More affordable solar arrays will be possible for North Carolinians soon. Duke Energy submitted a solar rebate program proposal to the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) on Jan. 22.
North Carolina leads the nation in solar, coming second only to California in the amount of solar installed in 2016. In July 2017, North Carolina legislature required Duke to create a rebate program with House Bill 589 or Competitive Energy Solutions Law for North Carolina. Duke responded with a $62 million proposal. When approved, the program will run until 2022 keeping North Carolina in the front of the solar industry. The program comes from two years of collaboration between Duke Energy and N.C. Sustainable Energy Association.
The Details
Residents participating in the program receive 60 cents per watt up to 10 kW, meaning residents will be reimbursed for $6,000 of their array. Corporate participants get 50 cents per watt, and non-profits collect 75 cents per watt, both up to 100 kW providing payouts as high as $50,000 for commercial customers and as much as $75,000 for non-profit customers. Those who installed panels after Jan. 1, 2018, are eligible for the program.
The program limits rebates to 20 MW, split evenly between customers of Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress. 5MW for each district are allocated to residents, and 2.5 MW are allocated to non-profits. If NCUC approves the proposal, applications are due to the applicable utility 90 days after installation.
If customers wish to use solar without installing it, there is a leasing option where individuals lease panels from another source. Later in 2018, other programs will be added. Shared Solar enables customers without an array to use energy from a close solar facility. Green Source Advantage expands a Duke Energy Carolina program allowing customers consuming large amounts of energy to offset that with solar.
About SolFarm Solar: Starting in 2012, Mike Diethelm began installing solar PV systems on residential and commercial buildings under the name SolFarm Solar Co. with the intention of doing something great for the earth. His goal is to leave his son with something that was better and cleaner for the environment. Driving a Leaf around town, and a bio-diesel en route to solar jobs, SolFarm has evolved into Asheville’s most trusted and highly recommended solar installation company.
Links:
https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2018/01/duke-energy-north-carolina-solar-rebates/
