Sunday, November 16, 2008

Maryland Solar Energy Grant Deadline 11/30/08

The Maryland Solar Energy Grant program has issued a deadline of November 30, 2008 to get on the list of projects eligible for the current level of grants. The current program offers $2,500 per kilowatt of solar energy installed, up to a cap of $10,000.

Because the program has proven very popular and the Federal tax credit will no longer have a ceiling beginning January 1, 2009 (as part of October's $700B financial bailout package), the Maryland program will be revised and will probably not be as generous in the future.

So, if you want to take full advantage of both the Maryland and Federal programs, you need to get a solar project under contract with a down payment by November 30...and probably the sooner the better to get higher on the waiting list for funds. The project must be installed between January 1 and June 30, 2009, as I understand it.

It's not clear to me whether the state of Maryland guarantees that all eligible grants will be fully funded, but it appears that is the intent. The funding money comes from Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative auctions, the first of which in September generated $13 million. Two more auctions are scheduled in December and March.

If you don't make the November 30 deadline, you can still be eligible for the Maryland program for next year, but the levels of grants are yet to be determined.

See my earlier posting on solar incentives and tax credits.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think we best be getting on with the promise of making America energy independent.Iran just asked OPEC to reduce production by yet another 1.5 million barrels per day.This past year and the record gas prices played a huge part in our economic meltdown and seriously damaged our society.We keep planning to spend BILLIONS on bailouts and stimulus plans.Bail us out of our dependence on foreign oil. Make electric plug in car technology more affordable. It cost the equivalent of 60 cents a gallon to drive an electric plug in car. The electric could be generated from wind or solar. Get with it! Utilize free sources such as wind and solar. Stop throwing away money on things that don't work. Invest in America and it's energy independence. Create cheap clean energy, create millions of badly needed green collar jobs. Put America back to work. It is a win-win situation. We have to become more poractive citizens, educate ourselves and demand our elected officials move this country forward into the era of energy independence. Jeff Wilson's new book The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence NOW outlines a plan for America to wean itself off oil. We need a plan and we need it now! www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com