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Financial Incentives | On top of federal funds and exemptions, many local and state government agencies offer incentives, rebates, and refunds to homeowners for improving thier property's energy efficiency. Use this page to locate the free government money that is available to you in your area to Go Green! |
DSIRE – Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency
The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) is a free, comprehensive, user-friendly source of information on state, local, utility and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. With a single click of the mouse, DSIRE provides users with a list of renewable-energy incentives and energy-efficiency incentives available in any U.S. state. The incentives are divided into two categories, financial incentives & rules and regulations |
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Database of State, local, and federal renewable energy incentives:
DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. |
Financial Incentives - including tax credits, deductions and exemptions; grants, rebates, loans, etc.
Rules, Regulations & Policies - including net metering and interconnection standards, public benefits funds, renewables portfolio standards, fuel mix generation disclosure, solar access laws, solar contractor licensing, green power purchases, building energy codes, and more... |
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Established in 1995, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by the North Carolina Solar Center. Incentive and regulation terms and definitions below. Visit DSIRE for upto date coprehensive information. Call us to schedule a consultation with a local contractor or installer near you? |
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Financial Incentives Corporate Tax Incentives
Corporate tax incentives allow corporations to receive credits or deductions ranging from 10% to 35% against the cost of equipment or installation to promote renewable energy equipment. In some cases, the incentive decreases over time. Some states allow the tax credit only if a corporation has invested a certain dollar amount into a given renewable energy project. In most cases, there is no maximum limit imposed on the amount of the deductible or credit.
Grant Programs
States offer a variety of grant programs to encourage the use and development of renewable energy technologies. Most programs offer support for a broad range of renewable energy technologies, while some states focus on promoting one particular type of renewable energy such as wind technology or alternative fuels.
Grants are available primarily to the commercial, industrial, utility, education, and government sectors. Some grant programs focus on research and development, while others are designed to help a project achieve commercialization. Programs vary in the amount offered--from $500 to $1,000,000--with some states not setting a limit.
Industry Recruitment Incentives
This category focuses on special efforts and programs designed to attract renewable energy equipment manufacturers to locate within a state or city. Renewable energy industrial recruitment usually consists of financial incentives like tax credits, grants, or a commitment to purchase a specific amount of the product for use by a government agency.
The recruitment incentives are designed to attract industries that will benefit the environment and create jobs. In most cases, the financial incentives are temporary measures that will help support the industries in their early years but include a sunset provision to encourage the industries to become self-sufficient within a number of years.
Leasing/Lease Purchase Programs
Utility leasing programs target remote power customers for which line extension would be very costly. The customers can lease the technology, e.g., photovoltaics, from the utility, and in some cases, the customer can opt to purchase the system after a specified number of years.
Loan Programs
Loan programs offer financing for the purchase of renewable energy equipment. Low-interest or no-interest loans for energy efficiency are a very common strategy for demand-side management by utilities. State governments also offer loans to assist in the purchase of renewable energy equipment. A broad range of renewable energy technologies are eligible. In many states, loans are available to residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, public, and nonprofit sectors. Repayment schedules vary; while most are determined on an individual project basis, some offer a 7-10 year loan term.
Personal Income Tax Incentives
Many states offer personal income tax credits or deductions to cover the expense of purchasing and installing renewable energy equipment. Some states offer personal income tax credits up to a certain percentage or predetermined dollar amount for the cost or installation or renewable energy equipment. Allowable credit may be limited to a certain number of years following the purchase or installation or renewable energy equipment. Eligible technologies may include solar and photovoltaic energy systems, geothermal energy, wind energy, biomass, hydroelectric, and alternative fuel technologies.
Production Incentives
Production incentives provide project owners with cash payments based on electricity production on a $/kWh basis, as is the case with the Federal Renewable Energy Production Incentive, or based on the volume of renewable fuels produced on a $/gallon basis, as is the case with a number of state ethanol production incentives. Payments based on performance rather than capital investments can often be a more effective mechanism for ensuring quality projects. Property Tax Incentives
Property tax incentives typically follow one of three basic structures: exemptions, exclusions, and credits. The majority of the property tax provisions for renewable energy follow a simple model that provides the added value of the renewable device is not included in the valuation of the property for taxation purposes. That is, if a renewable energy heating system costs $1,500 to install versus $1000 for a conventional heating system, then the renewable energy system is assessed at $1000.
Property taxes are collected locally, so some states allow the local authorities the option of providing a property tax incentive for renewable energy devices. Six states have such provisions: Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Virginia.
