State Solar Power report card

One of the best blogs I've found focused solely on Solar power on the residential/commercial scale is SolarPowerRocks.com. These guys provide excellent information targeted for each state. Recently they came out with a 2009 State by State report card that grades states on how well they are adopting solar power. The main grading criteria consists of: Interconnection, Net metering, Incentives, and Utility rate policies.

It's no surprise that California is at the top of the list, but I'm sure many people will be surprised to see how advanced New Jersey is at adopting solar power. If a state like New Jersey is so far ahead in solar policy, what is the excuse for the desert states like New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona? All it takes is leadership people. Let's learn what policies are working and get behind your state congress and senate to adopt those policies so we all can have a cleaner future.

Click on the image to see the full report card!

Is your state failing

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net-metering

solar interconnection

solar power rocks

state solar report card

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Solar

Comments

Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/24/2009 - 19:55

That's awesome. Reminds me of high school, haha. I'm gonna check those guys out. Thanks for the cool solar link.

Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/01/2009 - 16:20

I recently had a solar PV system installed in NJ and must say the incentives are very good right now. This year may be the last year for upfront rebates but the SREC system greatly increases the ROI on solar electric systems.

Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/30/2009 - 20:42

One more comment...WI and MN are light years ahead of IA when it comes to incentives for customer site based renewables. To get training for solar you have to go to WI or MN. This list needs serious work!

Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/30/2009 - 20:33

Iowa should be lower down on this list (like an F). Net-metering isn't a mandate for Municipal or Cooperative utilities. Without a state net-metering mandate that applies to all utilities it's hard to build an industry across the state. Iowa has a B for incentives but only offers sales and property tax exemptions, and the property tax is only for 5 years. The harder you look at the other incentives you'll find they don't apply to solar or there are many hoops to jump through. Sorry to say but it is worse than it appears. This list needs more research!

Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/02/2009 - 15:47

Have you tried contacting the guys at SolarPowerRocks? I'm sure they would like feedback. I know how hard it is to find the true facts for just 1 state, I'm sure it's hard to look at everyone. Thanks for the feedback!

Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/02/2009 - 15:45

Jeff, What do you estimate the payback on your panels are going to be? It's awesome NJ was able to push the incentive through. While GA did pass a state tax credit, we could use a little better incentives.

Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/12/2009 - 09:45

Considering the upfront sate rebate of $1.75 per watt, the 30% federal tax credit, and SRECs; my payback should be 5-6 years. This does not take into account electricity savings which should average about $100 per month.

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