Duke Energy Florida - SunSense Solar PV Rebate Program

Summary

Note: The SunSense Program will resume for 2015 and begin accepting applications on January 14, 2015 at 1:30 PM. On November 25th. 2014 the Florida PSC voted to end a solar pilot program at the end of 2015 that requires independently owned utilities to offer solar rebates. This program will not be offered after 2015.

Progress Energy Florida (PEF) has allocated $1.9 million per year towards residential photovoltaic (PV) incentives. PEF will accept applications annually from residential customers both wishing to install a PV system and qualifying for a rebate. Reservations for a rebate will be issued on a first-come basis, however a reservation does not guarantee that a rebate will be awarded, only that funding for a rebate is available should the system be installed, meet all requirements and pass inspection.

To qualify for the residential PV program, an applicant must be a Progress Energy Florida (PEF) customer and a homeowner. The applicant must also be the account holder, use the home as a primary residence and own the solar PV system  installed on the home. Other requirements include:

• PEF must approve application and conduct an on-site Home Energy Check (HEC) prior to PV system installation
• The proposed PV system must be certified and approved by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC)
• Systems must be installed by a licensed contractor, meet electric and safety standards
• Participating customers’ systems must be directly connected to the PEF system by following the DEF interconnection procedures.

Customers with PV systems ranging in size from 2 kW DC to 10 kW DC are eligible to participate and may earn an incentive based on the kW value. Installations of systems system larger than 10 kW are permissible, but the incentive is limited to a maximum of $20,000 per residence. After installation, the PV system must be capable of producing at least 1,000 kWh per kW DC each year.

Once the limit of $1.9 million in rebates is achieved, the application process will be closed. The process will be re-opened again October 1 of each year for systems to be installed the following calendar year.

For an application checklist, further requirements and additional resources regarding the rebate please visit the DEF Solar PV website.