Rebate Programs
ebate programs are offered at the state, local, and utility levels to promote the installation of renewable energy equipment. The majority of the programs are available from state agencies and municipally-owned utilities and support solar water heating and/or photovoltaic systems. Eligible sectors usually include residents and businesses, although some programs are available to industry, institutions, and government agencies as well. Rebates range from $300 to well over $1 million.
Sales Tax Incentives
Sales tax incentives typically provide an exemption from the state sales tax for the cost of renewable energy equipment. |
Rules, Regulations & Policies Construction and Design Policies
Construction and design policies include state construction policies, green building programs, and energy codes. State construction policies are typically legislative mandates requiring an evaluation of the cost and performance benefits of incorporating renewable energy technologies into state construction projects such as schools and office buildings. Many cities are developing "Green Building" guidelines that require or encourage consideration of renewable energy technologies.
Some guidelines are voluntary measures for all building types, while others are requirements for municipal building projects or residential construction. Local energy codes are used to achieve energy efficiency in new construction and renovations by requiring that certain building projects surpass state requirements for resource conservation. Incorporating renewables is one way to meet code requirements.
Contractor Licensing
Many states have rules regarding the licensing of renewable energy contractors. Contractor licensing requirements can be enacted for solar water heat, active and passive solar space heat, solar industrial process heat, solar thermal electricity, and photovoltaics. These requirements--where they do exist--are designed to ensure that contractors have the necessary experience and knowledge to properly install systems.
Equipment Certifications
Statutes requiring renewable energy equipment to meet certain standards are generally seen as a tool for reducing the chance that consumers will be sold inferior equipment. Beyond being a consumer protecting measure, equipment certification benefits renewables by reducing the number of problem systems and the resulting bad publicity.
Generation Disclosure Rules
"Disclosure" typically refers to the requirement that utilities provide their customers with additional information about the energy they are supplying. This information often includes fuel mix percentages and emissions statistics. Fuel mix information, for example, can be presented as a pie chart on customers' monthly bills. "Certification" is a related issue which refers to the assessment of green power offerings to assure that they are indeed utilizing the type and amount of renewable energy as advertised. One example of green power certification is the Green-e stamp.
Both disclosure and certification are designed to help consumers make informed decisions about the energy and supplier they choose. It is worth noting, though, that two states that have not moved ahead with restructure--Florida and Colorado--have enacted disclosure provisions. Indeed, disclosure is often thought of as a good policy to help educate customers about electricity and thereby to prepare markets in advance of retail competition.
Line Extension Analysis
When an electric customer requests service for a location not currently serviced by the electric grid, they are charged a distance-based fee for the cost of extending power lines to their load. In many cases it is cheaper to have an on-site renewable energy system to meet their electricity needs. Certain states require utilities to provide their customers with information on renewable energy options when a line extension is requested. Net Metering Rules
For those consumers who have their own electricity generating units, net metering allows for the flow of electricity both to and from the customer through a single, bi-directional meter. With net metering, during times when the customer's generation exceeds his or her use, electricity from the customer to the utility offsets electricity consumed at another time. In effect, the customer is using the excess generation to offset electricity that would have been purchased at the retail rate. Under most state rules, residential, commercial, and industrial customers are eligible for net metering, but some states restrict eligibility to particular customer classes.
Public Benefit Funds
Public Benefit Funds (PBF) are typically state-level programs developed through the electric utility restructuring process as a measure to assure continued support for renewable energy resources, energy efficiency initiatives, and low-income support programs. (These funds are also frequently referred to as a system benefits charge, or SBC). Such a fund is most commonly supported through a charge to all customers on electricity consumption, e.g., 0.2 cents/kWh. Examples of how the funds are used include: rebates on renewable energy systems; funding for renewable energy R&D; and development of renewable energy education programs.
Solar and Wind Access Laws
These statutes provide for solar or wind easements or access rights. Easements allow for the rights to existing access to a renewable resource on the part of one property owner to be secured from an owner whose property could be developed in such a way as to restrict that resource. This easement is transferred with the property title. Access rights, conversely, automatically provide for the right to continued access to a renewable resource. Solar easements are the most common type of state solar access rule. Furthermore, some states prohibit neighborhood covenants that preclude the use of renewables.
At the local level, communities use many different mechanisms to protect solar access, including solar access ordinances, development guidelines requiring proper street orientation, zoning ordinances that contain building height restrictions, and solar permits. |
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In 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over California. They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline...........Ten years later, these cars were destroyed.
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With gasoline prices approaching $4/gallon, fossil fuel shortages, unrest in oil producing regions around the globe and mainstream consumer adoption and adoption of the hybrid electric car (more than 140,000 Prius' sold this year), this story couldn't be more relevant or important. The foremost goal in making this movie is to educate and enlighten audiences with the story of this car, its place in history and in the larger story of our car culture and how it enables our continuing addiction to foreign oil.
