| State: |
Colorado |
| Incentive Type: |
Utility Rebate Program |
| Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies: |
Photovoltaics |
| Applicable Sectors: |
Commercial, Industrial, Residential, General Public/Consumer, Nonprofit, Schools, Local Government, State Government, Fed. Government, (All Black Hills Energy customers) |
| Amount: | Varies based on system size and ownership. See below.
|
| Eligible System Size: | Minimum size of 0.5 kW
System must be sized to meet no more than 120% of the building's most recent 12 month demand |
| Equipment Requirements: | PV modules must be warranted for a minimum period of 20 years. All other components (with the exception of batteries), labor and installation must be warranted for a minimum period of 5 years. All equipment must be new, UL-listed, and meet IEEE standards. |
| Installation Requirements: | Black Hills Energy recommends installers on COSEIA's list of qualified installers |
| Ownership of Renewable Energy Credits: | Black Hills Energy (in exchange for PBI payment) |
| Start Date: | 7/1/2006 |
| Web Site: |
http://solarrebates.blackhillsenergy.com
|
Note: This program is temporarily closed while the Colorado Public Utilities Commission considers Black Hills Energy's 2013 Renewables Compliance Plan and the proposed changes to this program. The information presented on this page describes the program as it was prior to its closure.
Black Hills Energy (formerly Aquila) has an On-Site Solar PV Rebate Program which provides incentives for its customers to install photovoltaic (PV) systems on their homes and facilities. In exchange for these incentives, Black Hills Energy earns the right to the renewable energy credits (RECs) associated with the PV-generated electricity for a period of time.
Incentives for customer-owned PV systems less than or equal to 3 kilowatts (kW) will be calculated as follows:
- An up-front rebate of $1 per DC watt; and
- Performance-based incentive (PBI) payments of $0.0945 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of actual electricity production, paid annually for the first 9 years of operation
Incentives for customer-owned PV systems greater than 3 kW and up to 10 kW will be calculated as follows:
- An up-front rebate of $0.75 per DC watt up to $4,500; and
- PBI payments of $0.0945 per kWh of actual electricity production of first 6 kW*, paid annually for the first 9 years of operation.
Incentives for third party-owned PV systems less than or equal to 3 kilowatts (kW) will be calculated as follows:
- PBI payments of $0.1224 per kWh of actual electricity production, paid annually for the first 10 years of operation.
Incentives for third party-owned PV systems greater than 3 kW and up to 10 kW will be calculated as follows:
- Budget cap has been met, incentives are not available
Incentives for PV systems greater than 10 kW up to 30 kW will be calculated as follows:
- Budget cap has been met, incentives are not available
Incentives for PV systems greater than 30 kW and up to 60 kW will be calculated as follows:
- Budget cap has been met, incentives are not available
Incentives for PV systems greater than 60 kW and up to 100 kW will be calculated as follows:
- Budget cap has been met, incentives are not available
All incentive payments are subject to the availability of funds and a pre-installation site inspection. Black Hills Energy has established participation caps for each tier. The status of funding availability for each tier is available on the website above. Black Hills Energy recommends using a qualified PV installation contractor from a list furnished by the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA), available at www.coseia.org.
* This is calculated using a ratio based on the actual system size compared to 6 kW. For example, a customer who installs a 10 kW system would receive a payment based on 6/10 of the electricity produced by the system.
