Solar Rebate Program

Geographic Scope: North Carolina (Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress territories)

Background: Created under HB589, the Solar Rebate Program was designed to expand accessibility and encourage customer adoption of rooftop solar energy through innovative financing. The program required creation of rebates for 20 MW of rooftop solar installations per year for five years.

Program Impact

• Increased residential solar installations in Duke's NC territories from approximately 5,600 systems (31 total MWs) in 2017 to over 17,000 systems (115 total MWs) by end of 2020
• In 2021, 1,661 rebates were paid and 15,620 kW in capacity were installed
• Demand consistently exceeded supply (2018: exhausted within 2 weeks; 2019: 1.5 hours; 2020: 21 minutes)

Rebate Allocation by Customer Type

Annual Allocation:

• 10 MW reserved for residential consumers
• 5 MW reserved for non-profit organizations (schools, places of worship, etc.)
• 5 MW for commercial/non-residential
• Minimum 5 MW/year for both Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas

Rebate Rates by Customer Type

• Residential: 60¢/watt, up to $6,000 (maximum 10 kW)
• Business/Non-Residential (commercial, industrial): 50¢/watt, up to $50,000 (maximum 100 kW)
• Nonprofit (schools, places of worship): 75¢/watt, up to $75,000 (maximum 100 kW)

Program Changes

2021: NCUC implemented changes including decreased rebate size, lottery system (replacing first-come-first-served), and biannual application schedule (January and July)

Eligibility

• Residential: First 10 kW of installations
• Non-residential: First 100 kW of installations
• Nonprofit organizations including schools and places of worship

Contact Information

NC Sustainable Energy Association

• Address: 4441 Six Forks Road Suite 106-250, Raleigh, NC 27609
• Phone: 919.832.7601
• Email: [email protected]

Related Resources

• NC Utilities Commission docket (Part VIII of HB589)
• NC General Statute § 62-155
• Information on net energy metering

Application Process

Note: This program has concluded as of December 31, 2022. The following information is historical.

• Application Portal: Online application portal was used
• Application Schedule: Biannual offerings in January and July (as of 2021)
• Allocation Method: Lottery system (implemented 2021, replacing first-come-first-served)
• Application Period: Applications were accepted during specified windows; in 2020, all available rebates were exhausted within 21 minutes of opening

Requirements

• Applicants needed to provide information about their solar installation (size in kW)
• Customer type designation (residential, non-residential, or nonprofit)
• Information on Duke Energy service territory

Historical Timelines

• July 9, 2018: Program launched and online application portal opened
• September 20, 2018: Order issued modifying first year of program
• January 2, 2019: Program opened for 2019 calendar year
• 2021 onwards: Biannual offerings with lottery system