Would purchasing and installing free-standing solar powered outdoor lights for my house count as a qualifying "Solar electric cost" reportable on Form 5695?

[kyledavid8711]

The lights are self-contained systems that are mounted to the house and technically they generate electricity for use (and I use that electricity to produce light) but there is no option to "route" that electricity into the main house system first or to use it to power other things in the house. 

[DoninGA · Accepted solution]

Those type of lights are not eligible for a solar tax credit.

The Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit is in effect for 2018 to the end of 2021 - 

Qualified solar electric property, Qualified solar water heating property, Qualified small wind energy property,  Qualified geothermal heat pump property and Qualified fuel cell property costs.

IRS Form 5695 Residential Energy Credit - https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i5695.pdf

Qualified solar electric property costs . Qualified solar electric property costs are costs for property that uses solar energy to generate electricity for use in your home located in the United States. No costs relating to a solar panel or other property installed as a roof (or portion thereof) will fail to qualify solely because the property constitutes a structural component of the structure on which it is installed. The home doesn't have to be your main home.