What Solar Power Rebate Do I Qualify For?

Many Governments are now offering significant solar power rebates to cut the cost of installing home electricity generating systems. In some countries a national system is in operation, while in others it is a state by state affair. This page provides a summary of the rebates offered and what's required to claim them, as well as links to those Government sites for more details.

USA Solar Power Rebates

The Federal Government recently upped the ante for renewable energy with an unlimited federal tax credit for qualifying systems installed after the beginning of 2009. This is a major breakthrough that should see an explosion of home solar energy installations in the US.

Rebates on installation costs are provided by individual states. The rebates range from nothing to $USD 26,333. In some states it is possible to combine State and Federal offers to pay virtually nothing for a home solar installation.

Arizona: Arizona has some state incentives such as tax exemptions, but the rebates and loans to help with solar energy installations are handled through the individual power companies.

California: California leads the way with significant incentives for home owners, both for existing and new structures. The program has clear goals, is well structured and easy to apply to.

Colorado: Colorado has outstanding rebates available through its utilities. In some area it is possible to get almost the entire cost of an installation covered by rebates and tax credits.

Florida: Florida's excellent solar rebate scheme is top class in terms of the rebate offered, but unfortunately they seem overwhelmed by applications and underwhelmed by funding.

Georgia: Georgia now has one of the best schemes in the country for encouraging solar power for residents. Up to $10,500 is available per project with the rebate coming in the form of a tax credit to the tune of 35% of the installation cost.

Illinois: Illinois residents can secure up to $10,000 for their solar home installation, but the solar power rebates will only meet 30% of the overall cost. The state also offers a reasonable property tax exemption to make solar more attractive.

Indiana: Indiana has very little on offer for solar power rebates, and what there is is limited to heating and cooling. Indiana has a long way to go to encourage the takeup of solar electricity in that state.

Maryland: The best bet for Maryland residents is the state income tax credit scheme. There is also a state rebate scheme but it is short of funding, though still worth applying to.

Massachusetts: Massachusetts provides rebates and tax incentives that are both generous and scaled to personal income and property value. This allows low to middle income earners to benefit significantly from the rebate schemes.

Michigan: Some Michigan residents will be able to access rebates of up to $10,000 for home solar installations for electricity and up to $3,500 for solar water heating. The State also offers a property tax exemption.

Minnesota: Minnesota solar rebates can be sourced from the state and from a couple of utilities, but at present the funds are depleted. Make sure to put yourself on the waiting list.

Missouri: Missouri solar rebates are available for customers of the CWL utility. The state however offers nothing in the way of incentives for homeowners wanting to go solar.

New Jersey: New Jersey's solar incentives cover up to 10 kW home systems and also encourage energy efficiency and local manufacturing. Good work.

New York: New York state is offering tidy incentives up to 45% of the installation cost of a new solar energy system. This is part of the State's drive toward renewable energy and a more decentralized power grid.

North Carolina: North Carolina's excellent rebate scheme offers 35% tax credit on the cost of installing renewable energy systems and solar water heating equipment. The maximum rebate for home owners is $10,500.

Ohio: Ohio offers pretty good rebates at $3 per Watt and a maximum of $25,000, but the conditions are strict and only available for certain power utility customers.

Pennsylvania: This state has recently set aside $130 million for small scale solar installations. Once this money becomes available, the state will begin to build a serious decentralized clean power network.

Texas: Texas has no central rebate scheme, rather it is up to individual power companies to offer solar incentives. Find out if your provider offers rebates and how much it might be.

Virginia: The Tennessee Valley Authority offers a 10 year solar power rebate scheme that can offer a good overall rate for home solar electric systems, but the return on your investment will take a long time.

Washington: Solar power rebates and loans are available through individual electricity providers. While the incentives for energy efficiency are very good in this State, the same cannot be said for incentives to install solar power or hot water systems.

Wisconsin: The State provides eligible residents with a cash back incentive for 25% of the value of the installation for photovoltaics and solar hot water systems.


I will report other individual state solar power rebate schemes as I have time to condense the information into a readable form. If your state is not yet on this list, check back often as I am making this work a priority.

Australia's Solar Power Rebates

VERY IMPORTANT: You MUST obtain approval for your rebate from the Government BEFORE you have the system installed. If you do not, you will be INELIGIBLE for the rebate.

NEW INSTALLATIONS: The Australian Government is currently offering up to $8000au rebate on the cost of solar home electricity. This offer for new installations is $8au per Watt (W) of generating capacity up to 1000W. So if you were considering a 1000W system you would receive an $8000au rebate from the Government. If you installed a 500W system you would receive a $4000au rebate and so on. Rebates are still applicable to new systems with a capacity greater than 1000W, but the rebate is capped at $8000au.

There are a series of criteria that you must meet to be able to apply for the rebate. In short these are:

* the equipment to be used must be NEW and must be installed by an ACCREDITED DESIGNER AND INSTALLER (no D.I.Y.!); if the installer is NOT accredited you won't receive the rebate.
* the system must be AT LEAST 450W peak capacity.
* it is recommended that you obtain at least two quotes for the work to be carried out.
* the system to be installed must be connected to the mains grid or be very close to a mains grid. That mostly means you have to live in the suburbs. Remote areas fall in their own rebate category; click here for more details about remote installation rebates.

EXTENSION OF CURRENT SYSTEMS: The Government rebate also applies for extensions to current systems but at a lower rate of $5au per watt to a maximum of $5000au. All the other conditions are the same as for new installations; new components, accredited installers, and so on.

Follow this link to see the Australian Government website that deals with the rebates. There you will find application forms, details on what you are able to apply for and more.

NEW POLICY: Prior to the general election in late 2007 that saw the Labor party ushered into government, that party announced that it would provide low-interest loans to cover the costs of home owners installing solar power.

They have recently announced the new solar credits scheme that will run until 2016. This new scheme promises to be free of income testing, though details of the dollar value of the credits are yet to be released.

More information about the new scheme is available at this Government site.

Canada Solar Power Rebates

Solar Power rebates in Canada are thin on the ground, but the new Green Energy Act being proposed by the Ontario Government goes some way to addressing this issue. Read more about solar power Canada rebates here.

UK Solar Power Rebates

There is a flat rate Solar Power UK grant available that covers solar and a suite of other microgeneration options. The UK government is pushing hard to reduce the UK's carbon footprint, and so there are also a wide range of energy efficiency incentives available.

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