California Solar Energy Resources and Incentives
Note, this article was previously published at http://solarpowerauthority.com/california/ that article has been updated and refocused, visit the page to learn more or read on for older resources.
This article provides a summary of websites available for gaining useful information on Solar Energy opportunities and incentives in the state of California. It is by no means comprehensive but will be updated as new programs and incentives arise, feel free to contact us if you would like your business or organization included or updated.
The amount of information on the Internet is overwhelming in this area, as it is on many subjects, so the intent of this article is to highlight some of the more interesting web sites that we found in our searches covering solar power in California, including mostly the .org and .gov sites with businesses located at the bottom. Also at the end of the article is a list of sites you may wish to visit to continue your research. It includes the sites covered in the article itself as an index as well as ones we didn't have space for.
General Information and Education
Go Solar California a primer on solar energy, with sections on What Is Solar Energy? and What Are Photovoltaics? A basic Introduction to Solar Energy. http://www.gosolarcalifornia.org/solar101/what_is.html
Consumer Reports Org has up to date information on California's stance on greenhouse-gas emissions. Of note, a solar-roofs program requiring publicly owned utilities to drop the costs of these systems by implementing incentives for solar power. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/solar_energy/
Renewable Northwest Project (RNP) a good guide to the basics of solar energy technologies. http://www.rnp.org/renewtech/tech_solar.html
Nor Cal Solar Provides up to date news on Solar installations in the Bay Area. http://www.norcalsolar.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=27
Wikipedia a good article on the California Solar Initiative in general. Good primer on the subject. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Solar_Initiative
Government Resources
CALSEIA goes into how a variety of laws have been enacted in California to help prevent restrictions that may prevent the installation of solar products in your community such as homeowners associations and other restrictive communities. http://calseia.org/archives/12
California Solar Center covers the latest in California Solar Legislation. Good site for tracking new laws and government involvement. http://www.californiasolarcenter.org/legislation.html
US Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) an overview on California Energy Acts that Include Incentives for Solar Water Heating. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/news_detail.cfm/news_id=11355
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services details how the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on has adopted a $108 million program to deliver incentives to low-income, single-family homeowners under the California Solar Initiative program. http://liheap.ncat.org/news/nov07/CAsolar.htm
The Vote Solar Initiative an overview and details about Governor Schwarzenegger's signing of pro-solar bills in the year 2008. http://www.votesolar.org/state-initiatives/california.html
NPR Org From October 27, 2008, an article about Solar panels as a construction accessory in Southern California and how there is a regulatory roadblock. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96175833
Connecticut General Assembly information about the California (and other states) Solar Initiative, in which the the California Public Utilities Commission has authorized $ 2.6 million for a pilot solar water heating program, of which $ 1.5 million is for incentives. http://www.cga.ct.gov/2008/rpt/2008-R-0037.htm
Energy Quest information about California setting a goal to develop 3,000 Megawatts of Solar Power. http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/solar/index.html
County of San Diego provides additional sources of information on solar power. http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/greenbuildings.html
The California Energy Commission a press release from January 8, 2009 about a consumer contest to educates consumers about solar and energy efficiency. http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/2009_releases/2009-01-08_go_solar_contest.html
Go Solar California provide solar statistics on rebates before the California Solar Initiative, the New Solar Homes Partnership, Total Grid-Connected PVs in California and other California and National Renewables Statistics. http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/news/statistics/index.html
Solar Incentives
Go Solar California is run by California's Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission and provides information on rebates, tax credits, and incentives for solar energy systems in California. http://www.gosolarcalifornia.org/
GoSolarSF is a Solar Energy Incentive Program to encourage more installations of solar power in San Francisco. Interesting site for the SFO community, offering offers residents up to $6,000, and businesses up to $10,000 to install solar power. http://www.sfwater.org/gosolarsf/
California Solar Energy Industries Association CALSEIA covers information about Solar Rebates in conjunction with CAL SEIA, the State of California has put in place a range of financial incentives that substantially reduce the costs of solar energy systems. Visit this site for details about these systems. http://calseia.org/solar-rebates.html
Democratic Energy covers the solar hot water incentive program in California, specifically, the California Solar Water Heating and Efficiency Act of 2007 (AB 1470), a 10-year program aimed at installing 200,000 solar water heaters in homes and businesses using a $250 million fund. http://www.newrules.org/electricity/solarwaterca.html
Center for Sustainable Energy California under the umbrella of the California Solar Initiative (CSI), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is providing $2.1 billion in solar incentives over the next decade to existing residential plus existing and new commercial, industrial and agricultural solar projects. http://www.sdreo.org/ContentPage.asp?ContentID=370&SectionID=407
Northern California Solar Energy Association provides some interesting statistical information on The California Solar Initiative program. http://www.norcalsolar.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=1
Environment California press release from 2008-10-03 on Important Tax Incentives for Wind and Solar Energy. http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/important-tax-incentives-for-wind-and-solar-energy-extended
California Solar Center examines financial incentives for Solar Energy Grants & Rebates. http://www.californiasolarcenter.org/incentives.html California Solar Center features what they call Solar Forums, which they describe as "a great place to learn about the latest regarding the solar industry and a great place to network with your peers." Visit this site for schedules for both Northern and Southern California and visit http://www.cleantechauthority.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=8 for Solar Forums and http://www.cleantechauthority.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=16 for solar Q&A.
