Block 4 of Mass Commonwealth Solar II Rebate to Open

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center has announced that Block 4 of the Commonwealth Solar II Rebate is scheduled to open on Friday, October 15^th, 2010 for both expedited and non-expedited installers.  Funding for Block 3 of the Commonwealth Solar II program was exhausted in mid-September and no new rebate applications could be submitted.

Expedited installers include those companies that qualify for faster processing of their rebate application.  In order to become certified as an expedited installer, you must complete two solar installations with the program.   Block 4 of the Massachusetts solar rebate program will be made up of $1,000,000 in funds.  90% of these funds, or $900,000, will be allotted to expedited installers and 10%, or $100,000, will be assigned to non-expedited installers.

The Commonwealth Solar II Rebate is for grid-tied photovoltaic installations for customers of certain municipal lighting plants, Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light (Unitil), National Grid, NSTAR Electric, and Western Massachusetts Electric.  Only solar electric systems less than or equal to 10 kW will be eligible.

The Massachusetts rebate varies from $1.00 to $2.10 per watt, and will only paid out for the first 5 kilowatts.  $1.00 per watt is the base incentive for the rebate.  A residential customer can qualify for an additional $1.00 per watt if they meet the criteria for moderate home value or moderate income.  In addition, homeowners can receive a $0.10 adder if they utilize Massachusetts manufactured components.

If you are interested in taking advantage of Block 4 of the Commonwealth Solar II rebate, please reach out to a licensed Massachusetts solar installer.  Rebates are not available for do-it-yourself projects and you will have to involve a solar professional to qualify.  A Massachusetts solar installer, like Brightstar Solar, can help you determine if you have the right site for solar and talk about the broad range of incentives available for your installation.