost every Texas buyback plan caps you in some way: monthly credit rollover without cash-out, system-size limits (Ambit tops out at 25 kW), or export-to-usage ratio limits (Ambit caps you at 110% of consumption).
• Municipal customers in Austin still lead the state, with Austin Energy's Value of Solar tariff paying 9.91 cents per kWh (as of July 2026) plus a rebate program worth up to $2,500 for qualifying installs, per NuWatt Energy's 2026 Texas roundup.

How solar buyback actually works in Texas

Texas is a deregulated ERCOT market, and it does not have a state net metering law. So instead of a utility crediting you at retail for every exported kWh, a retail electricity provider (REP) sells you a plan that bundles an energy charge for the power you import with a separate export credit for the power your panels send back. Sylvia Leyva Martinez at Wood Mackenzie and SEIA has tracked how much this REP-run structure varies across states, and Texas is one of the most fragmented markets in the country.

Three export structures dominate the 2026 shortlist.

Retail match (1:1 net metering) credits your exports at whatever cents per kWh you pay to import that month. It is the simplest structure and the closest thing to true net metering in ERCOT.

Fixed cents per kWh pays a set export rate for the entire term, regardless of what the market does. A 14.5 cent Ambit export rate (as of July 2026) stays 14.5 cents even if wholesale prices collapse.

Wholesale-linked ties your export rate to the ERCOT real-time market, so a hot August afternoon at $250 per MWh in the North Zone means Chariot Shine pays roughly 25 cents per kWh (as of July 2026) for that hour. A mild spring midnight pays pennies.

The 2026 Texas solar buyback rate table

Below is the current provider-by-provider comparison, as of July 2026. Rates are pulled from each provider's public Electricity Facts Label (EFL) and from independent 2026 comparisons at NuWatt Energy, EnergyBot, and ElectricityPlans. Plan details and rates are subject to change; the EFL on the provider's site is the contract.

Always confirm the EFL on the provider's site before enrolling.

Which plan pays the highest 1:1 retail match?

TXU Solar Buyback Match 12/24/36 and Green Mountain Renewable Rewards Solar Buyback 36 are the two retail-match plans that show up on every 2026 shortlist. A retail match is worth the most when your import price is high, since your export credit rises with it. NuWatt's 2026 guide flags TXU's Match 12 as the strongest Oncor territory pick for households that expect to import a lot during winter and export heavily in summer.

Which plan pays the highest fixed cents per kWh?

Fixed-rate export is the right play for homeowners who want zero market exposure. Ambit's Total Solar Buyback 12 at 14.5 cents per kWh (as of July 2026) is the highest fixed export rate on a standard solar plan, which is why it appears alongside TXU and Green Mountain on 2026 comparison pages at EnergyBot and NuWatt. Gexa Battery Benefits 12 pays a higher 16.9 cents per kWh (as of July 2026), but that plan requires a home battery. Green Mountain Pollution Free Solar Buyback 36 pays 8.5 cents per kWh fixed (as of July 2026) for 36 months, the longest fixed-rate term on the shortlist.

Which plan works best for wholesale-market exporters?

Chariot Shine plans link your export credit to the ERCOT real-time market. Zoë Gaston at Wood Mackenzie has pointed out in SEIA's Q2 2026 Solar Market Insight report that the same summer conditions that push ERCOT prices into the 25 cent range are exactly when a rooftop system is exporting the most. The upside is real. The downside is that mild months pay very little, so Chariot Shine works best for households that pair solar with a battery and can time-shift exports into peak hours.

The three-question match

Picking the best solar buyback plan for your home comes down to three questions.

1. How big is your system relative to your usage? If you regularly export more than 110 percent of what you import, Ambit's cap disqualifies its plan for you, and a retail match or a wholesale-linked plan makes more sense.
2. Do you want predictability or upside? A retail match or a fixed cents plan gives predictable monthly credit math. Wholesale-linked plans reward exporters who can shift into peak hours with a battery.
3. What TDU territory are you in? Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP, and TNMP each have different plan availability. Chariot Solar Buyback 24 is the only plan on this list confirmed in all four.

Watch-outs before you sign

Every plan on the table above has restrictions worth reading in the EFL. Most Texas REP buyback plans do not cash out unused credits at contract end. Ambit caps the system at 25 kW and the export at 110 percent of your consumption. Gexa Solar Export Saver credits can only be applied to a Gexa bill. Rhythm's PowerShift plan uses a time-of-use structure that pays more during defined peak hours and less at other times. William Malmstrom at PV Magazine reported in November 2025 that over 13 GW of planned Texas solar and storage projects were at risk of missing 2026 interconnection, which is one reason REPs are building tighter caps into buyback contracts. Enrollment is subject to credit approval, and plan details and rates are subject to change.

Frequently asked questions

Does Texas have net metering in 2026? No. Texas does not have a statewide net metering law. Every buyback structure in ERCOT is a private contract between you and your REP.

What is a 1:1 retail match? It means your REP credits you the same cents per kWh for exports that you pay for imports that month. TXU and Green Mountain are the two providers with 1:1 retail-match plans on the 2026 shortlist.

Can I cash out unused solar credits at the end of my Texas plan? On most REP plans, no. Credits roll over month to month and expire at contract end. Think Shine is the one plan on this comparison that offers a monthly cash-out.

Which Texas REP has the highest export rate? Gexa Battery Benefits 12 pays the highest fixed export rate at 16.9 cents per kWh (as of July 2026), but it requires a home battery. Ambit Total Solar Buyback 12 pays the highest fixed rate on a standard solar-only plan at 14.5 cents per kWh (as of July 2026).

How often do these rates change? New EFLs are filed by REPs on a regular basis, and 2026 rate cards are updated monthly. Check the EFL on the provider's site prior to enrolling.

Sources: NuWatt Energy 2026 Texas Solar Buyback Rates, EnergyBot Texas Solar Buyback Comparison, ElectricityPlans Texas Solar Buyback Plans, SEIA Solar Market Insight Q2 2026, PV Magazine Texas Solar and Storage Analysis (Nov 2025), PUCT Solar consumer information page. Plan details and rates are subject to change; Energy Facts Label available on each provider's site.