Is it true that Florida now has a state rebate/incentive program?

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/energy/energyact/solar.htm

According to the site, it says any PV system over 2kw can get back $4.00 / watt of the installed system to a maximum of $20,000. If this is true, it sounds like a fantastic deal. Add to that the Federal rebate and suddenly, a PV system seems within reach.

Thanks in advance for any tips or advice related to this.

--Dave

Go to: http://www.dsireusa.org/library/include ... &RE=1&EE=0
This states that indeed $4/DC Watt up to $20k for 2kW and larger systems is available to residential property owners.

There is only $2.5M for the FY 2006-2007, so be quick. The only catch is "PV: Must be installed by a licensed master electrician or state-licensed electrical or solar contractor". If you were not going to do it your self anyway then your good to go. There is nothing that says that you can not buy the equipment and have one of the above do the install, however some of these guys will only install what they sell.

Actually, the system HAS TO BE APPROVED by Fsec, and Fsec only allows dealer approved systems. buy the parts, even if exactly the same system DOES NOT QUAILIFY!

I had Paula Dockery her to look at my system ( she is the author of the rebate program ) and had a lenghty discussion of the program implemetation details, which took here by surprise.

There is plenty of money available, because of the Fsec restrictions, almost no system can be built as the panels approved are not available

The bottom line is the bill got pass as a work's bill for Fsec, not to install systems for home owners, or that IMHO

I did just get an email back from Jim Tatum at the Florida Energy Office. While he did say that it has to be installed by an approved state contractor OR state licensed solar contractor, there was no mention of approved systems (though, perhaps, the catch being that the state approved contractors won't install "just any system.").

Anyhow, he said there was plenty of money still available. Even with the restrictions, this may be a really good deal for us Floridians.

--- Quick Edit
I did go over the FAQ and the Draft Proposal and it makes no mention of "approved systems." Per their site:


Solar Photovoltaic System Incentive Qualifications

A solar photovoltaic system qualifies for a rebate if:

1. The system is installed by a state-licensed master electrician, electrical contractor, or solar contractor.
2. The system complies with state interconnection standards as provided by the commission.
3. The system complies with all applicable building codes as defined by the local jurisdictional authority.

Rebate Amounts for Solar Photovoltaic System

The rebate amount shall be set at $4 per watt based on the total wattage rating of the system. The maximum allowable rebate per solar photovoltaic system installation shall be as follows:

1. Twenty thousand dollars for a residence.
2. One hundred thousand dollars for a place of business, a publicly owned or operated facility, or a facility owned or operated by a private, not-for-profit organization, including condominiums or apartment buildings.

What happed was the recent rebate program made no mention of needing FSEC approval, FSEC, butted in and basically said they have jusidiction on all solar systems, per FL Statute 377.705, a law passed in 1975 which created FSEC.

http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/sol ... ebates.htm

also DSIRE shows FSEC as an equpiement requirement

http://www.dsireusa.org/library/include ... &RE=1&EE=1

Before the rules were published I had emails AND met Jim at one of the public rule making forums ... and the last time I checked, about 6 weeks ago, the system MUST be approved by FSEC.

Its a real problem as panel models change, adding or subtracting a panel means re-certification of the system .I made the point when the program launched. only three panels were approved and none were in production! ... they said they knew that and were working with FSEC to get ore systems approved ... not addressing the root issue.

Look here, which is listed as the most complete information:

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/energy/energ ... .27.06.pdf

page 17 , 62-16.500, section ( 2 ) labelled issuance:



If you notice, they won't give you a rebate unless the system meets the above laws, one of which is FS377.705. This is the one that says the SYSTEM, meaning the exact inverter model, panel models, number of panels/inverters is approved.

I sent an email to Jim Tatum just to be clear, I'll update this post when I get a response

Excellent. Hopefully they can get the "draft" proposal to a point where any reasonable system could get installed if it was done, or certified, by the installer. At this point, I guess it's two steps forward and one step back. At least it's progress . That's ok for now, since I don't have the $30k or $40k just lying around atm.

I have just confirmed with Jim Tatum that the Florida Rebate program no longer requires any documentation showing that the systems is Fsec approved.

The DEP stance is to say, you must meet Florida Laws, which include FS377.705, but they are not requiring proof of this for a rebate application to be submitted and approved.

This is Jims email

I have to say, in the many different times I have had to deal with government agencys, this is a first, that they did what would help the citizens. I wouldn't be surprised if Fsec gets wind of this change and try's to cause problems, but at least today, the rebate program only needs to be installed by a licensed installer, its the home-owners job to meet the Fsec requirements, which Fsec has no legal means to inforce, that the system is approved by them. Techincally, one who installed a solar system in flordia with out Fsec's system approval is in violation of FS377.705, but there is zero legal means to inforce it and my hope is once and for all, FS377.705 can be admended to not require Fsec when UL listed parts are used

Thanks for looking into this for me. This REALLY is making me want to install a PV system in the near future. Finally, a cost-effective way to do it may be at hand. This rebate program, along with the federal program, should help to install a system that could achieve payback in my lifetimme .