Tucson Solar Export Rate: What 4.62¢ Means for Battery Planning

Oct 12

Tucson Electric Power lists a Resource Comparison Proxy (RCP) solar export rate of $0.0462 per kWh for October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. If you are evaluating solar or a battery in Tucson, compare that export credit with what your home pays to buy electricity at the time you would use stored energy.

Check your own export rate first

TEP says customers can retain the RCP export rate in place when they requested interconnection for up to ten years. The current published rate therefore does not automatically replace every existing solar customer’s rate. Confirm your applicable rate and agreement with TEP.

What does 4.62 cents mean?

At the published rate, 10 kWh exported would produce a $0.462 credit. This is an illustration of export compensation, not a battery savings estimate.

Why consider storing solar?

A compatible battery can store energy for later use. The financial comparison includes the value of avoided grid purchases, the export credit given up, charging and discharging losses, battery cost and available capacity. Your actual tariff and usage determine whether the economics work.

Ask these questions before buying

What export rate applies to my current system?
What do I pay for imported electricity during the hours a battery would discharge?
How much excess solar is available to charge it?
How much capacity will remain reserved for outages?
What are the installed cost, warranty terms and expected usable capacity?

Bill savings and backup are separate decisions

Outage operation requires compatible equipment and proper system design. Ask an installer which circuits will run and for how long. A battery should be evaluated against both your everyday energy use and your outage priorities.

Start with your TEP bill, existing solar details and the appliances you want to protect. Contact Backup Ready Arizona to ask about options and provider availability for your ZIP code.

Source: TEP Resource Comparison Proxy Export Rate. Reviewed October 12, 2026.

steve mann