As fed steps up, states step back on solar funding

NEW YORK (AP)


“It’s two steps forward, one step back,” said Jeff Wolfe, CEO of Vermont-based solar installer groSolar. “It’s frustrating.”

In Massachusetts, for example, the Commonwealth Solar program cut its rebate by $1 per watt on Jan. 1, reducing the overall discount by $3,000 for a 3 kilowatt solar panel system. In Colorado, customers of Xcel Energy Inc. saw a similar rebate cut, and they’ll pay more now to install solar than they would have a year ago.

Connecticut cut its residential rebate program in October, a month before it ran out of cash. In a tough economic year, it’s unlikely the state legislature would jack up electricity rates that have been used to replenish the program, said Connecticut State Rep. Vicki Nardello, who co-chairs the House Energy and Technology Committee.

AP