Rebates

In February 2006, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved a Green Building Policy for all county-owned or leased buildings. The standards were revised again in September 2009.

All new buildings over 5,000 square feet are required to meet LEED Silver certification levels, but only buildings over 25,000 square feet must actually register and be certified by the USGBC. For buildings between 5,000 and 25,000 square feet, the building design and the LEED checklist must be reviewed by a LEED Accredited Professional (AP) or LEED Green Associate. The AP or Green Associate must be a registered engineer or architect and must

Note: This program completed its sixth and final mandated auction in 2015. CPUC Decision 14-11-042  allows the utilities to continue using RAM as a mechanism for meeting a portion of their RPS requirements. Future RAM solicitations will be issued at the discretion of the utilities. Some of the parameters put in place by the CPUC will be lifted, but the essence of the RAM program will remain. Namely, utilities will select projects based on lowest price, and selected projects will be granted standard non-negotiable contracts. See the utility websites below for more information. 

The Renewable Auction Mechanism (RAM) was approved

The non-profit Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF) provides unsecured personal loans to qualifying Florida Homeowners for:

SELF gives qualifying homeowners the ability to secure financing for:

• Weatherization and insulation
• Replacement of inefficient air-conditioning systems
• Solar thermal and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems
• Roofs, windows, doors, and hurricane shutters
• disability products and aging in place

SELF provides home improvement loans up to $50,000.

History

In June 2010, St. Lucie County received a grant award through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency Block Grant Program (EECBG). The $2.9 million award was used to kick-start the SELF pilot loan program, which began

Santa Clara County's Zoning Ordinance includes standards for wind and solar structures for residential, agricultural, and commercial uses.

Commercial Wind Structures

Commercial-scale wind systems must be setback from property lines by a distance equal to the height of the tower plus the radius of the blades. The structure must also be placed in such a manner to minimize its overall visual impact, may not obstruct the view for neighbors, and must be colored to help the structure blend into the surrounding environment. Lettering and graphics are not permitted on wind systems, and the system should not subject neighbors to excessive

As of July 2011, Connecticut authorizes municipalities to pass a local ordinance to exempt "Class I" renewable energy projects from paying building permit fees. Class I renewable energy projects include energy derived from solar power, wind power, fuel cells (using renewable or non-renewable fuels), methane gas from landfills, ocean thermal power, wave or tidal power, low-emission advanced renewable energy conversion technologies, certain newer run-of-the-river hydropower facilities not exceeding five megawatts (MW) in capacity, and sustainable biomass facilities. (Emissions limits apply to electricity generated by sustainable biomass facilities.)

Public Act 15-194, effective October 1st 2015, requires each municipality to incorporate residential solar

Note:  In 2010, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which has authority over mortgage underwriters Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, directed these enterprises against purchasing mortgages of homes with a PACE lien due to its senior status above a mortgage. Most residential PACE activity subsided following this directive; however, some residential PACE programs are now operating with loan loss reserve funds, appropriate disclosures, or other protections meant to address FHFA's concerns. Commercial PACE programs were not directly affected by FHFA’s actions, as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not underwrite commercial mortgages. Visit PACENation for more information about PACE financing

NOTE: There is one application period per quarter. Applications must be submitted by the fifth day of each quarter (July 5, October 5, January 5, and April 5).  Incentives are expected to be available through June 30, 2015 or until funds are fully committed, whichever occurs first.

With funding from Puerto Rico's Green Energy Fund, Tier II competitive grants are available for photovoltaic (PV) and wind systems over 100 kilowatts (kW) and up to and including one megawatt (MW). Projects are eligible for up to 50% of installed project costs, although because this is a competitive grant, projects that request less

Personal Property

In 2010 Nebraska created a nameplate capacity tax that replaced the Nebraska Department of Revenue's central assessment and taxation of depreciable tangible personal property associated with wind energy generation facilities (see L.B. 1048). In 2015, eligibility was extended to solar, biomass, and landfill gas (see L.B. 424).

The nameplate capacity tax is $3,518 per installed megawatt (MW). On March 1 of each year, the owner of a renewable generation facility must file with the Department of Revenue a report on the nameplate capacity of the facility for the previous calendar year. Nameplate capacity taxes for any

With funding from Puerto Rico's Green Energy Fund, Tier I rebates are available for photovoltaic (PV) and wind systems up to and including 100 kW in capacity on a first-come, first-served basis.  Projects are eligible for a rebate up to 40% of installed costs, as long as the calculated dollar per watt installed cost is less than the Reference Cost. If project costs exceed the Reference Cost, the incentive will be calculated by using the Reference Cost. Note, higher Reference Costs are allowed in the Special Vieques-Culebra Economic Development Zone. The standard Reference Costs are:

• Photovoltaic (PV) less than or equal

Renewable and Efficient Energy Legislation

In July 2010, Puerto Rico enacted two important laws aimed at accelerating Puerto Rico's adaptation of renewable energy and to reduce the island's reliance on fossil fuels. This is especially significant since 70% of the island's electricity comes from oil, according to the government of Puerto Rico. Act 83 created the Green Energy Fund (GEF), which was (for the first time) a dedicated fund held separately from general funds to support renewable energy development in Puerto Rico. The GEF is unlike other public benefits funds in the United States since it is funded by excise (sales) taxes