Progress Energy offers solar program
By From staff reports
Published in News on January 9, 2011 1:50 AM
RALEIGH -- Progress Energy Carolinas is now offering incentives to North Carolina residential customers who install and own solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at their homes, under the utility's new SunSense(r) Solar PV program.
Launched this week, the SunSense Solar PV program will provide upfront rebates of $1,000 per kilowatt of capacity and monthly bill credits of $4.50 per kilowatt for PV systems installed after Jan. 1. Participants in the SunSense Solar PV program must be residential customers of Progress Energy Carolinas and must own the installed solar PV system, sized from 2 to 10 kilowatts.
Customers interested in finding out more information or applying for this program should visit www.progress-energy.com/sunsense. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. The total program capacity limit is 1 megawatt per year. Certain other restrictions and commitments apply.
"We created this program to bring solar power within reach to customers who would not otherwise be able to afford it," said Lloyd Yates, president and CEO of Progress Energy Carolinas. "This residential program and our incentives for commercial and industrial customers are part of our balanced approach to meeting the challenges of growing energy demand, rising costs and global climate change."
The SunSense Solar PV program provides up-front incentives designed to help offset the cost of installing solar power systems, as well as ongoing incentives to provide customers with additional financial assistance. These payments provide Progress Energy Carolinas with the rights to the renewable energy credits generated by the PV installations.
Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve about 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company has earned the Edison Electric Institute's Edison Award, the industry's highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence, and was the first utility to receive the J.D. Power and Associates Founder's Award for customer service. Visit the company's website at www.progress-energy.com.