Local PV Rebate Programs

July 24, 2009

Summary

The Colorado Governor's Energy Office (GEO) has provided matching grants to establish solar rebate programs throughout the state in areas located outside of the service territory of Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy, Colorado's two investor-owned utilities. (Xcel and Black Hills Energy administer their own solar rebate programs.) The GEO selected the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (CoSEIA) to administer the grant program. Proposals were solicited from Colorado cities, counties, utilities and and non-profit organizations for funding to help create and administer local rebate programs with a grant from the GEO and matching funds from the program partner. The first round of grants resulted in 22 rebate programs (11 for photovoltaic (PV) systems and 11 for solar hot water). The second round of funding awarded grants to 12 program partners for PV rebate programs and 15 partners for solar hot water rebate programs. These rebates are not available state-wide; they are only available to residents and/or businesses within the territory of one of the program partners. Applications for the second round of rebates are available for residential systems in the territory of the following program partners:

• Delta-Montrose Electric Association
• Longmont Power & Communications
• Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association, Inc.
• San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
• San Miguel Power Association, Inc.
• Sangre de Cristo Electric Association, Inc.
• United Power, Inc.
• Clean Energy Economy for the Region (Glenwood Springs, CO)
• Estes Park Light & Power
• La Plata Electric Association
• Mountain View Electric Association

Applications for the second round of rebates are available for small business systems in the territory of the following program partners:

• Clean Energy Economy for the Region (Glenwood Springs, CO)
• La Plata Electric Association
• Longmont Power & Communications
• Sangre de Cristo Electric Association, Inc.
• The New Community Coalition (Telluride, CO)
• United Power, Inc.

Because the individual program partners have some autonomy in designing their own rebate program structure, program details (including incentive amounts) will vary from program to program, but rebates have been capped at $9,000 for residential systems and $15,000 for small business systems. For more information on a specific local rebate program, please visit the individual partner's web site, or the CoSEIA web site.