Pay-As-You-Go Solar

Here’s a FIRST in the Nation: The Berkeley City Council has approved a proposal by Mayor Tom Bates to make Berkeley the the first city in the nation to allow property owners to pay for energy efficiency improvements and solar system installation as a voluntary long-term assessment on their individual property tax bill.  The program is now in development, with a June 2008 target date for the launch of the pilot phase of the project.  

California has also approved a Feed In Tarriff system that pays individual homeowners a fee for providing rooftop electricity to the local utility. A similar law in Germany offers homeowners 10 times the wholesale price for electricity for a fixed number of years. This provides homeowners with enough money over time to finance their solar system and make a profit once it is paid for.

In Colorado, House Bill 1166 is seeking similar approval for Feed In Tarriff law where homeowners will be paid to feed excess electricity into the local utility, Xcel.