Oregon - Energy tax credit, solar rebates and incentives

Oregon Renewable and Solar Energy Incentives

Taxpayers who buy solar thermal and/or space heating systems, PV (photovoltaic) systems, closed-loop geothermal space heating systems or any other of the other various energy conservation systems for their homes are qualified for the state tax credit.
PV systems and fuel cells retain a valued tax credit of $3/watt. A maximum value of $6,000 can be accredited for and up to half of the installation costs.
The total imbursement declared in any single tax year mustn’t amount to more than $1,500 or the purchaser’s tax liability (whichever is lesser in value).
Solar water and space heating systems as well as wind systems retain a valued credit of $0.60/ kilowatt-hour with a maximum value cap of $1,500 for the first year.

Property owners are exempted from all property taxes regarding renewable energy installations.
Qualified renewable and conservative technologies include the following; PV panels, geothermal electricity/pumps, methane gas, solar thermal and space heating, fuel cells, hydroelectric, passive solar heating, wind and biomass.
Any renewable/conservation system installed may be exempt from the property’s overall value for tax purposes.

Eugene Water & Electric Board offer incentives for both residential and commercial renewable systems that produce power using PV systems.
Rebates are available for systems that utilize net metering.
Customers who choose to net meter are eligible for rebates.
Homeowners who utilize net metering are qualified for a rebate of $2.00/watt-AC, which is capped at a max incentive of $10,000.
Photovoltaic systems that produce more than10 kW and aren’t net metered are eligible for production incentives if the electricity produced isn’t used.
EWEB offers $0.12/kWh produced, which is sustained for up to 10 years and open to a yearly assessment.

Pacific Power and PGE offer this program to those seeking PV installations on new or old homes.
Pacific Power offers $2.00/W-DC and PGE offers $2.25/W for residential systems, with a maximum incentive of $20,000. PV systems must be new installations and include at least a 2-year warranty on equipment and labor costs.
Systems must fulfill related qualifications and be UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certified.
Inverters are required to have at least a 5-year warranty.
Panels are required to have at least a 20-year warranty.

This program offers a rebate of $1,500 for residential solar water systems, $1,000 for pool heating systems and 35% off of the total system cost for commercial installations.
Energy Trust of Oregon has initiated its SWH buy-down program, which offers benefits to clients of NW Natural Gas, PGE, Cascade Natural Gas and Pacific Power. Customers who install solar thermal systems on residences, community buildings, office buildings, and municipal or agricultural facilities are qualified for benefits.

Up until Dec. 31 2009, the Northwest Solar Cooperative (NWSC) will buy “Green Tags” (renewable energy certificates that guarantee energy conversion into the grid), obtained from grid-connected PV or wind installations at a rate of $0.02/kWh.
Contracts may be renewed at the beginning of December 2009 for up to another three years.
Homeowners and commercial owners are eligible for the program if they install PV or wind-energy systems.
Customers interested in the program must sign a contract with NWSC, which stipulates the following:
- Subscribers must agree to distribute their Green Tags, report their meter readings to NWSC annually, and submit system complications and/or failures.
- Payment for Green Tag production will be made by March 31 of the subsequent year.

Rebate and utility loans programs are offered all over the state, granted by utility companies and metropolitan cities (qualifications for programs may vary).
Rebate and utility loan programs are commonly offered for those installing PV and solar thermal systems.
- Utility sponsored loans are generally 0% or maintain low interests to aid in the purchase and installation cost of renewable energy systems.
Rebate awards are established on a per-watt AC basis. Other considerations include location and system size.

Taxpayers are granted a personal tax credit of 30% of the total expenses, which include installation of residential solar-electric systems, solar thermal systems, fuel cells and labor expenses. Residential wind energy installations and geothermal pumps are also subject to a tax exemption.
Systems installed after 2008 have no incentive limit.
If there is excess federal tax credit, it may be carried over to the subsequent taxable year only if it surpasses tax liability.
This may continue on through consecutive years until 2016, under which unused credit may or may not be expunged.

Public utilities provide residential purchasers with an exemption of 100% of energy conservation subsidies.
The overall worth of an installation or renewable such as solar space heat, photovoltaics, or solar thermal, will be excluded from the buyer’s gross income.
Customers who participate in a utility company’s energy conservation program may be given a reduced rate of electricity utilized or a nonrefundable credit of the price of the electricity on the customer’s monthly electric bill.

With this federal loan program, homeowners may utilize energy-efficient mortgages (EEM) to either supplement or completely fund renewable energy systems.