Rebates

New Mexico has a gross receipts tax structure for businesses instead of a sales tax. Businesses are taxed on the gross amount of their business receipts each year before expenses are deducted. Revenue generated by the sale and installation of a "qualified generating facility" may be deducted from gross receipts before the gross receipts tax is calculated. The deductions are allowed for a 10-year period starting the year construction begins. Qualified generating facilities have a minimum nameplate capacity of 1 megawatt (MW) and include geothermal thermal electric, photovoltaic, solar thermal electric, and recycled energy systems. Solar facilities with associated renewable

Eligible Technologies

Photovoltaic Energy, wind energy, hydroelectric energy, landfill gas, biomass, ocean and microturbine systems.

Requirements

In July 2009, the Virgin Islands (USVI) passed Act 7075. Among other provisions, the legislation establishes that the "peak demanded generating capacity" of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority* must be from renewables according to the following schedule:

• 20% by January 1, 2015
• 25% by January 1, 2020
• 30% by January 1, 2025

It further establishes that a "majority" of this generating capacity must come from renewables or alternative technologies beyond 2025. Joint rulemaking is to be undertaken by the Virgin Islands Energy

New Mexico has a gross receipts tax structure for businesses instead of a sales tax. Businesses are taxed on the gross amount of their business receipts each year before expenses are deducted. Receipts associated with the sale of certain wind turbine equipment to federal, state, or local government entities are exempt from being added to gross receipts. S.B. 201, signed in March 2010, extended this exemption to solar thermal electric and photovoltaic systems sold to a government on or after July 1, 2010.

New Jersey has enacted three separate laws addressing local permitting practices for solar and wind energy facilities. The first deals with solar and wind facilities located in industrial-zoned districts; the second with wind energy devices sited on piers; and the third addresses permitting standards small wind energy devices in general. All three are described below.

Solar and Wind as Permitted Uses in Industrial Zones
In March 2009 the state enacted legislation (A.B. 2550) defining facilities engaged in electricity production using solar energy technologies, photovoltaics, and wind energy systems as permitted uses in industrial-zoned parcel(s) of 20 contiguous acres or more

The Maine Public Utility Commission (PUC) adopted interconnection procedures in January 2010; the rules were last updated in 2020. These rules apply to all transmission and distribution utilities operating in the state and apply to all distribution generation (not just renewables). Maine's interconnection procedures, based in part on the Interstate Renewable Energy Council's. 2006 Model Interconnection Procedures,* identify four different tiers with corresponding technical screens. These are:

• Level 1: Small certified generating, inverter-based facilities 25 kilowatts (kW) or less;
• Level 2: Certified facilities 2 megawatts (MW) or less;
• Level 3: Non-exporting, certified facilities 10 MW or less;
• Level 4: Any generating

In October 2009, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) approved net metering regulations. These rules were finalized and approved by the lieutenant governor in January 2010 and became effective January 15, 2010. All electric utilities subject to economic regulation are required to offer net metering. Independent systems with retail sales of less than 5,000,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) are exempt from offering net metering. Utilities that generate 100% of electricity from certain approved renewable energy sources and other sources approved by the RCA that have a low environmental impact are also exempt.

With these regulations, renewable energy systems with a capacity up

In September 2009, the Honolulu City Council unanimously passed Bill 58 to create a real property tax exemption for alternative energy improvements. This bill became effective October 1, 2009. Honolulu later amended it. 

The renewable energy property installed on a building, property, or land is exempt from real property taxes. Additionally, the portions of land actually used for the active production or storage of renewable energy is exempt from 80% of its value for tax purposes if the energy is primarily for use, distribution, or sale to public utilities or for public consumption under a power purchase agreement or power

Virginia passed legislation (S.B. 1416) in April 2007 that includes a provision that electricity customers in Virginia have the option to purchase 100% renewable energy from their utility. If their utility does not offer a program that meets the 100% renewable energy requirement, its customers will be permitted to purchase green power from any licensed retail supplier.

North Carolina enacted legislation (H.B. 1389) in August 2009 that authorizes cities and counties to establish revolving loan programs to finance renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that are permanently affixed to residential, commercial or other real property. A revolving loan program generally refers to a loan fund, where the loan repayments and interest are fed back into the fund. In this way, the loan can, in theory, continue indefinitely. HB 1389 allows cities and counties to fund their loan programs through Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants from the federal government and the city's or county's unrestricted

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