Solar Estimate Org is a good site for information on Solar Energy Incentives, Tax Credits, and Rebates. http://www.solar-estimate.org/index.php?page=solar-incentives
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE Xplore) a paper presenting several types of solar energy incentives for industrial energy consumers. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=4047062
Solar Estimate Org an overview of Marin County, California renewable energy incentives. http://www.solar-estimate.org/showfaq.php?id=220&fromsearch=1
Go Solar California information about Federal Tax Credits for solar customers and other renewable energy projects. http://www.gosolarcalifornia.org/csi/tax_credit.html
Consumer Reports interesting comments about Federal tax credits for consumers on solar energy incentives. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2008/12/energy-credits.html
The California Energy Commission examines incentives in the form of public or private subsidies such as cash rebates on installations of renewable-energy electric generating systems. Eligible technologies include photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal electricity systems. http://www.energy.ca.gov/distgen/incentives/incentives.html
Riverside Public Utilities the Non-Residential Photovoltaic (PV) System rebate program for Riverside California providing financial incentives to business customers who purchase and install solar energy systems. http://www.riversideca.gov/utilities/busi-solar.asp
California Public Utilities Commission discusses Performance-Based Incentives (PBI) and New Incentive Levels where the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) calls for a transition of the California Solar Initiative to Performance Based Incentives that reward properly installed and maintained solar systems. http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/061228_csipbicalc.htm
Solar Companies in California
Solar Home Org provides details about Solar Panels and Solar Power Kits. http://www.solarhome.org/
Sources
Resources and Information cited in this article and others not mentioned which may be of interest to those researching Solar Energy alternatives, legislation, tax incentives and rebates in the state of California:
This article provides a summary of websites available for gaining useful information on Solar Energy opportunities and incentives in the state of California. It is by no means comprehensive but will be updated as new programs and incentives arise, feel free to contact us if you would like your business or organization included or updated.
The amount of information on the Internet is overwhelming in this area, as it is on many subjects, so the intent of this article is to highlight some of the more interesting web sites that we found in our searches covering solar power in California, including mostly the .org and .gov sites with businesses located at the bottom. Also at the end of the article is a list of sites you may wish to visit to continue your research. It includes the sites covered in the article itself as an index as well as ones we didn't have space for.
