Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation - Green Energy Fund
Administered by Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation
Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation's member utilities (Dover, Newark, and Milford) offer rebates for solar electric systems, solar heating, geothermal heat pumps, and wind power through their Green Energy Funds, though available funds are limited and vary by utility—contact your municipal utility directly to learn if you qualify and what rebate amounts are available. Other DEMEC member utilities have shifted their funds to community-based projects only, so check with your specific community utility to confirm current incentive availability.
You can help residential customers in Dover, Newark, and Milford access rebates for solar PV, solar thermal, geothermal heat pumps, and wind installations; however, funding is restricted by individual utility (Dover has ~$10,000, Newark ~$40,000, Milford ~$20,000 as of 2016) and is not pooled across DEMEC's nine member utilities. Verify your customer's utility membership and current fund status before marketing these incentives, as most other member utilities now reserve funds exclusively for community projects.
The Delaware Green Energy Fund, created under Delaware Code § 363, requires utilities to contribute at least $0.000356 per kilowatt-hour sold; DEMEC member utilities opted out of state RPS compliance by creating independent municipal funds administered by each of the nine member utilities separately. As of 2016, only three utilities actively distributed individual customer rebates (Dover, Newark, Milford with combined ~$70,000 in estimated funds); the remaining six utilities reserved their funds for community-based projects, creating fragmented program administration and highly variable customer access to incentives.
Program details
- Program ID
- 2643
- Last updated
- 5/23/2024
Eligibility
- Sectors
- commercial industrial local government residential low income residential
- Technologies
- solar water heat solar space heat solar photovoltaics wind (all) geothermal heat pumps wind (small) fuel cells using renewable fuels yes; specific technologies not identified
Program summary
Delaware Green Energy Funds
The Delaware Green Energy Fund was created in 1999 as the part of the deregulation of Delaware's electric utilities. Under Title 26 Delaware Code § 363, the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act, any electric company or cooperative may exempt itself from the states renewable portfolio standard by contributing to the states Green Energy Fund or by creating its own independent Green Energy Fund. The Green Energy Fund is to be used in support of energy efficiency technologies, renewable energy technologies, or demand side management programs, into which it shall make payments of at least $0.000356 for each kilowatt-hour it sells, transmits, or distributes in this State. For more information on the state's green energy funds visit.
Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation's Green Energy Fund
The Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (DEMEC), a joint action agency and wholesale electric company representing the state's nine municipal utilities, opted out of the RPS requirements on behalf of the municipal utilities, and the utilities created their own funds. This Municipal Green Energy Fund is an independent, self-administered fund separate from the State's Green Energy Fund. The DEMEC green energy funds support the municipal Green Energy Program Incentives, which include rebates for solar electric, solar heating, geothermal heat pumps, and wind power. As of February 2016, only three member utilities- City of Dover, City of Newark, and City of Milford- use their fund to provide grants to its customers; other member utilities have discontinued to provide individual grants, they have reserved their funds only for community based projects.
DEMEC municipal utility members include: Newark, New Castle, Middletown, Dover, Smyrna, Seaford, Lewes, Clayton and Milford. Each municipal utility has its own distinct fund. Customers of one utility cannot access another utility's fund revenues. As a result, some of the utilities' funds are very limited. Estimated funds held by participating members, as of 2016, are as follows:
- City of Dover: $10,000
- City of Newark: $40,000
- City of Milford: $20,000
- City of Seaford: NA
- City of Lewes: NA
- Town of Middletown: NA
- City of New Castle: NA
- Town of Smyrna: NA
- Town of Clayton: NA
Contact & resources
- Contact email
- slynch@demecinc.net
- Additional resources
Please verify current program details with the administering agency before making any financial decisions.
