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Utility Offers Solar Rebates
Aug 05 - Las Vegas Review-Journal Nevada Power Co. and affiliated Sierra Pacific Power Co. on Thursday announced they are taking applications for rebates that typically run $12,000 for installing solar power systems at their homes and small businesses. Several people who already indicated their interest in this year's program by registering on the utilities' Web site were notified on Tuesday. As a result, Hargrove estimated that applications to install systems to produce 90 kilowatts have been taken. Many of the applicants will probably drop out of the program and not complete their projects, he said. So interested residents and business owners should still apply. Qualifying solar systems must use photovoltaic panels that are typically mounted on the roof and convert sunlight into electricity. Only licensed electrical contractors are allowed to install systems for rebates. The company will pay $3 per watt of electricity produced, or $12,000 for a typical 4-kilowatt system. (The rebate was $5 a kilowatt hour in the first year and $4 last year.) A 4-kilowatt system costs between $36,000 and $48,000. In addition to the rebate, customers can get credits on their power bills for any excess electricity their systems feed back into the electrical grid. They also benefit by reducing the quantity of power they buy from the utility. Yet, Hargrove estimated that it may take more than 20 years for customers to recover the expense of their system. Financial considerations typically are secondary for many who install the systems on their home roofs, however. "They want to do the environmentally right thing," Hargrove said. Others want to be the first in their block with a solar system. The utilities will submit the rebate applications for review by the state Task Force for Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation. The task force will send the applications along with recommendations to the Public Utilities Commission for approval. The approvals may come next spring, but applicants that win rebates will not be able to install the systems until July 1. The utilities counted 250 solar projects capable of producing 2.7 megawatts under construction now under terms of the second year. The utilities will continue the rebate program for another three years, under state law, but state regulators have not set the amount of rebate that will be paid in those years. The two utilities have enjoyed some success encouraging public schools to install solar systems, he said. Earlier this summer, four elementary schools in Clark County were retrofitted for solar systems when they had old roofing replaced, he said. ----- To see more of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.lvrj.com. Copyright (c) 2005, Las Vegas Review-Journal Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com. SRP, |