PSI Rebate Amounts | Rebate Application Overview | Application Process
Incentive Details | PSI Program Requirements | Going Solar Workshops | More...

As part of the City of Pasadena’s Green City Action Plan and the State’s Million Solar Roofs Initiative, the Pasadena Solar Initiative (PSI) is PWP’s commitment to helping its customers install a total of 14,000 kilowatts of solar power by 2017.

With that goal in mind, PWP now offers solar rebates to all customers. We will also reimburse permit fees paid to the Department of Planning and Development associated with residential installations. And now, new federal incentives signed into law on Oct. 3, 2008 make solar even more affordable.

WHAT'S NEW:

• New Easy-to-use Application Request Form

• Congress Passes 30% Federal Tax Credit for Homeowners and Businesses through Dec. 31, 2016

• Federal Solar Incentive Tax Credit FAQ (provided by the Solar Energy Industries Association)

• FREE Solar Workshop on October 10, 2009

• Map of Solar Installations in Pasadena

• Customer Guide to Solar Lease Programs

• Clean Power Estimator

PSI Rebate Amounts | Rebate Application Overview | Application Process
Incentive Details | PSI Program Requirements | Going Solar Workshops | More...

Pasadena Solar Initiative Program
Rebate Amounts and Incentives (effective January 15, 2009)

• All PWP electric customers are now eligible for performance-based rebates on solar photovoltaic (PV) systems
   

• Incentive rates are based on CEC-AC Watts and may be reduced at any time prior to application approval.
   

• Non-Profit entities must include a certification under penalty of perjury from their chief financial officer or equivalent that they are a Non-Profit entity, proof of a Section 501 (c) (3), and that the system is not receiving and will not in the future receive federal tax benefits through financial arrangements for the entire warranty period of the system (i.e., the System Owner if a third-party, which will be receiving tax benefits from the system).
   

• Rebate amounts are based on the size and characteristics of the PV system and your customer classification. Click here for PSI Incentive details

* Systems sized between 10 kW-AC and 50 kW-AC may opt for the PBI payment option.

PSI Rebate Application Overview

1.      Find an installer for your solar system

2.       Determine your energy needs and appropriate size of PV system

3.    Mail Application Request Form and supporting documents to PWP

4.    Obtain PSI application approval from PWP to reserve rebate

5.    Obtain building permit from Planning & Development

6.    Customer installs solar PV system

7.    Solar system inspection by Planning & Development

8.    Submit Incentive Claim Form

9.    Electrical inspection and interconnection clearance from PWP

10.  Receive rebate check

READ FULL DETAILS ON APPLICATION PROCESS

 

FOR SELF-INSTALLATIONS, CALL THE ANSWERLINE (626) 744-6970

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Pasadena Solar Initiative Workshops

PWP hosts several free solar workshops throughout the year just for its electric customers. Experts will be on hand to answer your questions about:

• the Pasadena Solar Initiative rebate application process;

• how to choose a vendor;

• types of solar panels and meters available;

• permit requirements;

• financing options and lease agreements;

• how to calculate energy and cost savings.

Upcoming workshops:  October 10 - residential customers

Space is limited and reservations are required. Reserve your spot today.

More on PSI and Going Solar

Additional PSI Program Information

• Pasadena Solar Initiative Flier

• Buying a PV Solar electric System

• PWP Electric Rates Structure

• Map of Solar Installations in Pasadena

• Fire Code for PV Installations

State and Federal Information on Solar Power

• Federal Solar Incentive Tax Credit FAQ
        (provided by the Solar Energy Industries Association)

• SB 1399: Notify Neighbors Before Installing Solar

• California Solar Initiative*

• California Legislation Related to Solar

• Customer Guide to Solar Lease Programs

• General information from the state on solar powered systems*

• Federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) Solar PV website

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Solar PV website

FULL DETAILS ON APPLICATION PROCESS

 

FOR SELF-INSTALLATIONS, CALL THE ANSWERLINE (626) 744-6970

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Before the PV system is allowed to interconnect to the grid or receive any rebate, customers are required to provide two (2) signed original copies of the Interconnection Agreement and Net Metering Agreement and an Energy Efficiency Audit (see Step 8 below). Energy efficiency audits are available free of charge upon request for facilities that will host PV systems. Contact the AnswerLine at 626-744-6970 or your Account Manager to request an Energy efficiency audit.

STEP 5 – BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION

A building permit from the City’s Department of Planning and Development is required before installing a solar system on your home or facility.

Installer (or customer) must bring PWP’s Approval and Reservation Letter when applying for a building permit from the City’s Department of Planning and Development.

