Parts of Newport sit inside local historic districts with their own review. See honestly what solar can look like on your Newport roof.
Rooftop Power has undertaken 4,000+ projects, solar and roofing combined, across Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. We are BBB A+, rated 4.8 stars on Google by 898 reviewers, and based in Warwick since 2017, with in-house crews on every job.
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Rooftop Power is a Warwick, Rhode Island installer, and Newport is part of the state we work in every week. The same in-house electrical and roofing crews that handle our other Rhode Island projects handle Newport homes, from the first roof review to the day the system is switched on.
We have been based in Warwick since 2017, we are BBB A+ accredited, and we are rated 4.8 stars on Google across 897 reviews. Across Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut we have undertaken 4,000+ projects, solar and roofing together.
Newport adds one step that most Rhode Island towns do not: a local Historic District Commission that reviews exterior changes. We tell you early whether your address is in a district and what that means for panel placement, before you spend time on a design that cannot be approved.
A solar array should sit on a roof with life left in it. If yours is near the end, we replace it as part of the project so you are not pulling panels later.
Newport has a local historic district created by city ordinance in 1965, and the City Council has since designated other local historic zones. Property owners planning exterior work inside a local historic district must first request a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Commission, a volunteer body appointed by the City Council and advised by the city’s Historic Preservation Planner. Whether your home is inside a district is something you can check by address on the city’s historic district map, and it is the first thing we check too.
Here is the honest part. The Commission has published a policy statement on solar panels for properties in the historic districts. The version we found says roof-mounted panels are typically not allowed, that panels which cannot be seen from the ground will generally meet Newport’s standards, and that panels should not go on a roof visible from the street or on prominent slate, standing seam metal, wood shingle or tile roofs. The copy we found has a blank adoption date, so treat the details as guidance and confirm the current policy with the city’s Preservation Planner. In practice that means some Newport homes in a district will not get approval for a front-facing roof array, and we will say so plainly rather than sell you a layout that fails review.
For a home outside the local historic districts, the process is the standard Rhode Island one. Rhode Island requires every municipality to use a single statewide solar permit application that covers both the building and electrical permits, in effect since January 1, 2018. Newport takes permit applications through its online E-Permitting Portal, run through the Building Inspections office at 43 Broadway, and electrical permits are applied for the same way. We prepare and submit the filing for you.
Rhode Island Energy is the electric utility for the state’s homes outside Block Island and the Pascoag district, and your net metering account and interconnection run through it. With net metering, power your system sends to the grid is credited to your account and offsets what you draw later. Rhode Island also has a separate Renewable Energy Growth program that pays under a long-term tariff, and it cannot be combined with net metering on the same system. We compare both against your actual bills and put the assumptions in writing.
Newport projects start with one question: is the home inside a local historic district? We check that first, then handle the permit, the Rhode Island Energy interconnection and the installation with one team.
The programs and payment options a homeowner in Rhode Island Energy territory should know about.
Power your system sends back to the grid is credited on your Rhode Island Energy account, offsetting what you draw at night and in winter.
A separate state program that pays a fixed rate for production under a long-term tariff. It cannot be combined with net metering, and enrollment runs in windows.
Newport homes are served by Rhode Island Energy, so there is one interconnection application and one net metering account. We confirm it from your bill before we design.
We put the full financing picture in front of you before you commit to anything.
The 30 percent federal credit homeowners claimed on their own return (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. See who still qualifies. We do not quote federal tax credits or guaranteed dollar savings. Rooftop Power reviews the current state programs with you and puts the real numbers for your home in writing.
We review your Rhode Island Energy bill, your roof and your goals, and give you real numbers in writing. No pressure.
We size a system to your actual annual usage, matched to your roof and how your home uses energy.
We pull the local permit and file the Rhode Island Energy interconnection application for you.
Our own in-house crews install the system, and replace the roof first if it needs it.
After local inspection and utility approval, your system switches on and net metering begins.
Working with Rooftop Power has been exceptional. From the beginning everyone at RTP kept me informed at every step. When a hiccup happened it was addressed immediately and resolved.
From the first consultation to the final inspection the team was knowledgeable and responsive. The system has performed exactly as they said it would. A genuinely local company that stands behind its work.
The installation crew was punctual, respectful, and left the job site spotless. I was particularly impressed with their attention to detail from the first consult to the final inspection.
Rooftop Power was founded in 2017 right here in Rhode Island. We are not a national dealer network, we are a local installer with our own crews, our own trucks and our own name on every job.
Get a no-pressure quote from the team expanding across Rhode Island. We are licensed in RI, we own our installs, and we put the full plan in writing.