(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.

SRP has installed solar panels atop 30 group homes in the East Valley area of greater Phoenix, at sites in Mesa, Tempe, Queen Creek and Ahwatukee. Each system is 5-kilowatts in size (about average for residential solar) and is expected to save $700 a year on annual electricity costs.

As the Phoenix Business Journal relays,

[h]alf of the money comes through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with the other half matched by SRP. The utility received a grant from the Income Qualified Residential Solar Electric Program of the Energy Office of the Arizona Commerce Authority, which coordinated the stimulus money.

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“We are proud to be a part of a program that assists nonprofits in lowering their overhead costs while offsetting their electricity usage with clean energy from the sun,” said SRP Manager of Sustainable Initiatives and Technologies Lori Singleton.

Photo courtesy of Salt River Project.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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As the fate of an important renewable energy grant program has earned a spot in the Senate’s tax bill, we thought it’d be timely to share a telling info-graphic that was released — and subsequently circulated widely — a little over a year ago.

The numbers come from a report of the Environmental Law Institute entitled, “Estimating U.S. Government Subsidies to Energy Sources: 2008-2008.” As you can see, conventional fossil fuels received the lion’s share of direct and indirect support at the federal level.

If renewable energy is to become a meaningful, lasting part of our country’s energy mix, it’s reasonable to suggest that this imbalance needs to be addressed. And even though a one-year extension is, as David Roberts of Grist points out, a fairly piecemeal approach, it will be a HUGE win for commercial renewable energy projects and green jobs creation in America.

See GetSolar’s previous post for more on how clean energy advocates are helping the cause. And see California Senator Diane Feinstein’s op-ed in Politico for more details on how extending the grant program would increase the number of clean energy jobs in America.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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