Solar Photovoltaics

Local Option - Renewable Energy Financing District/Solar Energy Improvement Special Assessments

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
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Local Option - Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) Financing

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

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Alternative Energy Development Incentive (Corporate)

The Alternative Energy Development Incentive (AEDI) is a post-performance non-refundable tax credit for 75% of new state tax revenues (including, state, corporate, sales, and withholding taxes) over the life of the project or 20 years, whichever is less. The actual amount and duration of an incentive is determined by the Office of Energy Development (OED) on a case-by-case basis.

Eligible projects include the construction of electricity generation facilities of 2 megawatts or greater that utilize hydroelectric, solar, biomass, geothermal, wind, or waste heat from an industrial facility or a power station in which an electric generator is driven through a

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Local Option - Municipal Energy Districts

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

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City of Bloomington - Green Building Requirements for Municipal Buildings

In March 2009, the City of Bloomington passed an ordinance establishing the Green Buildings Program. This ordinance directed the City of Bloomington to incorporate green building principles into municipal facilities by committing to the use of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, developed and awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), for projects involving city government buildings and facilities. 
Specifically, all new occupiable City of Bloomington buildings must be designed, contracted, and built to achieved LEED-NC Silver certification level at a minimum. The Green Buildings Program encourages certification beyond Silver (to Gold or Platinum)
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Delaware Solar Rights Law

In July 2009 Delaware enacted legislation prohibiting private covenants (i.e., homeowner's association rules) from restricting the use of roof or ground-mounted solar systems on privately owned residential dwellings. The law was amended in 2019 with the passage of HB 65, which voided all prior covenants or restrictions regardless of the date recorded (previously, legal instruments prohibiting solar recorded before January 1, 2010 were enforceable). 

Although the wording of the legislation refers generally to "solar energy", the title of the bill references only photovoltaic (PV) systems as eligible for these protections. Only single-family residential structures which are not considered common

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Denton Municipal Electric - GreenSense Solar PV/Thermal Rebate Program

 Note: As of December 2020, funding for solar rebates has been exhausted and the program is suspended; additional funding may be supplied in October 2021.

Denton Municipal Electric (DME) offers rebates to its electric customers for the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar water heating systems. The solar rebates are designed for residential and small commercial customers and are available for both existing buildings and new construction. Applicants must be a home or rental property owner.

The following requirements apply to the PV rebate:

  • Applicant must contact Program Manager to receive Interconnection Agreement, Application for Interconnection Packet, and GreenSense
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Maine Solar Easement Rights and Laws

Maine law requires that any municipal ordinance, bylaw, or regulation adopted after September 30, 2009 regulating solar energy devices on residential property follow certain requirements. The rules, bylaws, and regulations of homeowner associations (HOAs) must also follow these requirements. Specifically, these legal instruments may not prohibit a person from installing or using a solar energy device (including a clothesline or drying rack) on residential property owned by that person. In the case of a leased/rented property, the policy protects the renter's right to use a clothesline or drying rack.

The municipal reviewing authority may, to protect and ensure access to

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Interconnection Standards

South Dakota’s interconnection standards for distributed generation, adopted by the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in May 2009, apply to customers of investor-owned utilities.* The rules provide for four levels of interconnection for systems up to 10 megawatts (MW) in capacity:

  • Tier 1 applies to inverter-based systems up to 10 kilowatts (kW) in capacity that use lab-tested equipment.
  • Tier 2 applies to systems up to 2 MW in capacity that use lab-tested equipment.
  • Tier 3 applies to systems up to 2 MW in capacity that do not export electricity.
  • Tier 4 applies to systems up to 10 MW in capacity
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Investment Tax Credit

Vermont offers an investment tax credit for installations of renewable energy equipment on business properties, in order to encourage investment in rehabilitation and qualifying renewable energy projects. Vermont created this credit starting for Tax Year 2002 and provided an additional incentive for solar investments for Tax Year 2008 (via S.B. 209). The project must be eligible for and receive the federal tax credit to receive the state credit. The credit is equal to 24% of the "Vermont-property portion" of the federal business energy tax credit for project leaders

For qualifying renewable energy projects the credit is calculated

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