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Municipal Solar Programs

While 70 percent of California’s electricity supply comes from the state’s three investor owned utilities – Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric, a significant portion of the state’s electricity comes from more than three dozen municipal utilities.[1]

The largest municipal utility in California is the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) generating approximately 10 percent of the state’s total electricity supply. Other large electrical municipal utilities in California are Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Imperial and Modesto Irrigation District and the Cities of Anaheim and Riverside.[2]

Under SB 1, the Million Solar Roofs bill, all of California’s municipal utilities must adopt their own solar rebate programs that are in accordance with the statewide goals of building a million solar roofs, installing 3,000 MW of solar power and building half of all new homes with solar panels within the coming decade.

To get there, SB 1 mandates that of the state’s municipal utilities aggregate solar rebate programs equal $700 million over the next 10 years.

 


Municipal Utility Solar Rebate Programs

Municipal Utility

Solar Rebates Currently Available

Size of Rebate ($/watt)

System size restrictions (or limit based on rebate cap)

Alameda Power & Telecom

No

 

 

Anaheim Public Utilities - PV Buydown Program

Yes

$4.00

2 kW limit for homes

12.5 kW limit for business

Azusa Light & Water

unclear

 

 

Banning Public Utilities

unclear

 

 

Burbank Water & Power - Residential & Commercial Solar Support Program

Yes

$3.00

2 kW limit for homes 

 

3 kW limit for business

Colton Public Utilities - PV Rebate Program

Yes

$4.00

5 kW limit for homes 

 

12.5 kW for businesses

El Dorado Irrigation District

unclear

 

 

Glendale Water and Power - Solar Solutions Program

Yes (residential only)

$4.00

10 kW limit for both homes and businesses

Gridley

unclear

 

 

Healdsburg Electric & Water

unclear

 

 

Hercules Municipal Utility - PV Rebate Program

Yes

$3.00

3 kW limit for both homes and businesses

IID Energy - PV Solutions Rebate Program

Yes  

$2.80

10 kW limit for homes

 

30 kW limit for businesses

Kings River Conservation District

unclear

 

 

LADWP - Solar Incentive Program

Yes

$0.04 - $0.16/kWh; up to 75 percent of costs for <30 kW; and up to 50 percent for

> 30 kW

None but rebate varies by system size, tilt, position and location;

Lassen Municipal Utility District

Unclear

 

 

Lodi Water & Electric

Unclear

 

 

Lompoc Utility Department

Unclear

 

 

Merced Irrigation District

Unclear

 

 

Modesto Irrigation District

Solar hot water only

 

 

Moreno Valley

unclear

 

 

Needles Water & Elect

unclear

 

 

Palo Alto Utilities - PV Partners

Yes

$3.00 for homes and nonprofits

 

$2.00 for businesses

3 kW limit for homes

 

10 kW limit for nonprofits

 

25 kW limit for businesses

Pasadena Water and Power - Solar Power Installation Rebate

Yes

$3.50

2 kW limit

Pittsburg/Pittsburg Power Company

unclear

 

 

Redding Electric - Earth Advantage Rebate Program

Yes

$2.80-$3.55 depending on orientation and installation specifications

 

Riverside Public Utilities - Residential PV Incentive Program

Yes

50 percent of installation costs or $150,000 which ever is less for new construction

 

$3.00 for existing homes

5 kW limit

Roseville Electric - PV Buy Down Program

Yes

$4.00/watt for homes and businesses

5 kW limit

Santa Clara Water & Sewer - Solar Water Heating Program

Solar Hot Water only

 

 

Shasta Lake

unclear

 

 

Silicon Valley Power - Solar Electric Buy Down Program

Yes

$3.00 for homes

 

$2.50 for businesses

3 kW limit for homes

 

 

50 kW limit for businesses

SMUD

Yes

$2.80 for homes

 

$2.00-3.00 (depending availability of other incentives)

7 kW limit for homes

 

30 kW minimum for businesses

Trinity County Public Utility District

Unclear

 

 

Truckee Donner Public Utility District

Unclear

 

 

Turlock Irrigation District - Residential PV Rebate

Yes (residential only)

$4.00

5 kW limit

Ukiah Utilities - PV Buy-down Program

Yes

$3.00

2 kW limit for homes

 

8 kW limit for businesses

Vernon Utilities Department

Unclear

 

 

Victorville

unclear

 

 

[1] California Energy Commission, 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report, November 2005 (CEC-100-2005-007-CTF), Page E-2.

[2] For a complete list of municipal utilities and links to each utility website, go to www.cmua.org.