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Xcel Energy's Solar*Rewards Program

Summary:

 

Xcel Energy's Solar*Rewards Program provides an incentive of up to $3.50-per-watt (DC) for customers who install grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems ranging from 0.5 kilowatts (kW) to 10 kW-DC in capacity. The incentive is structured as a $2.00-per-watt rebate and a renewable-energy credit (REC) payment of up to $1.50 per watt*.

 

The REC payment may be adjusted, either up or down, based on the calculation of a system's expected electricity output, compared with an optimally oriented, fixed (i.e., non-tracking) system at the customer’s location, but only if the calculated system output differs from the optimally oriented system output by more than 10%. Battery storage is not covered by the rebate.  
 

To qualify for a solar rebate, participants must submit an application and receive approval from Xcel Energy prior to installing the system. A list of PV modules and inverters eligible for the rebate is available on the California Energy Commission’s web site. All PV systems must carry a five-year warranty from both the manufacturer and the installer, including parts and labor.  
 

Net metering is available for Xcel Energy's customers, with net excess generation (NEG) at the end of a monthly billing period credited to the next month’s bill. If a customer has NEG at the end of a calendar year, the customer will be paid for the credit at a rate comparable to the utility's avoided-cost rate.

 

* Xcel originally offered an upfront REC payment of $2.50/W for systems up to 10kW. Citing the lifting of the cap on the federal ITC for residential systems, Xcel has reduced their REC payment to $1.50/W for systems installed after October 24, 2008.

 

 

For a list of PV modules and inverters eligible for the rebate:

http://gosolarcalifornia.org/equipment/pvmodule.php

http://gosolarcalifornia.org/equipment/inverter.php