Thanks to federal stimulus money, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) will soon launch a rebate program for solar thermal — or solar hot water — energy systems. By covering 20 percent of associated costs, the state aims to support the installation of 600 residential solar thermal systems and 100 commercial solar thermal systems. The [...]

This past December, we reported that funding for Connecticut’s solar rebate program had run dry. Six months later, the program is back by popular demand. The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund recently announced the re-opening of the Small Solar Rebate Program, effective July 1, 2009:
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) today announced that it has reopened [...]

With new solar leasing programs announced all the time, we take a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks presented by this financing option.

As reported by Jan Ellen Spiegel of the New York Times,
Connecticut’s touted solar rebate program, which experts have pointed to as exemplary, may not be so perfect after all. Six months into its current two-year budget cycle, it is nearly out of cash, leaving homeowners, businesses, and nonprofit and governmental organizations that want to buy [...]

In recent weeks, a number of state governments have announced plans to cut back the per-watt rebate offered to residents who purchase a solar energy system. In October, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) announced a downward revision ranging between $1.00 and $1.80 per watt, depending on system size. Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest investor-owned utility [...]