As one of Arizona’s main electricity utilities, Salt River Project (SRP) has done its part to promote the use of solar power — mainly by providing solar rebate to customers who install solar panels on their home or business.

(For more info on SRP’s solar incentive programs, see here and here.)

As it turns out, this isn’t the only way the utility is increasing the number of residential solar energy systems within its service territory. …click here to read more

Thanks largely to its solar energy grant and solar renewable energy credit (SREC) programs, Maryland is a great place to go solar. The state recently updated the application process for the grant program, making it easier for homeowners (and businesses) to secure the $500-per-kilowatt (kW) rebate that’s available to help offset upfront installation costs. Here’s a blurb from the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA):

The first step when applying for a Clean Energy Grant is for the homeowner to decide if they or their installer will be the Primary Point of Contact (PPC). The PPC is responsible for ensuring all grant documentation is submitted in a timely, accurate, and complete manner. Installers often include these services as part of their offerings, but please check with your installer to ensure the correct PPC is designated at the beginning of the Grant application process.

In most cases, we find homeowners prefer to have their installer be the primary point of contact, as he or she is usually familiar with the state’s process and more than happy to handle the solar rebate application process, which looks like this:

What does all this add up to? Maryland homeowners who install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are eligible to receive grant funds worth up to $10,000. Maryland businesses, meanwhile, may receive a solar grant worth up to $50,000.

With the help of a $180,000 federal grant, the Denver Regional Council of Governments has expanded the use of the Denver Regional Solar Map — a tool originally intended for approximately 2,000 commercial property owners in Denver to figure out how much solar energy they can harvest on their roofs.

The map has been expanded to include an additional 6,000 residential and commercial property owners in the Denver area, bringing the total number of owners who can use the tool to 8,000.

When you go to the solar map site, all you have to do is punch in an address and watch the map rotate to find your roof. Once the roof is located, the map tells you how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) of solar energy you can produce by installing solar panels on your roof. It takes into account shading, roof tilt and the average amount of sunlight your area receives. On the left hand column of the page, the site also tells you which financial incentives are available in your area, and clues you in to the most recent solar energy headlines from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The solar map is becoming an ever more popular tool in many areas of the country. It’s a good way for property owners to become hands-on in the solar installation process. You can find out how much solar energy you’re capable of producing each month and decide on your own whether or not solar is right for you. Check out the San Francisco and New York solar maps and decide which model you like the best.

Some folks in South Carolina — which is currently ranked a dismal 20th in the nation in terms of total installed renewable energy capacity – are making an effort to move the state up in the ranks.

The South Carolina Energy Office has awarded a grant to help install solar hot water systems atop 60 homes in the state. The systems will be made by Velux — a Greensville, South Carolina-based solar water heated manufacturer. Once the systems are fully in place, Velux and Southern Energy Management, an installation company, will track the effectiveness of the systems in terms of monthly savings on utility bills. We haven’t identified all the homes chosen to participate, but we do know that one belongs to Clover, South Carolina resident Ken Newell:

“I was very thrilled when I found out we had been selected. In a tough economy, especially for people in the architecture and construction industry like I am, anything that can save money is a real godsend. I’m going to be very interested to see my power bill.”

The pilot program is an effort to get state legislators to back more renewable energy projects in the next fiscal year by showing them how much South Carolina citizens can benefit from such a system. Velux’s solar thermal systems should help that cause, as they are expected to account for about 75 percent of each home’s hot water needs. The sample data collected over the course of a year will be used to estimate how much money state homeowners can save on a much larger scale.

It is estimated that 25 percent of a household’s utility bill goes to pay for hot water, so it’s likely that these residents will see significant savings. Let’s hope it’s enough to convince South Carolina lawmakers to invest more in solar power.

It’s getting late here on a Friday afternoon, so we’ll keep this brief. The big, nay HUGE, news for solar power today is that an important renewable energy incentive program — the so-called Section 1603 Treasury Grant Program — was extended as part of the tax compromise bill singed this afternoon by President Barack Obama.

