Montana Senator Tim Sheehy Among Nine GOP Lawmakers Using Private Solar After Voting to Repeal Federal Credits

Senator Tim Sheehy and eight other congressional Republicans installed private solar systems despite voting to eliminate federal clean energy tax credits.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 24, 2026, 5:57 AM EST

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Politico

Private Investments vs Public Policy

The intersection of personal lifestyle and public policy has come under scrutiny following reports that Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) installed solar panels and battery storage at his Bozeman home between 2020 and 2021. During this period, federal tax credits allowed homeowners to recoup 26 percent of the costs for such systems. While Sheehy has characterized green energy initiatives as "goofy" and "subsidized," satellite imagery confirms the presence of the solar array on his property.

Sheehy is part of a larger cohort of Republicans, including Senator John Curtis (R-Utah) and Representative Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), who have acknowledged using federal tax credits to purchase solar panels. The recent passage of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" has officially ended these decades old credits to fund tax cuts primarily benefiting the wealthy. Critics argue this creates a "pulling up the ladder" effect, where lawmakers secured subsidized energy for themselves before removing the same financial opportunity for their constituents.

Market Impact and the Rooftop Solar Decline

The repeal of the residential clean energy tax credit is expected to have a devastating impact on the domestic solar market. Research firm Wood Mackenzie predicts that rooftop solar installations could decline by as much as 42 percent through 2029. While the federal government continues to offer tax credits for large scale grid batteries, the loss of individual incentives significantly raises the barrier to entry for American homeowners seeking energy independence.

Despite the challenges facing rooftop systems, the energy storage sector is currently experiencing a record boom. In 2025, companies installed more than 57 gigawatt hours of storage capacity, a 30 percent increase over 2024. However, the industry is bracing for new requirements in the Trump administration’s legislation aimed at blocking imports from "adversarial nations" like China and North Korea, which could further complicate supply chains for battery technology.