Massachusetts Municipal Solar Rebates for 2011

If you own a home in the Ipswich, Marblehead, Taunton, Concord, or Chicopee, you may be eligible for generous municipal solar rebate incentives.  Massachusetts has a state-funded rebate program but it is only open to customers of the Ashburnham, Holden, Holyoke, Russell, and Templeton Municipal Light plants and the following utility companies: Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light (Unitil), National Grid, NSTAR Electric, and Western Massachusetts Electric.  If you live in one of the other areas I mentioned above, I will outline the general benefits and eligibility requirements for each of the municipal solar rebate programs.

Ipswich – I have confirmed with the Director of the Ipswich program that the solar rebate levels will remain the same for 2011, or until funds are exhausted.  The solar rebate program for Ipwsich is capped at $10,000 per residential customer.  The base rebate is calculated at $2.50 per watt, depending on the equipment used in the solar installation.  There is a $0.50 per watt adder if you use solar panels or an inverter manufactured by a Massachusetts company.

Marblehead – Marblehead’s solar rebate program mirrors the state’s Commonwealth Solar II (CSII) rebate program in both eligibility and incentives.   The rebate is available for photovoltaic solar installations less than or equal to 10 kW, and only offered to residential customers.  Solar rebates are only paid out on the first 5 kW.  For the latest installment of the CSII rebate, the base incentives is $0.75 per watt  and there is an $0.85 per watt adder for meeting Moderate Income or Moderate Home Value requirements and a $0.10 per watt adder if components are used from a Massachusetts manufacturing company.  Thus, the maximum rebate is $1.70 per watt, or $8,500 per system.

Taunton  – The Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant (TMLP) solar rebate is open to residential utility customers in Taunton, Raynham, Berkley, and North Dighton.  The rebate for 2011 will be $2.00 per watt for the first 2.5 kW.  Therefore, the maximum rebate per customer will be $5,000.

Concord – Concord Light’s solar PV rebate is calculated based on the first 5 kilowatt AC installed.  The rebate is calculated to be $625 per kW of installed rated capacity.  Therefore, the rebate is restricted to $3,125 for a 5 kW (rated capacity) system.

Chicopee – The rebate for photovoltaic solar installations is $2.50 per watt for a maximum of $5,000 per project.  I’m sure you can do the math, but it the rebates are determined based on the first 2 kilowatts.  Chicopee’s solar rebate program is only open to residential customers and is limited to the first 15,000 watts annually – that means only 8 Chicopee homeowners can benefit from the incentive per year so residents need to act fast!

You should keep in mind that a solar rebate is only one out of many incentives that are offered for Massachusetts solar installations.  Between rebates, state and federal tax credits, and Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs), there has never been a better time to make a solar investment in the Bay State.  Rebates are not available for “do-it-yourself” projects and installations must be completed by professional, licensed solar contractors.  Please talk to Brightstar Solar to schedule a free evaluation to determine if you have good site for solar power and find out about the wide range of incentives available to you.