A new, free guide produced for the Vermont Public Service Department will help homeowners navigate the process of going solar.
Montpelier, VT – Vermonters interested in installing a residential solar photovoltaic (PV) system have a new resource to help them navigate the path towards energy independence. The guide, titled “A Vermonter’s Guide to Residential Solar,” was produced by the nonprofit Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) for the Vermont Public Service Department and is available to download for free on the Department’s website.
“Vermont has seen tremendous growth in residential and community-scale solar with over 6,000 installed net-metered solar projects in the state” noted Public Service Department Commissioner Chris Recchia. “As thousands more Vermonters explore the possibility of going solar, the Vermont Public Service Department is committed to providing quality information to help them navigate the process. It is our hope that affiliated agencies and organizations will help spread the word about this helpful new booklet.”
There are many ways to build and finance a solar PV system. “A Vermonter’s Guide to Residential Solar” can help residents decide whether it makes sense for them to go solar and if so, how. The guide includes relevant information needed at different points during the decision making and installation process:
- Reasons Vermonters are choosing solar
- The physical components of a PV system
- Consumer needs, opportunities, and system design considerations
- Ways to finance a solar system
- Solar savings and incentives, including the federal tax credit, net metering, and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
- Choosing a solar contractor and reviewing a solar contract
- Solar system permitting
- After a system is installed
Appendices cover questions to ask a solar contractor, a project checklist, a glossary, and other resources.
“A Vermonter’s Guide to Residential Solar” is available as a pdf athttp://publicservice.vermont.gov/sites/dps/files/documents/Renewable_Energy/Vt%20Guide%20to%20Residential%20Solar%202016.pdf
Development and publication of this guide was funded through the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative Rooftop Solar Challenge II. Production was managed by the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) and the Vermont Public Service Department’s Clean Energy Development Fund through the New England Solar Cost-Reduction Partnership, a Rooftop Solar Challenge II project. The New England Solar Cost-Reduction Partnership is working to reduce the costs of solar deployment across five New England states by targeting non-hardware solar “soft” costs.
About the SunShot Initiative
The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour. You can learn more about the SunShot Initiative at energy.gov/sunshot.
About the Vermont Public Service Department Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF)
The CEDF, at the Vermont Public Service Department (PSD), offers a portfolio of funding opportunities to accelerate the development, commercialization, and production of clean energy in Vermont including: grants, direct incentive payments, credit enhancements for renewable energy lenders, contracts for specific products or services, and other offerings as may be authorized by the Vermont General Assembly and subject to approval of the PSD. Since its inception, the CEDF has awarded over $64 million in federal and state resources for renewable energy and energy efficiency in Vermont, leveraging total investments of more than $258 million in the state’s clean energy infrastructure. Learn more at http://publicservice.vermont.gov/renewable_energy/cedf.
About the Clean Energy States Alliance
The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) is a national, nonprofit coalition of public agencies and organizations working together to advance clean energy. CESA members—mostly state agencies— include many of the most innovative, successful, and influential public funders of clean energy initiatives in the country. CESA works with state leaders, federal agencies, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to develop and promote clean energy technologies and markets. It supports effective state and local policies, programs, and innovation in the clean energy sector, with an emphasis on renewable energy, power generation, financing strategies, and economic development. CESA facilitates information sharing, provides technical assistance, coordinates multi-state collaborative projects, and communicates the views and achievements of its members. Learn more at www.cesa.org.
I’d like a hard copy of the Vermonter’s Guide to Residential Solar. I don’t have the ab ility to print off a copy and want to share this with an elderly relative. Can you snail-mail it to me?