Solar Energy In Georgia

Solar energy in Georgia has received a huge boost as a result of recent legislation providing state wide rebates in the form of personal tax credits. The rebates offered are very similar to the federal tax credit, and between the two of these, installing a home solar photovoltaic or thermal electric array in Georgia is looking very attractive.

Georgia's Personal Tax Credits

The state offers a 35% rebate on the cost of installing a photovoltaic system on your home. The maximum rebate available for any given system is $10,500. This rebate is also available for solar hot water services, with a maximum rebate of $2,500.

That's a hell of a lot of tax, and combined with the federal tax credit of 30%, you are unlikely to have paid this much tax in one year. For this reason, the Georgia state tax credit can be carried forward for up to five years to make sure you don't miss out on it. The government only makes $2,500,000 available per year for credits, so be sure to lodge your application for the credit as early as possible.

This scheme will run until the end of 2012.

System Requirements

Systems must meet the standard array of criteria. They must be new, meet the state's requirements and need to be installed by an approved installer. If you're willing to navigate the legal-speak, you can have a read of the requirements as set out in the Act.

More Information

To access the forms needed to apply for the credits, have a look at this Department Of Revenue page. Have a look at forms IT-CEP and IT-CEP-AP. The actual application form for this scheme can be found here.

Smaller Utility Rebates

Before the new state wide credits scheme was launched, many power utilities were offering smaller rebates of up to $500 per kW. It could benefit you to contact your power distributor and ask them if these rebates are still available. Make sure to check if there is any conflict between these rebates and the state credits.

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