Government Rebates

CSI Program (California Solar Initiative):

The California Solar Initiative rebates apply to all investor-owned and municipal utilities in California. Incentives will be awarded as a one-time, up-front payment based on expected performance. The rebate is as follows:

Expected Performance-Based Buy down for Systems under 50 kW:

$1.90/W AC for residential and commercial systems, adjusted based on expected performance
$3.25/W AC for government entities and nonprofits, adjusted based on expected performance

Performance-Based Incentives (PBI) for Systems 50 kW and larger:

$0.39/kWh for first five years for taxable entities * $0.50/kWh for the first five years for government entities and nonprofits

PBI will be paid monthly based on the actual amount of energy produced for a period of five years. Residential and small commercial projects under the 50 kW thresholds can also choose to opt in to the PBI rather than the upfront Expected Performance-Based Buy down approach. However, all installations of 50 kW or larger must take the PBI.

The California solar incentive is changing due to the amount of installed capacity. To see what your current rebate is you can go here.

Solar Electric Tax Credit:

There is a 30% tax credit for all residential solar installations starting on January 1, 2009. If a customer’s tax liability is not as large as the value of the solar tax credit, customers have two years to utilize the credit. This tax credit can also be deducted directly from a customer’s AMT liability.

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Government Rebates