Ferry County PUD #1 - Off-Grid Solar PV Financial Assistance

Summary

NOTE: This loan program is no longer available as of August 21, 2012.  This record is for informational purposes only.

In 2003, the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service provided $888,000 in funds to the Ferry County Public Utility District (PUD) for financial assistance to people within the PUD service territory that are living off the grid and paying more than $0.23 per kWh for electricity, depending on the generator, instead of the 6.08 cents per kilowatt hour the PUD charges.

The PUD is providing 0% interest loans for either line extensions or PV systems for people in the service territory who are currently off-grid. About $350,000 of the total will be for installing photovoltaic systems. Ferry County Community Services’ local office estimates that there are currently 175-200 households in the County that would fit in this category. The majority of these households are currently using small gasoline generators for their electrical needs.

For households choosing the PV option, the loan funds will cover the equipment and installation costs for solar photovoltaic systems. The customers will repay the loan through a surcharge to standard electricity rates over 20 years. The District will be responsible for the maintenance of the Solar PV systems, treating them as a part of the District’s distribution system. PV customers will pay the same $.0684 per kWh as the "on-grid" customers, as well as the $17.00/month facilities charge. Only the surcharge to cover the loan will be over and above the regular rate. This effectively reduces their cost for electricity by 50% to 80%.

Customers participating in this program will be required to provide a co-payment of 10% of the total cost of the system up to a maximum of $1,200. This requirement can be met with in-kind investment by the customer in site preparation, concrete pad and any other work required to install the system. The District-required $200 pre-paid engineering fee may also be applied to the total customer investment. As of August 2010, nine systems have been installed through this program.