Green Mountain Energy solar buyback plans
See electricity plans from Green Mountain Energy that credit you for the excess solar you send back to the grid in Oncor (Dallas area).
Green Mountain Energy Solar Buyback Overview
Green Mountain Energy currently offers 3 solar buyback plans in Texas across Oncor (Dallas) and CenterPoint (Houston) utility territories. Green Mountain Energy does not offer 1:1 buyback. Export credits use real-time wholesale (RTW) pricing tied to the ERCOT market, plus fixed-rate options. Fixed export credits are 6.3¢/kWh, with RTW plans at real-time market rates. Export credits can offset your energy charges, base fee, and TDU delivery charges. Plans are available in 12 to 24-month contracts with base fees from $14.95 to $29.95/month. Maximum solar system size is 50 kW. Unused credits can be cashed out upon plan cancellation.
PUCT License: #10009 • Official Green Mountain Energy website
What I tell solar customers asking about Green Mountain Energy
Green Mountain Energy markets itself as the Texas green energy provider. The brand pedigree is real (they were one of the first renewable-focused retail providers in the country), but Green Mountain is now part of NRG, the same parent as Reliant and Direct Energy.
They offer two solar products with different structures. The Solar Credit plan pays a fixed solar credit locked for the contract term. The Solar Max plan pays real-time wholesale (RTW), which means your credit floats with ERCOT prices and can spike during summer afternoons or collapse on mild days. Current rates for both are in the comparison table above.
Both Green Mountain plans let your solar credit offset your base fee, your delivery charges (Oncor, CenterPoint, or whoever your utility company is), and your energy charge. That's the right structure for most exporters. They cap eligible system size at 50 kilowatts (kW), which rarely matters for residential.
Where Green Mountain comes up short. The Solar Credit base fee runs on the higher end for Texas solar plans. For a home that doesn't export much, that base fee can swallow a meaningful share of your monthly credit before the credit gets to the energy and delivery lines.
If green energy branding matters to you and you export enough to clear the base fee, Green Mountain is defensible. If you want a lower-fee structure or a higher locked credit, send me your bill. I'll model it against the other plans on this page.
Available solar plans
Solar Credit
Solar Max
All Nighter
Green Mountain Energy uses real-time wholesale pricing
RTW export credits are tied to ERCOT spot prices, which can swing from $0.01/kWh to over $1/kWh. Your monthly credits will vary significantly based on market conditions — a sunny afternoon during a heatwave pays well, but mild spring days may pay very little.
What makes a good solar buyback plan?
The best plan matches your specific usage patterns. Look beyond the marketing and check:
Timing: When you export vs when you consume power
Credit method: 1:1 credits, fixed rate, or RTW—and any monthly caps
Gotchas: Base fees, credit expiration policies, and minimum usage charges
Most providers hide how their plans will perform with your specific usage—our analysis shows you the truth.
What customers are saying about Green Mountain Energy
Real reviews from Google
“Constantly messing with our solar buyback plan then we changed plans and our bill shot up. Refuses to give unlimited credits accrual (uncapped plan) for all the power our solar panels feed to the grid so essentially they're stealing our power. I was a customer of 6 years. Bye jerks!!! Happily over at Meter now where every penny of overage I feed off my house I get credit for.”
“I installed a large solar system and after a year switched from Reliant to Green Mountain because they offered me a better deal. They were great at first but then they took away my net metering contract and moved me to net billing. One day I went from having a system with no utility bill. Now I'm back to spending thousands annually.”
“This company is so crooked. I had an almost $400 bill in February. I was on the free night plan and have solar panels. They tried to tell me it was because it was cold and everyone's electricity went up, but I have a gas heater, a gas water heater and a gas stove.”