Solar rebates

Connecticut companies who want to install a solar photovoltaic system can take advantage of a significant incentive offered through the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund’s rebate program. According to the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), the rebate is based on the design efficiency of your solar system. To obtain the maximum rebate, your system should have an inverter that is 94% efficient or better. There should be no shading on the site, the solar panels should face south, and should be tilted at a 35-degree angle.

Once you decide you want to install a solar system, you should first contact an eligible installer to get a quote on the cost of the system. You can find a list of eligible installers on the CCEF website at www.ctcleanenergy.com under Solar Rebates. The installer sends the paperwork for the rebate to CCEF. Once the application is approved, CCEF sends you a rebate reservation letter. You can then install the solar system. When the installation is complete, the applicable local authorities inspect the system. The utility company inspects the system and authorizes its connection to the grid. CCEF then inspects the system and pays the rebate to the installer. The installer passes the rebate on to you, the customer, as an upfront price reduction.

Mass Energy solar and wind production incentive

When you have a solar photovoltaic or wind energy system installed, you can generate a revenue stream by selling your renewable energy credits at up to $0.03 per kW. The Mass Energy Consumers Alliance buys these credits from small renewable energy generators in New England, packages them together, and sells them to National Grid customers who are interested in purchasing renewable energy through the New England GreenUp program.

You can enter into a three-year contract to sell your renewable energy credits, and the revenue you receive through this program does not affect the benefits you can obtain through net metering. If you are interested, you should contact the Energy Program Associate at Mass Energy indicated on their website at www.massenergy.com.

Property tax exemption

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency points out that renewable energy systems are exempt from property tax in Connecticut. These systems include solar photovoltaic, solar space heating, solar water heating, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, landfill gas, tidal and wave energy, fuel cells, and geothermal heat pumps. Connecticut municipalities can offer a property tax exemption for qualifying heat and power systems. You should file a claim for exemption with your local tax assessor before the first of November in the applicable assessment year.

Sales tax exemption

Solar energy equipment and geothermal heat pumps are exempt from the Connecticut state sales and use tax. The exemption includes the equipment and the installation costs. Energy efficient products are also exempt. As reported in the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, exempt products include compact fluorescent light bulbs, insulation, caulking, weather-stripping, window film, Energy Star windows and doors, water heater blankets, programmable thermostats, Energy Star water heaters, natural gas and propane furnaces and boilers, oil furnaces and boilers that are at least 84% efficient, room air conditioners, room air cleaning units, water coolers, battery chargers, and ice storage cooling systems.

Energy conservation loans

There are several public and private programs to obtain financing for your commercial solar project. If you want to make energy efficiency improvements and need financing, you can obtain an energy conservation loan through the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund for residential projects. Loans are available for insulation, caulking and weather stripping, siding, windows, replacement roofs, heating systems, heat pumps, programmable thermostats, and solar systems.

You can borrow up to $25,000 for a single-family residence, over a term of up to 10 years at below-market interest rates that vary according to your family size and income. You can apply by phone, regular mail, e-mail, or you can download the application form from the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund website at www.chif.org under How to Apply.

Sources:
Connecticut Clean Energy Fund – Power from the Sun: www.ctcleanenergy.com
Connecticut Housing Investment Fund – Energy Conservation Loan Program: www.chif.org
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency – Connecticut Homeowner Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency: www.dsireusa.org
Mass Energy Consumers Alliance – Opportunity for Additional Revenue from Your Solar Installation! www.massenergy.com

Legislative action is near on a measure that, if passed, would put New York on a path to becoming one of the country’s leading solar states.

The New York Solar Industry Development and Jobs Act would require utilities and public power authorities to gradually include more solar electricity in their energy mix over the next 15 years.

The measure would raise statewide solar production capacity to at least 5,000 megawatts, from about 34 megawatts at the end of 2009. The 5,000-mw figure is almost triple the existing grid-tied solar-electric capacity of the entire United States, according to the national Solar Energy Industries Association, www.seia.org , based in Washington, D.C.

The measure, consisting of identical bills in the Assembly and Senate, is backed by the solar industry and by several environmental and conservation groups. If you live in New York State, call your representatives to support these efforts.

Please help! Send an email thanking your legislators for their hard work on behalf of clean energy and asking them to override Rell’s disappointing veto in a special session.

Reinventing our energy markets is an ongoing battle, no one said it was going to be easy.  With your support, we can create a cleaner, better and more efficient energy landscape in Connecticut.

If you’d like to take action, a great place to start is at www.votesolar.org or go to their blog post on this at http://votesolar.org/2010/05/ct-gov-rell-puts-the-lame-in-lame-duck/

Solar energy technology and installation is a rapidly growing and changing industry that holds great potential for America and is in need of clear standards and training. As a NABCEP member, I feel that it is imperative that the DOE continue to support these two organizations as evidenced by their growth, leadership and credibility in the marketplace.

There has been growing acceptance of NABCEP credentials by employers, consumers and incentive program planners, strong support from within the renewable energy industries, and, in the case of ISPQ, a rapid and steady increase in the number of organizations and individuals who are becoming accredited through the ISPQ.