The extension of the program — which provides commercial entities a cash grant worth 30 percent of project costs — will help keep impressive momentum going into the new year. Industry experts credit the grant program for helping create 100,000 and $18 billion in investment since it was enacted in 2009, according to the L.A. Times.

Here’s the important questions, however: What does this all mean for you?

First, if your company has ever considered installing a commercial solar energy system, do not miss this opportunity. The federal government has a 30-percent tax credit on the books through 2016. But all you have to do is ask your accountant which he/she prefers — cash or a tax credit — and you’ll see why the grant option has stimulated so much activity. The grant program makes the project development process easier, from financing all the way through to design and engineering, procurement and construction.

Second, it seems solar power has some catching up to do. As illustrated by the nearby chart, which comes to us from the Treasury Department via Greentech Media, solar is currently playing second fiddle to wind energy:

So, all you businesses and solar energy project developers out there, we’ve got some work to do, laying conduit and creating jobs. Here’s to a prosperous, solar-powered new year!

The word out of Washington late this week was that senators and the Obama Administration have agreed on a plan to extend the U.S. Treasury Department’s Treasury Grant Program for another year.

As it stands, the program gives a 30 percent cash rebate to commercial developers of renewable energy systems. The program was initially a 30 percent tax credit before the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 turned it in to a cash incentive. The possibility of the program reverting back to a cash incentive on January 1st lit a fire under the leaders of the U.S. clean energy industry, who credit the cash version of the program with jump-starting thousands of clean energy projects throughout the country.

With the economy still not at full strength, these leaders began tirelessly lobbying Congress to extend the  cash grant, saying that many planned projects can’t be built without it because they won’t have sufficient financial backing. Consequently, tens of thousands of renewable energy jobs would be in danger.

As of a month ago, it was unlikely that the lame-duck congress would have enough clout to extend the program. But extensive lobbying by industry leaders like the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and key house democrats like Montana’s Max Baucus, Iowa’s Tom Harkin and North Dakota’s Kent Conrad pushed congress into action.

While not official, the measure is expected to pass during a vote this coming Monday as part of a revised compromise tax bill. Here are list of energy related measures that are included in the bill, courtesy of Brighter Energy:

• The start-of-construction deadline for the cash grant in lieu of tax credit program, established in Section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
• The current per-gallon tax credits and outlay payments for ethanol as well as the existing 54 cents per gallon tariff on imported ethanol and related 22.67 cents per gallon tariff on ETBE.
• The dollar-per-gallon production tax credits for biodiesel and for diesel fuel created from biomass, as well as the 10 cents-per-gallon small agri-biodiesel producer credit.
• The credit for manufacturers of energy-efficient residential homes.
• The Section 45M credit for US-based manufacture of energy-efficient clothes washers, dishwashers and refrigerators.

As soon as the vote takes place next Monday, GetSolar will give you the final tally. You can find out more about the benefits the grant extension will bring to the renewable energy industry here.

The expiration clock continues to tick on a federal grant that many clean energy advocates credit with providing an incredibly helpful boost to the solar and wind energy economy in the United States. And with few options left, supporters of the federal program have taken their case to Capitol Hill in a final effort to convince a lame-duck Congress to extend it.

The Treasury Grant Program gives installers of qualified solar energy systems a cash rebate that covers 30 percent of the system’s cost. When we flip the calendar to 2011, that cash incentive will revert back to a 30-percent incentive tax credit (ITC) as it was before the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act turned it in to a cash program.

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) proposed a bill that included extending the grant, but the House nixed the bill by a 53-37 margin. It needed 66 votes to pass. Advocates of the program were then hoping that President Obama would include an extension of the TGP as part of the recently announced tax cut program. Those hopes were not realized.

