Utilities Slash Solar Incentive Programs (USA)
NY TIMES - Solar panels may be getting cheaper, but rebates are also being slashed.In September, Austin Energy cut its solar rebate for homeowners by a third and said it would require energy efficiency upgrades for future homeowners seeking the solar incentive. Xcel Energy, a big Western utility, just proposed a rebate cut for its solar program.
New York reduced its incentive by 50 cents per watt in October. According to Tor Valenza, a Green Inc. reader who writes about solar, that amounts to a net reduction of roughly $1,750 for a five-kilowatt system, depending on the homeowner’s tax status.
Xcel’s proposal would also reduce its rebate by 50 cents per watt, and California is also gradually ratcheting down its incentives. Massachusetts has shut down its rebate program too, The Cape Cod Times reports.
Even Australia recently halted its popular rebate, causing political tumult.
In virtually every case, the panels’ popularity — and the resulting impact on the budget — is prompting the reduction.
Read full article here
