San Diego - Residential Solar Electric Incentive for Homes Destroyed in Wildfires

Rebuild A Greener San Diego, a partnership between the San Diego Regional Energy Office, City of San Diego, County of San Diego and San Diego Gas & Electric, is offering incentives of $4 per watt for installing solar electric (photovoltaic) systems (0.5 kW to 5 kW) on a new home that replaces a home destroyed by Cedar, Paradise or Otay 2003 wildfires. The residence must currently be or will be connected to the SDG&E electrical distribution system. The deadline for program applications is May 31, 2006. All projects must be completed by June 1, 2007. The incentives are on a first-come, first-serve basis. All installations must meet the interconnection guidelines of SDG&E and receive permission from SDGE to operate in parallel. The $6.57 million in funding for "Rebuild a Greener San Diego" was made available by redirecting money from two California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) public-benefit programs and through direct contributions by the program partners with $5 million of this set aside for the photovoltaic rebates. Because of the difficulty residents may have in rebuilding, the CPUC approved an incentive level of $4/ watt for photovoltaics, a significantly higher rebate than offered by other state programs. The financial incentives are just one of three types of home energy assistance provided to help residents in San Diego. Three types of assistance are provided: 1) technical information and education, 2) financial incentives for energy efficient measures and/or design principles leading to homes that exceed Title 24 requirements by 20%, and, 3) financial incentives for the installation of photovoltaic systems.