News from DSIRE: 11/9/12
CALIFORNIA – Voters Green-Light More Clean Energy Development
California voters approved Proposition 39 passed with overwhelming support. The new law closes a corporate tax loophole, which is expected to yield $1 billion in additional revenue annually. Half of this revenue for the first five years will support renewables and energy efficiency projects at schools and public buildings, workforce development, and the establishment of local PACE programs.
FLORIDA – Clay Electric’s Solar Loan Interest Rates Fall
Clay Electric Cooperative offers customers low-interest loans for solar water heaters and solar pool-heating systems. Interest rates are now 5% or 8%, depending on an applicant’s credit score. The previous rates were 8% and 11%, depending on an applicant’s credit rating.
MICHIGAN – DTE Expansion of Solar Currents Program Under Review
In October, DTE Energy announced that it will re-open its Solar Currents program, pending approval from the Michigan PSC. The proposed plan would add 2 MW of solar capacity over two years. The first phase of the program, which closed in May 2011, was open to all DTE Energy electric customers.
NEVADA – SolarGenerations PV Incentives Enter Hibernation
November 9 is the application deadline for NV Energy’s 2012-13 SolarGenerations Program. A total of 5 MW of PV capacity will be funded this program year; separate funds have been allocated for southern Nevada and northern Nevada, and for different customer classes. If the applications received for any customer class exceed the budget established for that class, winners will be determined by lottery.
NEW HAMPSHIRE – Rebates for Residential Wood Heating Restored
New Hampshire has resurrected a program that provides rebates for efficient residential wood-pellet central boilers and furnaces. This program, which is funded by alternative compliance payments under the state’s RPS, provides a rebate of 30% of the installed cost of a qualifying new system, with a maximum award $6,000.
NEW YORK – LIPA Extends Residential PV Rebates to Leased Systems
The Long Island Power Authority has historically required that participants in its Solar Pioneer rebate program own the solar-energy system, rendering systems installed under a third-party ownership model ineligible for incentives. Last month, the LIPA Board of Trustees approved a change to the program that allows residential systems installed under leasing arrangements to receive incentives. As described in the board’s decision, the inclusion is limited to residential systems and does not include systems installed under a power purchase agreement (PPA) model. LIPA’s press release indicates the change is effective immediately, although the current program application still reflects the old restriction.
NEW YORK – LIPA Ramps up Net Metering
In October 2012, the LIPA Board of Trustees adopted two changes to its net metering tariff that dramatically expanded opportunities for customer-sited generation in LIPA’s service territory. The first change allows remote net metering for non-residential solar and wind, and for farm-based biogas and wind. The second change increases from 51.2 MW to 150 MW the aggregate net-metering cap for solar, agricultural biogas, residential micro-CHP and fuel cells. The remote net metering provision brings LIPA in line with the state’s net-metering law, while the increase in the aggregate cap addresses LIPA’s expectation that the previous cap (51.2 MW) would likely be met in 2013.
OHIO – PUCO Invites Comments on Proposed RPS Rules
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is accepting comments on proposed rules for the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard. The proposed rules would implement changes from legislation enacted in 2012. In addition, PUCO is revising all AEPS rules in order to comply with periodic rule revision requirements and the Governor’s Common Sense Initiative. The deadline for comments is January 7, 2013.
TENNESSEE – AG Opinion Pooh-Poohs Green Tax Incentive
Tennessee offers a special ad valorem property tax assessment for certified green energy production facilities, including solar facilities. However, the state’s attorney general has issued an opinion that the policies allowing such facilities to utilize salvage value for property tax purposes are unconstitutional because they favor certain taxpayers.
WISCONSIN – Utilities Deemed in Compliance with RPS
The Wisconsin PSC has released a memorandum on 2011 RPS compliance indicating that all electric providers and aggregators were in compliance with the state’s policy during 2011. The state’s RPS calls for 10% renewables by 2015; each utility’s requirement is set by the PSC.
