Residential Renewable Energy Incentives - Washington DC

Summary:

In February 2009, the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) introduced the Renewable Energy Incentive Program (REIP), a rebate for solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy systems. The REIP is funded through the Sustainable Energy Trust which is supported by a public benefits charge on utility bills. The DDOE ultimately plans to introduce incentives for additional technologies, including solar water heating, solar space heating, geothermal, and methane/waste gas capture.

Most PEPCO customers within the District of Columbia are eligible for incentives under this program; however, the federal government, the D.C. government, and public schools are specifically identified as ineligible. Systems must be at least 1 kW in order to qualify and should be sized not to exceed on-site energy consumption as measured for the previous 12 months. There is no maximum system size, although incentives are capped at $33,000 per site per fiscal year. The current incentives for solar and wind energy systems are as follows:

Applicants must get a site assessment and conduct a pre-qualification application to get a reservation number. Once the pre-qualification application is approved, the applicant must complete a final application. If funds run out for a given year, applicants hold their place in line for one year with their reservation number and may receive funding the next year. The system must be completed within six months of the award date. If the system is not completed, the applicant may get a six month extension. If the system is not completed at the end of the extension, then the rebate must be returned to DDOE.

Projects must be located within the District of Columbia and applicants must be customers of Pepco. Projects receiving incentives must be grid-connected and must follow the interconnection, operation, and metering guidelines set by Pepco and the DC Public Service Commission. Large systems must have remote communication capabilities for monitoring of the performance meter.

For more information, please view the program guidelines .

Last DSIRE Review: 07/01/2009

Program Overview:

Summary:

In the District of Columbia (DC), net metering is currently available to residential and commercial customer-generators with systems powered by renewable-energy sources, combined heat and power (CHP), fuel cells and microturbines, with a maximum capacity of 1 MW. The term “renewable energy sources” is defined as solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biomass, hydroelectric power and digester gas. Legislation in October 2008 (Council Bill 17-492) expanded the limit on individual system size from 100 kW to 1 MW. While this change is not yet reflected in the District’s administrative rules (click here to view the PSC’s Proposed Rules for this change, issued in October 2009), Pepco’s recent January 2009 net metering tariff filing allows for net metering up to 1 MW.

The District’s net-metering rules specify that metering equipment must be capable of measuring the flow of electricity in two directions. Utilities are not prohibited from installing an additional meter on the facilities of eligible customer-generators, but utilities that choose to do so must pay for the added cost of the second meter and/or other necessary equipment. Net excess generation (NEG) is credited to the customer’s next bill at the utility’s full retail rate.* The renewable-energy credits (RECs) associated with customer generation are shared between the customer-generator and the utility. Utilities must offer a standard net-metering contract approved by the PSC.

*Pepco is the only electric distribution company that serves the District. In June 2008, the DC PSC clarified that Pepco (Order 14840) must award net-metered customers credit at the utility’s full retail rate for the electricity they generate during a billing cycle.