General Information and Education
Go Solar California a primer on solar energy, with sections on What Is Solar Energy? and What Are Photovoltaics? A basic Introduction to Solar Energy. http://www.gosolarcalifornia.org/solar101/what_is.html
Consumer Reports Org has up to date information on California's stance on greenhouse-gas emissions. Of note, a solar-roofs program requiring publicly owned utilities to drop the costs of these systems by implementing incentives for solar power. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/solar_energy/
Renewable Northwest Project (RNP) a good guide to the basics of solar energy technologies. http://www.rnp.org/renewtech/tech_solar.html
Nor Cal Solar Provides up to date news on Solar installations in the Bay Area. http://www.norcalsolar.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=27
Wikipedia a good article on the California Solar Initiative in general. Good primer on the subject. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Solar_Initiative
Government Resources
CALSEIA goes into how a variety of laws have been enacted in California to help prevent restrictions that may prevent the installation of solar products in your community such as homeowners associations and other restrictive communities. http://calseia.org/archives/12
California Solar Center covers the latest in California Solar Legislation. Good site for tracking new laws and government involvement. http://www.californiasolarcenter.org/legislation.html
US Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) an overview on California Energy Acts that Include Incentives for Solar Water Heating. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/news_detail.cfm/news_id=11355
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services details how the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on has adopted a $108 million program to deliver incentives to low-income, single-family homeowners under the California Solar Initiative program. http://liheap.ncat.org/news/nov07/CAsolar.htm
The Vote Solar Initiative an overview and details about Governor Schwarzenegger's signing of pro-solar bills in the year 2008. http://www.votesolar.org/state-initiatives/california.html
NPR Org From October 27, 2008, an article about Solar panels as a construction accessory in Southern California and how there is a regulatory roadblock. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96175833
Connecticut General Assembly information about the California (and other states) Solar Initiative, in which the the California Public Utilities Commission has authorized $ 2.6 million for a pilot solar water heating program, of which $ 1.5 million is for incentives. http://www.cga.ct.gov/2008/rpt/2008-R-0037.htm
Energy Quest information about California setting a goal to develop 3,000 Megawatts of Solar Power. http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/solar/index.html
County of San Diego provides additional sources of information on solar power. http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/greenbuildings.html
The California Energy Commission a press release from January 8, 2009 about a consumer contest to educates consumers about solar and energy efficiency. http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/2009_releases/2009-01-08_go_solar_contest.html
Go Solar California provide solar statistics on rebates before the California Solar Initiative, the New Solar Homes Partnership, Total Grid-Connected PVs in California and other California and National Renewables Statistics. http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/news/statistics/index.html
Solar Incentives
Go Solar California is run by California's Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission and provides information on rebates, tax credits, and incentives for solar energy systems in California. http://www.gosolarcalifornia.org/
GoSolarSF is a Solar Energy Incentive Program to encourage more installations of solar power in San Francisco. Interesting site for the SFO community, offering offers residents up to $6,000, and businesses up to $10,000 to install solar power. http://www.sfwater.org/gosolarsf/
California Solar Energy Industries Association CALSEIA covers information about Solar Rebates in conjunction with CAL SEIA, the State of California has put in place a range of financial incentives that substantially reduce the costs of solar energy systems. Visit this site for details about these systems. http://calseia.org/solar-rebates.html
Democratic Energy covers the solar hot water incentive program in California, specifically, the California Solar Water Heating and Efficiency Act of 2007 (AB 1470), a 10-year program aimed at installing 200,000 solar water heaters in homes and businesses using a $250 million fund. http://www.newrules.org/electricity/solarwaterca.html
Center for Sustainable Energy California under the umbrella of the California Solar Initiative (CSI), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is providing $2.1 billion in solar incentives over the next decade to existing residential plus existing and new commercial, industrial and agricultural solar projects. http://www.sdreo.org/ContentPage.asp?ContentID=370&SectionID=407
Northern California Solar Energy Association provides some interesting statistical information on The California Solar Initiative program. http://www.norcalsolar.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=1
Environment California press release from 2008-10-03 on Important Tax Incentives for Wind and Solar Energy. http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/important-tax-incentives-for-wind-and-solar-energy-extended
California Solar Center examines financial incentives for Solar Energy Grants & Rebates. http://www.californiasolarcenter.org/incentives.html California Solar Center features what they call Solar Forums, which they describe as "a great place to learn about the latest regarding the solar industry and a great place to network with your peers." Visit this site for schedules for both Northern and Southern California and visit http://www.cleantechauthority.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=8 for Solar Forums and http://www.cleantechauthority.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=16 for solar Q&A.