This is an important film with an important message that not only calls to task the officials who squelched the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, but all of the other accomplices, government, the car companies, Big Oil, even Eco-darling Hydrogen as well as consumers, who turned their backs on the car and embrace embracing instead the SUV. Our documentary investigates the death and resurrection of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in our country's future; issues which affect everyone from progressive liberals to the neo-conservative right.
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Small Solar Electric Systems
A small solar electric or photovoltaic (PV) system can be a reliable and pollution-free producer of electricity for your home or office. And they're becoming more affordable all the time. Small PV systems also provide a cost-effective power supply in locations where it is expensive or impossible to send electricity through conventional power lines.
Because PV technologies use both direct and scattered sunlight to create electricity, the solar resource across the United States is ample for small solar electric systems. However, the amount of power generated by a solar system at a particular site depends on how much of the sun's energy reaches it. Thus, PV systems, like all solar technologies, function most efficiently in the southwestern United States, which receives the greatest amount of solar energy.
You can also use PV technology to provide outdoor lighting.
Here you can find the following information:
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Connecting to the Electricity Grid
While renewable energy systems are capable of powering houses and small businesses without any connection to the electricity grid, many people prefer the advantages that grid-connection offers.
A grid-connected system allows you to power your home or small business with renewable energy during those periods (diurnal as well as seasonal) when the sun is shining, the water is running, or the wind is blowing. Any excess electricity you produce is fed back into the grid. When renewable resources are unavailable, electricity from the grid supplies your needs, thus eliminating the expense of electricity storage devices like batteries.
In addition, power providers (i.e. electric utilities) in most states now allow net metering, an arrangement where the excess electricity generated by grid-connected renewable energy systems "turns back" your electricity meter as it is fed back into the grid. Thus, if you use more electricity than your system feeds into the grid during a given month, you pay your power provider only for the difference between what you used and what you produced.
Your local system supplier or installer should know about and be able to help you meet the requirements from your community and power provider.
The sections below will help you learn about some of the issues involved in connecting a small renewable energy system to the grid:
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NOVA - WORLD IN THE BALANCE
The world's population is growing at an alarming rate, with one billion more people coming into the world every 12 years! Statistics show that 98% of this population growth is poised to begin occurring in the most impoverished regions on earth. WORLD IN THE BALANCE investigates the dire effects that this growth will have on the world--environmentally.....
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Shakelight by GAIAM
TheBattery-less Shakelight flashlight works every time, without the hassle or environmental problems associated with batteries. Just shake it to make it work; ten seconds of shaking delivers about twominutes of bright LED light, while 30 seconds of shaking delivers more than 20 minutes of light!
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Control Room DVD Region 1 US/Canada
Control Room is a seminal documentary that explores how Truth is gathered, presented, and utlimately created by those who deliver it. A rare film that reveals how satellite television has changed way wars are reported- from news providers, driven by the patriotism of their audiences, to Army information officers, driven by military objectives.
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 Special Thanks to the US Government for the information and support they provide that make implamenting solar power and all sustainable energy alternatives more realistic goals.
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Initiatives
EERE sponsors various initiatives to build awareness about energy efficiency and renewable energy topics and to coordinate efforts toward specific goals. Below are links to recent initiatives in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Solar America Initiative
 As part of the Advanced Energy Initiative, the proposed Solar America Initiative will accelerate the development of advanced photovoltaic (PV) materials that convert sunlight directly to electricity, with the goal of making PV cost-competitive with other forms of renewable electricity by 2015. |
National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency The National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency recommends investment by utilities in cost-effective energy efficiency technologies while meeting consumer demands for clean energy.
Advanced Energy Initiative The President's Advanced Energy Initiative provides for a 22-percent increase in funding for clean-energy technology research at the Department of Energy. This initiative includes investments in revolutionary solar and wind technologies, better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen, and cutting-edge methods for producing ethanol. |
Program Management Initiative
The goal of the Program Management Initiative is to achieve managerial excellence by managing programs effectively and efficiently. EERE is working to make continuous improvements in its processes and program management, and is aiming for an exceptional level of mission accomplishment and stakeholder satisfaction.
Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative is a partnership between DOE and the State of Hawaii that aims to have 70% of all of Hawaii's energy needs supplied by renewable energy resources by the year 2030. |
President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative The Hydrogen Fuel Initiative aims to reverse America's growing dependence on foreign oil by developing the technology needed for commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells.
Utility Solar Water Heating Initiative (USH2O) USH2O encourages utility solar water heating programs and provides education to stakeholders about solar thermal technologies. Utilities and solar industry members are working together to build this initiative.
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