Incentives to install solar projects in Nevada have been cut by more than half under new rules issued by the state Public Utilities Commission this month. It’s a dramatic drop from a year ago and represents a major change in who will benefit from the incentive.
Nevada’s solar incentive program set a goal of 250 megawatts of solar installed by 2025 at a cost of $255 million. So far, $190 million has been spent and only 44 megawatts installed, mostly by government and non-profits.
NV Energy asked the PUC to cut incentives from $2.80 last year to 80 cents this year. That will have a big impact on non-profits says Rich Hamilton, business director for Black Rock Solar.
“The impact on our clients is going to be fewer projects and therefore fewer dollars saved on power and fewer dollars put back into mission," says Hamilton.
He says solar will no longer make financial sense for half of his non-profit clients. NV Energy proposed the drop so that remaining funds could serve more applicants and install more solar.
Residential contractor Solar City supported the cut. The Public Utilities Commission also approved $500,000 increase in NV Energy’s budget for handling more solar applications.
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