Solar Estimate Org is a good site for information on Solar Energy Incentives, Tax Credits, and Rebates. http://www.solar-estimate.org/index.php?page=solar-incentives
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE Xplore) a paper presenting several types of solar energy incentives for industrial energy consumers. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=4047062
Solar Estimate Org an overview of Marin County, California renewable energy incentives. http://www.solar-estimate.org/showfaq.php?id=220&fromsearch=1
Go Solar California information about Federal Tax Credits for solar customers and other renewable energy projects. http://www.gosolarcalifornia.org/csi/tax_credit.html
Consumer Reports interesting comments about Federal tax credits for consumers on solar energy incentives. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2008/12/energy-credits.html
The California Energy Commission examines incentives in the form of public or private subsidies such as cash rebates on installations of renewable-energy electric generating systems. Eligible technologies include photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal electricity systems. http://www.energy.ca.gov/distgen/incentives/incentives.html
Riverside Public Utilities the Non-Residential Photovoltaic (PV) System rebate program for Riverside California providing financial incentives to business customers who purchase and install solar energy systems. http://www.riversideca.gov/utilities/busi-solar.asp
California Public Utilities Commission discusses Performance-Based Incentives (PBI) and New Incentive Levels where the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) calls for a transition of the California Solar Initiative to Performance Based Incentives that reward properly installed and maintained solar systems. http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/061228_csipbicalc.htm
Solar Companies in California
Solar Home Org provides details about Solar Panels and Solar Power Kits. http://www.solarhome.org/
Sources
Resources and Information cited in this article and others not mentioned which may be of interest to those researching Solar Energy alternatives, legislation, tax incentives and rebates in the state of California:
- http://www.californiasolarcenter.org/incentives.html
- http://www.californiasolarcenter.org/
- http://www.gosolarcalifornia.org/
- http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/erprebate/index.html
- http://www.sfwater.org/gosolarsf/
- http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc/Energy/solar/
- http://www.sfgov.org/site/mainpages_index.asp?id=88198
- http://calseia.org/solar-rebates.html
- http://www.newrules.org/electricity/solarwaterca.html
- http://www.sdreo.org/ContentPage.asp?ContentID=370&SectionID=407
- http://www.norcalsolar.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=1
- http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/important-tax-incentives-for-wind-and-solar-energy-extended
- http://www.energy.ca.gov/sb1/index.html
- http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/news_detail.cfm/news_id=11355
- http://www.solarhome.org/
- http://www.solar-estimate.org/index.php?page=solar-incentives
- http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits
- http://www.sdreo.org/ContentPage.asp?ContentID=483&SectionID=522&SectionTarget=44
- http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/solar_energy/
- http://www.cacities.org/index.jsp?zone=wcm&previewStory=26810
- http://calseia.org/archives/12
- http://www.californiasolarcenter.org/legislation.html
- http://www.energy.ca.gov/distgen/incentives/incentives.html
- http://www.teamca.org/solar_energy.php
- http://www.cga.ct.gov/2008/rpt/2008-R-0037.htm
- http://liheap.ncat.org/news/nov07/CAsolar.htm
- http://www.norcalsolar.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=27
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Solar_Initiative
- http://www.riversideca.gov/utilities/busi-solar.asp
- http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=4047062
- http://www.rnp.org/renewtech/tech_solar.html
- http://www.solar-estimate.org/showfaq.php?id=220&fromsearch=1
- http://www.gosolarcalifornia.org/csi/tax_credit.html
- http://www.votesolar.org/state-initiatives/california.html
- http://www.calmis.cahwnet.gov/file/occguide/SOLAR.HTM
- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96175833
- http://www.newrules.org/de/archives/000132.html
- http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/renewable.energy.annual/chap06.html
- http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2008/12/energy-credits.html
- http://www.homesolarpowersystems.org/california-solar-incentives-rebates
- http://www.gosolarcalifornia.org/solar101/what_is.html
- http://www.energy.ca.gov/
- http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/10657/
- http://www.energy.ca.gov/renewables/06-NSHP-1/index.html
- http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PUBLISHED/FINAL_DECISION/75400-01.htm
- http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/061228_csipbicalc.htm
- http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/solar/index.html
- http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/greenbuildings.html
- http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/2009_releases/2009-01-08_go_solar_contest.html
- http://www.energy.ca.gov/sb1/meetings/2008-12-03_adoption/2008-12-15_notice_of_Availabilty.html
- http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/news/statistics/index.html
- http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/news/legislation.html
Solar Resources
Rebate Programs