 Permit Center is located at 175 North Garfield Av. Pasadena, during our business hours, (Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.). For more information in how to obtain a building permit, visit the Permit Center website or call 626-744-6646

STEP 6 – SOLAR SYSTEM INSTALLATION

Installers must be familiar with PWP’s rules and regulations for electrical design and installation (Regulation 21)  and  Distributed Generation Interconnection Requirements (Regulation 23) including  metering requirements

Systems must be installed in conformance with the manufacturers’ specifications and with all applicable electrical and building codes and standards. Installer will work with an electrical inspector from the City’s Department of Planning and Development to make sure the installation is in compliance with local codes.

STEP 7 – SOLAR SYSTEM INSPECTION

As part of the installation process, your solar installer generally handles permits required by the city. When the solar installation is complete, a building inspector from the City’s Department of Planning and Development will verify that the system conforms to building and safety codes.

After the solar system passes inspection, Building Inspector will lock the PV system in the off position.Please note the PV system will not be allowed to interconnect to the grid until PWP’s Interconnection Agreement and Net Metering Agreement is fully executed (signed) by both customer and the City of Pasadena AND customer has received written authorization to operate system from PWP.

STEP 8 – SUBMIT INCENTIVE CLAIM FORM

After solar system has been signed off by building inspector, installer (or customer) submits the Incentive Payment Claim Form (IC) to PWP with the following supporting documents to start the solar incentive rebate process:

•  Incentive Payment Claim Form

• Copy of the Building Final Inspection Sign-off

• Copy of Permit fees receipt

• Copy of Energy Efficiency Audit Report

• Copy of the itemized final sales invoice

•  Completed original copy of PSI Payment Assignment Form (if applicable)

STEP 9 – SOLAR INTERCONNECTION CLEARANCE

After all the required documents are submitted, PWP will replace old meter with a new Net-Meter and the system can be turned on. PWP requires a performance meter for solar systems larger than 10 kW-AC. Please refer to the PSI Program requirements for more information.

Random inspection and testing of the system will be performed by PWP personnel to verify that the system was installed as designed and specified in the original application and the equipment functions properly.

PWP will perform a Final Inspection and Commissioning to all solar systems under the PBI Option or larger than 50 kW CEC-AC.

After all required documents on Step 8 have been submitted, Pasadena Water and Power will replace old utility meter with a new Net-Meter capable of spinning and recording net energy in both directions. As soon as new utility meter is installed, PWP will send Letter of Interconnection authorizing customer to turn the solar system on.

Customer will receive a rebate check within 2-3 weeks after submitting all the required PSI program documents.

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PSI PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Customers are required to obtain approval from the utility first before applying for a building permit for a solar installation. After application is approved by PWP, funds will be automatically reserved for the solar installation for a specified period.

All PV systems must meet requirements listed herein and Public Resource Code Section 25782 to qualify for the PSI.

Eligible Customers and Solar Energy Systems

• Any consumer taking electrical energy service from PWP under Pasadena Municipal Code Section 13.04 (“Customer”) is eligible for PSI incentives.
• Currently, only solar photovoltaic systems are eligible for financial incentives under the PSI.
• A separate PSI application is required for each PWP’s electrical account/service/meter.

   

Solar System Size, Location, and Ownership Requirements

·         Size: The solar energy system must be between 1kW and 1,000 kW CEC-AC and intended primarily to offset part or all of the Customer’s own electricity demand. Systems should be sized to produce no more than 100% of the Customer’s average annual energy consumption as shown on the PWP billing record for the three years previous to the issuance of the Reservation. If the customer’s account has less than three year history, the average will be calculated with available data.

Applications with new or expanded sites with no electric bill history or where the existing electric bill does not reflect the customer’s expected expanded consumption, the application must include an estimate of the expected expanded consumption. An engineering estimate is preferred. The engineering estimate must include the appropriate substantiation of the forecast of the customer site’s annual energy use (in kWh) if the generating system size is based on future load growth, including new construction, load growth due to site expansion or other load growth circumstances. Suggested methods of demonstrating load growth include Application for Service with corresponding equipment schedules and single line diagram; building simulation program reports such as eQUEST, EnergyPro, DOE-2, and VisualDOE; or detailed engineering calculations or lists of equipment with corresponding equipment schedules. The PSI Program Manager will verify the load growth predicted before moving forward with the application process.

      Solar systems installed under previous Solar Program qualify for additional solar capacity under PSI. New application is required and current PSI requirements will apply.

·         Location: The PV system must be permanently installed on the same premises where the Customer’s electricity demand is located

·         Interconnection: The PV system must be connected to PWP’s electrical distribution grid.

·         Ownership: The customer may lease the PV system or purchase its output from a third-party PV system owner/operator/installer. Please see “Additional Requirements for Third Party Ownership”

Additional Requirements for Third Party Ownership (PPAs)

For all customers procuring their PV system viwer Purchasing Agreement (PPAs) by Third-Party companies, the Commercial customer PBI rate shall apply (including non-profit customers).

