July 8, 2022 Anne Fischer

The pv journal USA tour of photo voltaic incentives now takes us to the South-Atlantic area, with the primary cease in Delaware, the second smallest state within the nation. Whereas it’s the sixth least populated state, it is usually the sixth most densely populated state. Delaware is house to the Institute of Vitality Conversion on the College of Delaware, based in 1972 and believed to be the oldest constantly working photo voltaic analysis institute on this planet.

Delaware is at the moment ranked 41^st in photo voltaic installations within the nation, in response to the Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation. That’s down from 37^th in 2021. Lower than 5% of the state’s electrical energy is derived from photo voltaic, and SEIA’s development projection is for under 341 MW put in within the subsequent 5 years, dropping the state additional to 44^th.

Final yr the Governor signed a invoice boosting the state’s renewable portfolio customary to 40% by 2035, with 10% required to come back from photo voltaic. When the invoice handed, the Sierra Membership welcomed the elevated RPS, however the group argued the brand new 40% goal was too low and left Delaware “behind just about each state within the area,” most of which have targets 50% or increased.

To satisfy the brand new RPS, two Delaware utilities are providing incentives for patrons so as to add photo voltaic. Delmarva Energy affords a money rebate of $0.70 per watt of photo voltaic producing capability put in as much as 50 kW, to a most of $6,000. Delaware Electrical Cooperative affords prospects $0.50/W of solar energy put in (as much as 5 kW), and $0.20/W for any further photo voltaic capability.

Web metering

The state at the moment has some sturdy photo voltaic incentives in place, along with the federal funding tax credit score of 26% for the price of gear put in. Delaware’s internet metering legislation permits third-party photo voltaic financing and affords a full retail charge for internet metered electrical energy, which means that owners obtain the identical charge for his or her extra solar-generated electrical energy that owners pay the utility for grid-supplied energy.

Neighborhood photo voltaic

Neighborhood photo voltaic has been authorized in Delaware since 2010, however a invoice signed into legislation in September 2021, expands entry to group photo voltaic initiatives. SB 2 will increase the utmost dimension of techniques to 4 MW, requires that every system proprietor to certify that no less than 15% of its prospects are low-income, eliminates the requirement that every one prospects be on the identical distribution feeder, and extra.

Low- to moderate-income applications

Along with the requirement for low-income prospects to have entry to group photo voltaic, the Delaware Division of Pure Sources and Environmental Management (DNREC) lately introduced the launch of a two-year pilot program for low- to moderate-income households, providing free photo voltaic panels or price help, relying on eligibility. Low-income households should first apply for set up providers by the DNREC’s Weatherization Help Program, a cost-free program that improves residential power effectivity by weatherproofing and different house enhancements. Properties that qualify can obtain a free photo voltaic set up of as much as 4.0 kW. Average-income households can obtain a photo voltaic set up 70% lined by the help program, and 30% is paid by the home-owner, for techniques as much as 6.0 kW in capability. 

An entire record of photo voltaic incentives obtainable to Delaware residents could be discovered right here.

Notable installations

Delaware’s largest photo voltaic set up is the 15 MW Milford Photo voltaic Farm. Commissioned in 2012, it generates 21,000 MWh of electrical energy or sufficient to energy 9,000 households, offsetting 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) a yr. The undertaking is owned by PSEG Photo voltaic Source and the electrical energy is offered to Delaware Municipal Electrical beneath a 20-year energy buy settlement. The undertaking consists of 30 ABB inverters and 62,000 Canadian Photo voltaic modules on fixed-tilt racking techniques. Juwi photo voltaic is the contractor and gives EPC providers.

The longstanding Milford undertaking is about to be eclipsed by two a lot bigger installations: the 114 MW Cedar Creek Photo voltaic Mission in Townsend and the 50 MW Raceway Photo voltaic Mission in Harrington. Each are at the moment beneath development by Freepoint Photo voltaic.

Final time, the pv journal tour of the 50 states of photo voltaic took us to neighboring New  York, and subsequent we are going to proceed to journey by the South-Atlantic area.