The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will make available a $6 million grant to the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), according to a recent announcement by Governor David A. Paterson. The new funding will enable LIPA to continue programs that provide rebates and incentives to homeowners and business owners who install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. LIPA’s Solar Pioneer/Entrepreneur program provides a per-watt rebate to reduce the cost of solar panels, enabling many individuals and businesses to achieve a positive return on investment with their solar installations.

“The funding provided today will help LIPA continue a model program that has played a critical role in increasing the presence of clean, renewable solar power on Long Island,” Governor Paterson noted. “The increased use of photovoltaic panels will help fuel New York’s growing clean energy economy. It builds on the energy expertise working out of Long Island’s academic institutions and creates the new economy jobs New Yorkers need.”

In November, LIPA announced plans to limit the dollar amount any one solar project could receive. Regardless, the rebate program remains one of the most robust in the country: for the second straight year, LIPA was in 2009 named among the nation’s most solar-integrated utilities by the Solar Electric Power Association, a Washington D.C.-based industry group comprised of electric utilities. To date, LIPA has granted more than $54 million in rebates to 2,300 residential rooftop solar installations, 65 commercial installations, and 48 PV systems installed at non-profit and government buildings. Together, these projects represent 13.5 megawatts (mWs) of installed solar capacity.