There has been strong growth of the number of Certificants – a 28% for Certified PV installers between October 2009 and March 2010 and a 26% increase in the number of Certified Solar Thermal Installers over the same time period. NABCEP Credentials have emerged as part of a career path in renewable energy – helping to create American jobs in a maturing industry category. For example, in September of 2009 18% of those passing the PV Installer Certification Exam had previously passed the NABCEP Entry Level PV Exam. In March of 2010 that number has risen to almost 25%

By creating The Entry Level PV Exam program continues to grow at an equally impressive rate –on track to see a 50% increase in test takers and more than 175 training organizations are now registered as PV Entry Level Exam Providers.

NABCEP has improved the quality of installations, professionalism and training over the past decade and we have clearly benefited by the strong and steadfast support of the DOE. Changing course now would send a mixed and confusing message to theindustry and serve no positive purpose. Although NABCEP is well on the way towards financial independence – program revenues currently cover only 75% of our costs – so we must continue to rely on the DOE for funding for new program development and the maintenance of smaller market programs. It is my firm belief that it is appropriate for the federal government to support the growth of our credentialing program as it clearly results in benefits for all stakeholders and the growth and competitiveness of the solar industry in the United States.

Sun Electric strongly supports of the NABCEP and ISPQ programs and the DOE should continue their support for Certification Programs for Personnel, Instructors and Trainers as well as Accreditation of Training Programs and Institutional Providers.

This was an update I sent out as we got SB 463 crafted and passed by the CT legislature…it is still sitting on Governor Rell’s desk for signature…please show her that you want to see this bill signed!

I wanted to say a big thanks to Sen. Fonfara and his staff for the latest version of the Solar bill.  The roll back of 20% renewable energy by 2020 has been eliminated from SB 463 an Act Concerning Funding for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. We saw the final draft of  SB 463 yesterday and it was not in there.

And all of the Solar Energy provisions are there.  This is a great bill for Connecticut that will keep us on the forefront of the new green economy.  It expands funding options (leases) for families and businesses that want to go solar.  Creates options for large utility scale projects on landfills and brown fields, among other things.

And a huge thanks to all of you who responded, and told your elected officials that clean energy is important to you.  Your voices were heard.  They have listened and responded.

Now the big push is to get the bill passed.  At the Solar Lobby Day  about 30 of us (from solar installers to environmentalists)  went to the capitol and spoke to our legislators.  They all were very receptive and supportive of the bill.  We asked them to push the leadership to bring the bill for a vote, and to co-sponsor the bill.  There are 400 bills waiting to be called between now and next Wed.  Sen. Fonfara assured me the bill will be called for a vote in the Senate, probably on Friday.  We need to make sure it is called in the House (where the solar bill passed unanimously last year).

If you can, call or email your reps one more time.  Ask you Sen. to vote for passage of the bill, and ask your Rep. to co-sponsor SB 463 and bring it to the House Floor for a vote .

Just a quick update to let you know what is going on with the major piece of solar-related legislation being debated in the General Assembly.

As of last Friday we learned that Hartford State Sen. John Fonfara blocked the popular solar bill HB 5362 from getting onto the Energy Committee agenda for passage.  HB 5362 was the same bill that was passed out of the Energy Committee last year, won unanimous approval in the state House of Representatives, but died in the state Senate because Sen. Fonfara refused to allow a vote on it there.

Instead of letting HB 5362 proceed through the legislative process on its own, Sen. Fonfara instead folded 5362 into a controversial bill he prefers, Senate Bill 463.  The good news is that the basis of 5362 is still alive in SB 463.  The bad news is some of the provisions in Fonfara’s SB 463 are anti-renewable energy.

A few years ago a bill was passed requiring CT utility companies to purchase a percentage of electricity they supply us with from renewable (mostly solar, hydro, and wind) sources.  Each year the percentage is to grow so that by 2020, 20-percent of our electricity is from a renewable source.  Fonfara proposes to scale back that commitment so that by 2020 we are only required to get 11.5-percent of our electricity from renewable sources.  One of his reasons is that when we purchase renewable energy much of it comes from wind projects that are being built out of state and do not create any CT jobs.

While the jobs issue is understandable, we cannot backtrack on the important commitment to renewable energy which improves air quality and reduces America’s reliance on fossil fuel imports from foreign countries.  And as far as jobs go about 10 people on this email list are solar workers who live in Fonfara’s district, some of whom are out of work.  In November of this past year I had 15 people on my crew.  We completed solar installations at Aetna in Hartford and Moody Elementary school in Middletown.  Now I have 2 employees and both are currently working out of state. (this is just my crew, our company has about 40 full time employees in the state, with up to 20 additional temps when things are busy)  Unless the state renews its commitment to solar energy, the solar industry will move out of CT.

An Act Concerning Renewable Energy HB 5362 will create 1200 new jobs (according to Environment Connecticut) at a cost of less 1% of your electric bill (phased in over 3 years).  We are putting people to work and creating electricity with zero emissions.  You can’t ask for a better combination.

We need Fonfara to remove the lower renewable energy commitments from his bill and bring it to a vote in the Senate.  He must act quickly or else we will run out of time in this session.  CT can’t afford to wait another year.