The clean energy cash grant is important to the clean energy industry for reasons that are better explained by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), which is advocating an extension of the program as it currently exists through December 31, 2012:

“The Treasury Grant Program is needed because many renewable developers have little or no tax liability and thus are reliant on “tax equity” financing to benefit from the ITC. The TGP eliminates the need to secure scarce tax equity to finance a commercial solar project. The absence of tax equity financing continues today, and will likely persist through 2012. Due to global economic conditions, a big gap remains between the total amount of financing renewable energy developers need and what money is available. The grant program expires at the end of 2010. However, the tax equity market has still not recovered from the Wall Street collapse.”

If the TGP is not extended, we’ll see a chilling effect immediately, according to Chief Executive of the American Wind Energy Association Denise Bode. Bode says that in Texas alone, 3,000 jobs would be in jeopardy because some of the wind projects in the state can’t be built without the grant. Texas is currently home to more wind energy capacity than any state in the country. Nationwide, Bode estimates that some 20,000 jobs are at stake in the wind energy industry.

Late on Thursday night ABC News reported that an extension of the program is now likely, as many House and Senate democrats have rushed to the defense of the clean energy incentive. Seventeen senators and 81 House members each wrote separate letters to their leaders in support of the program — and they’re confident that something will get done before the New Year’s Eve deadline. Stay tuned.

In 2009, the United States federal government converted a 30 percent tax credit for business owners who power their property with solar energy into a 30 percent treasury grant. What’s the difference? The property owners receive a check reimbursing them for 30 percent of the project’s cost within 60 days of completing the installation rather than waiting to use the tax credit against taxes they owe once a year.

The “Cash is King” approach worked, as it provided a stronger incentive for property owners to invest in such systems. As The New York Times reports, a property owner who installs a 500-kilowatt (KW) photovoltaic (PV) system on a 100,000-square-foot for $2.2 million would receive $660,000 back within that 60-day period. Up to the end of October 2010, the cash incentive had led to 1,118 solar energy installations and helped nearly doubled business investment in solar energy from $3.4 billion to $6.7 billion between 2008 and 2010.

But when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, the party is over.

Congress is unlikely to extend the treasury grant option and, accordingly, it will revert back to a tax credit in 2011 and remain that way until 2016. This has left owners of commercial buildings scrambling to begin projects before the new year in order to take advantage of the cash offer. So many projects have sprung up recently that there are simply not enough of some solar energy system supplies to cover everyone’s needs.

Jamie Hahn, managing director of Solis Partners — a New Jersey-based solar project developer — says many manufacturing companies are having trouble keeping up with material demand. Specifically, PV panels and system inverters are on back order. Companies that don’t get to the current supply in time could be forced to wait as long as eight to 12 weeks for new supplies to arrive, far too late to take advantage of the treasury grant.

When the tax credit option returns, solar industry experts expect a sharp decrease in solar business installations. Most of the systems installed after the deadline will be by way of power purchasing agreements (PPAs), but even those are not as enticing as the treasury grant that makes it feasible for companies to outright own the system they install. Under a PPA, the solar installer owns and operates the system, and consequently receives all the tax credit and subsidy perks that come along with it.

Briarcliff Manor and Pleasantville in Weschester County, New York will share a federal solar grant that will allow both municipalities to install new solar photovoltaic (PV) systems atop their public works department garages.

Each town will receive just over $248,000 for the solar panels and other parts of the system. The money is coming out of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, a $3.2-billion grant program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The grants are intended to encourage local governments to install renewable energy systems throughout the United States.

Briarcliff Village Manager Philip Zegarelli and Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer see the new solar energy system as a win-win situation — an opportunity to generate their own clean energy and partner with a neighboring community. The two towns have agreed to “split the roughly $27,000 price tag to plan, design and file the administrative paperwork” necessary for the projects, according to the Lower Hudson Valley news.

Before installing the rooftop energy systems, each building will have to undergo roof renovations — something many property owners should consider before install a solar energy system. If a system is installed on an old roof, it could cost thousands of dollars more to uninstall the system, fix the roof and then reinstall it as opposed to repairing the roof at the beginning of the project.

Once construction actually begins, citizens of both villages can expect to see the solar PV systems in operation by the spring of 2011. Funds for both projects will be kept and administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).