Rebates

In December 2005 the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) adopted standards for net metering and interconnection, as required by Amendment 37, a renewable energy ballot initiative approved by Colorado voters in November 2004. The interconnection rules were overhauled in July 2021.

The PUC standards generally apply to investor-owned utilities (IOUs) with 40,000 or more customers and all electric cooperatives. Municipal utilities with 5,000 customers or more are required to adopt interconnection rules that are functionally similar to the PUC's standards (see H.B. 08-1160). Electric cooperatives and municipal utilities may reduce or waive any insurance requirements that apply to IOUs.

Colorado’s

The Solar Rights Act (CA Civil Code 714), enacted in 1978, bars restrictions by homeowners associations (HOAs) on the installation of solar-energy systems, but originally did not specifically apply to cities, counties, municipalities or other public entities. Subsequent legislation extended these restrictions to all public entities and common interest developments.  These entities are allowed to impose reasonable restrictions on a solar energy system that do not significantly increase the cost of the system or significantly decrease its efficiency or specified performance. 

"Significantly" was not originally defined, but later legislation adopted a specific dollar amount and system efficiency impact that the

Certain renewable energy systems and equipment sold in Rhode Island are exempt from the state's sales and use tax. Eligible products include solar electric systems, DC-to-AC inverters that interconnect with utility power lines, solar thermal systems, manufactured mounting racks and ballast pans for solar collectors, geothermal heat pumps, and wind turbines and towers.

Note: S.B. 33, enacted in February 2021, increased and extended the RPS. 

In 2005, S.B. 74 established a renewables portfolio standard (RPS) requiring retail electricity supplier to purchase 10% of the electricity sold in the state from renewable sources by compliance year (CY) 2019-2020.  S.B. 119 of 2010 increased the RPS to 25% by CY 2025-2026. The RPS was extended again by S.B. 33 of 2021. The RPS applies to the state's investor-owned utilities, retail electric suppliers, municipal utilities, and rural electric cooperatives. Municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives are allowed to opt out of the RPS requirement if

In Minnesota, solar-energy systems purchased on or after August 1, 2005, are exempt from the state's sales tax. Solar energy systems are defined as:

"a set of devices whose primary purpose is to collect solar energy and convert and store it for useful purposes including heating and cooling buildings or other energy-using processes, or to produce generated power by means of any combination of collecting, transferring, or converting solar-generated energy." M.S. 297A.67, subd. 29.

Thus the exemption is very broad and could apply to solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems, solar water-heating systems and solar space-heating systems. All components of these systems

Note: As of April 2015, capacity limits for both 476C and 476B tax credits had been reached or had applications pending approval that would result in the capacity limit being reached. Applications in excess of capacity limits will be placed on a waiting list. However, H.F. 645, enacted in June 2015 and effective beginning January 2015, added 10 MW of utility-owned (or contracted) solar for 476C eligibility. 

In June 2005, Iowa enacted legislation creating two separate production tax credit programs for energy generated by eligible wind and renewable energy facilities. An eligible facility can qualify for only one of the

Note: As of April 2015, capacity limits for both 476C and 476B tax credits had been reached or had applications pending approval that would result in the capacity limit being reached. Applications in excess of capacity limits will be placed on a waiting list. However, H.F. 645, enacted in June 2015 and effective beginning January 2015, added 10 MW of utility-owned (or contracted) solar for 476C eligibility. 

In June 2005, Iowa enacted legislation creating two separate production tax credit programs for energy generated by eligible wind and renewable energy facilities. An eligible facility can qualify for only one of the

NOTE: S.B. 2274, enacted in June 2022, shortens the RES to 2033, but with a target of 100% of electricity demand sourced from renewable energy. The final target created by the previous change, H.B. 7413, was 38.5% by 2035.

Rhode Island's Renewable Energy Standard (RES), established in June 2004, requires the state's retail electricity providers -- including non-regulated power producers and distribution companies -- to supply 100% of their retail electricity sales from renewable resources by 2033. The requirement began at 3% by the end of 2007, and then an increase of an additional 0.5% per year through

Maryland's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS), enacted in May 2004 and revised numerous times since, requires electricity suppliers (all utilities and competitive retail suppliers) in the state to procure a minimum portion of their electric retail sales by eligible renewable energy sources. Most recently, the Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2019 increased and extended the requirement from 25% by 2020 to 50% by 2030. 

Eligible technologies:

The renewable portfolio standard is divided into two tiers based on the electricity generation resource. Tier 1 renewables include solar, wind, biomass, anaerobic decomposition, geothermal, ocean, fuel cells powered through renewables, small

The State of Connecticut have renewable energy development initiatives including a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and renewable energy procurement targets. By 2030, this state plans to meet 48% of their electrical demand using renewable energy. See the website for details.

History

In April 2004, Connecticut's governor signed an executive order directing state government agencies and universities to purchase an increasing amount of electricity generated by renewable resources. Under terms of the order, the state government has a goal to increase "Class I" renewable energy purchases to 20% of electricity used in 2010, 50% in 2020 and 100% in 2050. The