Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Sunshine Solar Rebate Program

Note: As of August 19, 2011 both the solar photovoltaic and solar thermal portions of this program are operating under a waiting list system. Applications will continue to be accepted, but rebates for waiting list applications are not guaranteed. Funding will only be assigned to new projects as it becomes available. Please see the program web site for additional details.

The Pennsylvania Sunshine program offers rebates to residents that install photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal systems. Systems that use solar thermal energy for the purpose of radiant heating or pool or hot tub heating are not eligible; however, other types of uses which require heated water are eligible (e.g., industrial process heating). The program was authorized in July 2008 by the state legislature and began accepting applications in May 2009 under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Only systems installed after the date of program opening are eligible for rebates. A total of $100 million (funded through state bonds) is available for rebates over the lifetime of the program. The DEP expects the program as a whole to last three to four years.

All residential applicants must be Pennsylvania residents, own the home upon which the system is installed, and use it as a primary residence (i.e., vacation homes and investment properties do not qualify for residential rebates). Low-income residents (60% or less of median state income) are eligible for higher incentives than other applicants.

It is important to note that residents do not submit incentive applications themselves. Applications must be submitted on behalf of the applicant by an approved installer. Households are eligible for only one PV and one solar thermal rebate.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a policy statement on "double-dipping" from multiple solar rebate programs (e.g., the PA Sunshine and the PPL Electric Utilities solar rebate programs). Double-dipping is generally not permitted; however, the DEP does identify some circumstances where participation in PA Sunshine and another solar rebate program would not be considered double-dipping. Click here or visit the program website to view the DEP's statement.

The program was originally set up to provide rebates that decline over time as certain benchmarks, or "steps", of installed capacity were reached. The program is now coming to a close and incentive levels for PV are on the final step. Incentive levels for solar thermal systems remain on the first step. However, as noted at the beginning of this summary, the program is currently on a waiting list system and rebate funding is no longer guaranteed. In 2011 a separate stepped incentive schedule was added for battery back-up systems. This incentive was originally available for retrofits of existing systems installed on or after September 1, 2010 but is now only available for new system applications.

The list below describes incentive levels and other program rules as they stood as of Sepember 16, 2011.

• Residential PV: $0.75/W for systems of 1-10 kilowatts (kW). Systems larger than 10 kW are eligible, but incentives are limited to first 10 kW.
• Residential Battery Back-up: $0.35/amp-hour for up to 400 amp-hours/kW. Systems larger than 10 kW are not eligible for battery back-up incentives.
• Solar Thermal: 35% of installed system cost, with maximums of $5,000 for residences.
• Low-Income (PV and Solar Thermal): 35% of installed costs (the maximum rebate authorized by the enabling legislation).

All work must be performed by approved installers (see list on program website), and systems are subject to a variety of equipment and installation requirements. System owners or site hosts are permitted to assign the rebate to an installer or a leasing company. The application procedures generally require that systems be grid-connected, but exceptions to this requirement may be granted by the DEP on a case-by-case basis at the applicant's request. The program will not cover costs associated with roof repair. Provisions also exist for system inspections and performance reporting.

Ownership of renewable energy credits (RECs) or other environmental attributes produced by rebated systems is not addressed in the program rules; however, Pennsylvania's net metering rules grant the customer-generator title RECs generated by net metered systems unless the customer assigns them to another entity or specifically rejects ownership. Please consult the program guidelines or contact the DEP for further program details.