Montana Senator Uses Solar at Home, Votes to Cut Tax Credits

A Montana senator who once called renewable energy "goofy, subsidized green energy crap" has been quietly using that same technology to power his own home for years.

Sen. Tim Sheehy installed rooftop solar panels and battery storage at his Bozeman home several years ago, according to property records and satellite imagery. The former Navy SEAL then voted in 2026 to eliminate federal tax credits that have helped American families afford similar systems since the George W. Bush administration.

When asked about the panels, Sheehy confirmed their existence but declined further comment. "It's my personal home, so it's not really any of your business," he told reporters in December.

The contrast became painfully clear when Montana's renewable energy workers reached out to Sheehy for help. Local solar installers worried about their jobs asked the senator to oppose legislation weakening clean energy subsidies. After all, he understood the benefits firsthand.

Instead, Sheehy voted with his party to pass the tax overhaul. The law eliminated decades-old clean energy credits that had survived under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

At least nine congressional Republicans have solar panels on their homes, including Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, who openly says the panels lowered his electricity costs. Adding battery systems like Sheehy's allows homeowners to store solar energy for nighttime use or power outages.

Only one of those nine Republicans voted against eliminating the solar subsidy: Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Three lawmakers, including Massie, confirmed they used the now-expired tax credit to help purchase their panels.

The Ripple Effect

The tax changes are already reshaping American energy. Energy Innovation, a climate policy think tank, projects the legislation will eliminate 760,000 clean energy jobs by 2030 and increase wholesale electricity prices by 25 percent.

Montana's renewable energy workers who contacted Sheehy received a form letter in response. "Instead of pursuing failing solar and wind energy projects, the U.S. should focus on nuclear and geothermal energy production," it read.

Solar installers across Montana now face an uncertain future. The residential clean energy tax credit expired at the end of 2025, and the investment tax credit that helps companies lease panels will sunset in 2027, six years earlier than originally planned.

Sheehy's spokesperson said the senator "doesn't think American taxpayers should be forced to subsidize solar panels with their tax dollars." The office did not respond to questions about whether Sheehy himself used tax credits to finance his home system or his views on the battery storage technology he installed.

The story highlights a complicated reality: even as solar technology proves useful in private life, political winds are shifting against the subsidies that made it affordable for millions of American families.