Photovoltaic House from Crestock Photos
The Palo Alto Electric Utility is offering its customers grants for installing solar panels. The Photovoltaic (PV) Partners Program aims to encourage homes and businesses to install high-quality photovoltaic systems in connection with California’s Million Solar Roofs Initiative.
The grants for installing solar panels are based on the photovoltaic system size, which are measured in watts. For systems fewer than 100 kW, the rebate is paid per watt based on the CEC AC watts. For systems 100 kW and higher, performance-based incentives (or PBI) will be based on the actual monthly energy produced in kWh for a 60-month period. For updated rebate levels you can visit the Photovoltaic Partners Program web site. Non-profit and government units are required to submit documents to verify their tax-exempt status. They must also certify that the PV system did not receive any federal tax benefits, and the total incentive should not exceed the total project costs.
To qualify for Palo Alto’s grants for installing solar panels, the PV modules and inverters must be included on the State of California Energy Commission list of eligible equipments and must have a full ten year warranty on equipment and labor.
The system must be at least 1 kW and a maximum of 1000 kW. The PV solar system must be used to offset part or all of the client’s electricity demand, and the photovoltaic systems must also be connected to the power grid and installed by a certified contractor.
The City of Palo Alto has a budget of $1.3 million per program year for a ten year period for grants for installing solar panels. Funding for the PV Partners program refreshes on July 1 of each year, and additional funding will be brought in if needed. As of April 2008, City of Palo Alto has 257 PV systems with a total of 827 kW in capacity.
For more information about Palo Alto grants for installing solar panels or the Photovoltaic Partners Program, you can contact:
Utility Marketing Services
City of Palo Alto Utilities
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: (650) 329-2241
Fax: (650) 617-3140
Web Site: http://www.cpau.com/
Disclaimer: This article does not constitute a source of official legal or financial advice. While we attempt to represent all data as accurately as possible, we advise you to refer to official government websites for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
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