Ohio Solar Power

Ohio solar electricity rebates are handled through the Ohio Energy Office (OEO) and run under the name of the Advanced Energy Program. The rebates for solar photovoltaic systems are fixed at $3 per Watt with a maximum rebate of $25,000 per household. The OEO tries to have all claims processed within 30 days.

Strict Assessments

While the grants seem generous and easy to apply for, the actual approval process looks to be very rigorous. In order to qualify for a rebate, the system must meet these requirements:

1. The home must be your primary residence, where you spend more than 50% of the year.

2. You need to be a customer of one of the participating electricity utilities (see below).

3. Systems must be grid tied and of at least 2 kW capacity.

4. Systems must be evaluated using a method approved by OEO. The evaluation must include a Solar Site Analysis Report.

5. The components of the system must be approved by the Underwriters Laboratory (UL).

6. System components must be new and must meet minimum warranty requirements.

7. The system must be installed by an Eligible Installer. Click here to see the list.

Also Worth Noting

It's also important to know that the grant amount can be reduced according to the results of the Solar Site Analysis. If your property does not offer ideal conditions for an installation, the rebate amount can be reduced accordingly. Clearly it is worth having a good look into this before making any decisions.

Also, there are no provisions for rebates on the cost of having the Solar Site Analysis done. The most important factors are likely to be the orientation of your home and the amount of shading the installation area will experience.

Participating Utilities

Systems that are installed in a service area of the following investor-owned utilities:

* American Electric Power

* Duke Energy

* First Energy

* Dayton Power & Light

If you receive power from a utility that's not on this list it is still a good idea to contact them to see whether they have any other rebate schemes available for you.

Other Incentives

The city of Cincinnati offers property tax abatements for installations of solar energy systems and a range of other renewable energy property improvements.

More Ohio Solar Information

To look at details of the application process or for more information about other types of renewable energy rebates, grants and exemptions, visit the Ohio Department of Development website.

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