A Roundup of Solar Incentives for Georgia Residents

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June 9, 2015 | By RGR Marketing Blog

Going Solar in the South

Back in 2008, Georgia lawmakers passed an attractive tax credit for solar adopters, but they’ve been pretty quiet on the subject ever since. Those tax credits have now expired, leaving solar enthusiasts in Georgia without the state assistance that has helped make solar energy such a desirable option elsewhere.

Let’s take a look at the solar incentives available to residents of the Peach State.

Solar Power Rebates for Georgia Residents

While Georgia doesn’t have any statewide solar power rebate programs to speak of, a few forward-thinking utilities in the state have taken it upon themselves to offer rebates to solar customers.

Central Georgia EMC, GreyStone Power, Cobb EMC, and Jackson EMC, all offer revates of $450 per kilowatt of solar capacity installed, and set their rebate caps at $4,500.

Sawnee EMC previously offered a rebate of $250 per kW of installed residential solar, but as of this writing, they no longer appear to provide solar rebates of any kind. Tennessee Valley Authority’s Green Power Providers Program offers one-time rebates of $1,000, plus price premium for net metering.

In contrast, Georgia Power, one of the state’s largest electricity providers, does not offer solar rebates.

In a political climate where old-guard utilities wield considerable influence over public policy, these smaller utilities who have bucked the dominant paradigm to provide solar rebates deserve a round of applause.

Georgia Solar Power Tax Credit

As previously stated, Georgia used to offer a substantial tax credit for homeowners who went for solar power. The credit covered up to 35% of the total installation cost of residential solar arrays, with a cap of $10,500. It was a respectable credit, especially in view of the fact that Georgia has no RPS carve-out.

Unfortunately for Georgia residents who are currently considering going solar, that tax credit expired in January of 2015, and has not subsequently been re-upped. Here’s to hoping Georgia state lawmakers bring this credit back.

Georgia Net Metering

Georgia does allow net metering, but critics say the net metering law would benefit from protections against fees, and a more generous aggregate capacity limit.

Still, Georgia residents are enthusiastic about greening their own energy consumption, and state utilities frequently purchase energy from solar customers, even though the law does not require them to do so.

Georgia Solar Power Performance Payments

Currently, only those who buy their power either directly or indirectly from the Tennessee Valley Authority can take advantage of solar power performance payments. The TVA, and municipal and cooperative utilities that draw power from it will purchase power at a rate of retail plus $.04 per kilowatt-hour for the first ten years following installation.

Georgia Power’s solar buyback program isn’t a power performance payment arrangement, strictly speaking, but it currently allows solar customers to sell their excess power at a rate of around $.17 per kilowatt-hour.

Federal Tax Credits

Georgia may not be the most progressive state when it comes to solar policy, but solar adoption is on the upswing in the Peach State, nonetheless. Thankfully, Georgia residents are eligible for the same enticing federal solar tax credit that solar citizens of other states enjoy.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the fed’s incentive, it covers 30% of the total out-of-pocket cost for qualified new solar installations and purchases. And, because Georgia doesn’t currently offer any solar tax rebates or credits, residents here can expect larger federal credits.

Solar customers can also take accelerated depreciation of 20% of the total system cost each year for five years.

If you're looking to get a leg up on the solar installation competition in the state of Georgia, contact RGR Marketing today to learn more about purchasing high quality exclusive solar leads.

[Photo Via: SolarEnergyUSA]

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