This is great news for solar contractors because green banks increase the accessibility of financing to cover the
upfront costs of a solar installation — typically the biggest barrier for prospective customers.
To zoom in on the likely
cost of a solar installation in Hartford, you can use the local guide to local solar contractors here and the residential solar cost calculator.
According to Solar - Estimate city - by - city breakdown of solar PV and utility bill costs, the
average cost of a solar installation in Hartford is $ 3.89 per watt, before the Federal tax credit and other incentives.
For a state that has consistently provided thought and legislation leadership on renewable energy issues, its programs to help offset the
high cost of solar installations have lagged behind neighbors like New York.
A Maryland solar owner, for example, could then use the resulting income to either (1) partially cover the
upfront costs of solar installation (if the SREC payment was received in one lump sum), or (2) pay down a loan that was used to cover upfront installation costs.
Others say it will only drive
the cost of solar installations back to where they were in 2015 ($ 1.77 to $ 3.09 per watt, opposed to $ 1.03 to $ 2.80 per watt in 2017), when solar installation was doing fine.
Homeowners that finance their solar installation with loans or cash are eligible for several federal, state, and local incentives for going solar (discussed in greater detail in Part 4 of this series, Financial Incentives for Installing Solar), such as the federal Investment Tax Credit, which allows system owners to deduct 30 % of
the cost of the solar installation from the amount they owe in federal taxes.
A leading solution to the lack of LMI access to existing financing options is utility - sponsored on - bill financing, which allows customers to repay
the cost of their solar installation through a charge on their monthly utility bills.
By volunteering their time through their commitment to creating more solar in our area they are able to make
the cost of a solar installation more affordable for us all.
Through its Smart - E Loan program, the Bank partners with local banks and credit unions in the state to offer low - interest, no money down loans for homeowners to cover
the cost of a solar installation (as well as other home energy upgrades).
In addition to
the cost of a solar installation the loans can also cover related upgrades needed for the project, such as a new roof for an old building.
This helps save the business money and allows them to recover
the cost of the solar installation faster.
The federal government and many states have enacted policies to reduce
the cost of solar installations in order to incentivize investment in solar energy.
For commercial customers, the federal government allows business owners to depreciate
the cost of their solar installation over a period of years through the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS).
MACRS allows businesses to deduct
the cost of their solar installation from their taxable income over a period of 5 years.
For instance, if a solar installation costs $ 10,000 and the homeowner owes $ 5,000 in taxes, the homeowner would be eligible to deduct 30 % of
the cost of the solar installation ($ 3,000) from their taxes, allowing them to pay only $ 2,000 in taxes that year.
This allows homeowners to subtract 30 % of
the cost of their solar installation from what they owe in federal taxes (their tax liability).
It's going to take both hard and soft cost reductions for
the cost of a solar installation to stay below the value it delivers even as the value of solar energy erodes as more solar is added to the grid.
Local or state governments, working with traditional financiers, fund the upfront
cost of the solar installation or energy improvement.
Having each panel put out more energy could significantly slash
the cost of solar installations.
One of the nice things about solar rebate programs — beyond the fact that they help reduce
the cost of solar installation — is that they can provide a trove of interesting solar - related data.