1. The PV system is intended to be operational and operated at the expected generation capacity for a minimum of 20 years.
2. The lease or power purchase agreement (“PPA”) has a minimum initial term of 10 years
3. The lease or PPA provides the Customer an option to either (i) renew the lease or PPA for a minimum 20 year cumulative term; and/or (ii) purchase the system at the end of the lease or PPA term.
4. The lease or PPA provides Customer with reasonable assignment, transfer of ownership, or buyout option in the event the Customer property is sold before the end of the term.

Interconnection to the Electric Utility Distribution System  

Eligible solar electric generating energy systems must be permanently interconnected to the electrical distribution grid of the utility serving the customer’s electrical load. Portable systems are not eligible. The system interconnection must comply with applicable electrical codes and utility interconnection requirements.

PV systems will not be allowed to operate until PWP’s Interconnection Agreement and Net Metering Agreement is fully executed (signed) by both customer and the City of Pasadena and written authorization and clearance is provided by PWP.

Solar Energy System Components and Warranty

All components in the solar energy system must be new and unused and must not have been previously been placed in service in any other location or for any other application.

All major solar energy system components, including PV modules, inverters, and meters must be included on the CEC’s Eligible Equipment Lists, which may be found on the CEC website.

All solar energy systems must have a minimum 10-year warranty provided in combination by the manufacturer and installer to protect the purchaser against defective workmanship, system or component breakdown, or degradation in electrical output of more than fifteen percent from their originally rated electrical output during the ten-year period.

Installation

The solar energy system must be installed in conformance with the manufacturer’s specifications and in compliance with all applicable electrical and building code standards.

For information about PWP’s rules and regulations for electrical design and installation, please read about Regulation 21. For installations larger than 10 kW AC, rules and regulations governing Regulation 23 (Distributed Generation Interconnection Requirements) may apply.

All installations require submittal of electrical drawings such as single line diagram and site plan. Refer to Step 3 of the PSI Application Process for more specific requirements.

All installations are required to obtain the appropriate building permits from Department of Planning and Development located at 175 N. Garfield Ave, Pasadena CA 91101. For more information, please call at 626-744-6646 or visit the Permit Center.

PSI will reimburse permit fees paid to the Department of Planning and Development for the installation of RESIDENTIAL solar systems. Reimbursement of the permit fees will be processed when installation of the system is completed as part of the rebate process. Permit fees are normally under $200.00 for residential installations.

Utility AC Manual Disconnect

Meter Requirements

Systems larger than 10 kW AC are required to install a performance or generation meter with ± 2 percent accuracy tested according to all applicable ANSI C-12 testing protocols, and purchased from Pasadena Water and Power meter shop.  A meter socket for PV performance meter is required in all installations larger than 10 kW CEC-AC.

Systems up to 10 kW CEC-AC can use the inverter’s built-in performance meter in lieu of a performance meter or install a performance meter at the customer’s option and expense. Eligible meters are listed at the California Energy Commission website listed above.

For all systems receiving PBI payments, the installed meter(s) must be a separate Interval Data Recording (IDR) meter(s) or a complete system that is functionally equivalent to and IDR meter recording data no less frequently than a 15 minutes. PWP may require additional meter functionality requirements to monitor large solar systems.

Meters and service panels must meet all local building and utility codes.

PWP will install a bidirectional net meter before the system is connected to the grid at no cost to the customer.

Maximizing Solar Generation

PSI provides financial incentives for high quality solar installations with maximum system performance during periods of peak electric demand.

All solar installations are required to submit a shading analysis through the use of a solar Pathfinder (a device that calculates the sun’s path throughout the year) or any equivalent technology.

For systems up to 10 kW CEC-AC, A shading analysis must be done for each separate solar array by placing the instrument at the center of where the array will be located and taking a reading. For systems equal to or larger than 10 KW AC, shading analysis at each corner of the array must be performed and an average result from the four readings must be submitted.

It is the intent of the PSI Program to provide incentives for reliable, permanent, safe systems that are professionally installed, and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations. PWP will conduct final inspection and commissioning for systems under the PBI option or greater than 50 kW CEC-AC in order to verify that the project is installed as represented in the application, is operational, is interconnected, and conforms to the eligibility criteria of the PSI Program.

PWP will perform random field inspections to verify system characteristics for EPBB systems up to 50 kW. CEC-AC

Energy Efficiency Audits

All existing residential and commercial customers are required to have an energy efficiency audit conducted of their existing home or building before solar incentives are paid.

Residential customers can fulfill this requirement by providing proof of completing the Home Energy Calculator. They may also schedule a residential energy efficiency audits from PWP at no cost. Please call the AnswerLine at 626-744-6970.

Large commercial customers must contact their PWP Account Manager, who will assist commercial customers to fulfill the audit requirement.

Payment Assignment

Customer may agree to assign the PSI incentive payment a third party by completing the PSI Payment Assignment Form.

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COMMENTS/QUESTIONS

 If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions regarding the Pasadena Solar Initiative, please call the Answerline at 626-744-6970 or write to solar@cityofpasadena.net

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