Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle A— Income Taxes › Chapter 1— NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES › Subchapter A— Determination of Tax Liability › Part IV— CREDITS AGAINST TAX › Subpart D— Business Related Credits › § 45X
Gives a tax credit to a manufacturer for each eligible clean-energy part it makes and sells to an unrelated buyer during the tax year, but only if the making and selling happen in the maker’s regular business and the production occurs in the United States or a U.S. possession. Sales to related parties can count as sales to unrelated parties if the taxpayer follows an election and any information rules the Treasury requires. Credit amounts depend on the kind of part: solar cells get 4 cents per direct-current watt, wafers $12 per square meter, solar-grade polysilicon $3 per kilogram, polymeric backsheets 40 cents per square meter, solar modules 7 cents per direct-current watt; torque tubes 87 cents per kilogram and structural fasteners $2.28 per kilogram; inverters get a per-watt credit using type-based rates (central 0.25 cents, utility 1.5 cents, commercial 2 cents, residential 6.5 cents, microinverter/distributed 11 cents) times alternating-current watt capacity; wind vessels built for offshore work get 10 percent of sales price while other wind parts use small per-watt amounts (blade 2 cents, nacelle 5 cents, tower 3 cents, offshore foundation fixed 2 cents or floating 4 cents) times the turbine’s rated wattage; electrode active materials get 10 percent of production costs; battery cells get $35 per kilowatt-hour and battery modules get $10 per kilowatt-hour (or $45 per kWh if the module has no battery cells), both subject to a capacity-to-power limit; critical minerals get 10 percent of production costs (2.5 percent for metallurgical coal). Credits phase down after set dates: for most parts sold after December 31, 2029 the credit is 75% in 2030, 50% in 2031, 25% in 2032, and 0% after 2032. For most critical minerals produced after December 31, 2030 the credit is 75% in 2031, 50% in 2032, 25% in 2033, and 0% after 2033. No credit applies to wind energy components made and sold after December 31, 2027, and none for metallurgical coal made after December 31, 2029. Capacity-to-power ratio for battery cells or modules cannot exceed 100:1 (capacity divided by maximum discharge). Short definitions: “eligible component” = solar parts, wind parts, certain inverters, qualifying battery parts, or listed critical minerals; “solar energy component” = things like modules, cells, wafers, polysilicon, torque tubes/fasteners, and polymeric backsheets; “wind energy component” = blades, nacelles, towers, offshore foundations, and related offshore wind vessels; “qualifying battery component” = electrode active materials, battery cells, and battery modules; “inverter” and inverter types = end products that convert DC from solar or certified distributed wind into AC, with types defined by size and use. No credit is allowed for taxpayers that are a specified foreign entity or a foreign-influenced entity as defined by the tax code.
Full Legal Text
Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
26 U.S.C. § 45X
Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60