Hi @dmoe54, the solar tax credit is "non-refundable." That means if you have no tax liability, the credit, unfortunately, does you no good. Only a small number of tax credits are refundable, and the solar credit is not one of them. The Solar Tax credit can only reduce tax that you owe.
However, could you clarify your situation? I am not understanding it all. You say you have no taxable income but that you take an RMD (from an IRA or employer retirement plan) and pay tax. Why would you pay tax if you have no taxable income?
Do you mean that you have tax withheld from the RMD distribution? Or that you pay an estimated tax payment when you get the cash? In either case, the Solar Tax credit is not affected because the non-refundable nature of the credit is not all about tax that you paid, but rather your tax liability. Tax withheld (or paid on a 1040-ES) is just an estimate of your taxes. It might be high or low. You might get a refund or you might owe tax when you file your 1040.
The bottom line, though, is that if you have no taxable income, you won't have any tax liability to reduce by the solar tax credit. Sorry.
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