Comments on: Maine State Solar Power Rebates, Tax Credits, and Incentives

By: kj

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:25:12 +0000

horrible incentives for such a tree hugger state. Maine needs to put its money where its mouth is….

By: Tor a.k.a. "Solar Fred"

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:19:52 +0000

Guy, you’re absolutely right. We use a lot more electric air conditioning out here, so it’s probably not a good comparison for Maine, which I’m sure relies more on gas heating.

Reducing energy consumption as much as possible is key, especially with Maine’s state rebate only being $2000. But everyone has the Federal government’s 30% tax credit to take advantage of until 2016, so that’s a significant chunk there in addition to the $2000 from the State o’ Maine. Thanks for your comment.

By: Guy Marsden

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:05:09 +0000

I take issue with your assumption that a Household uses 1300KWH a month! That’s more than 2X our consumption. There’s no point in installing solar if you haven’t already reduced your consumption to the bare minimum by addressing energy efficiency.

I live about 30 miles north of Portland, Maine. I’m installing my own 3.6kW system at a cost of about $21,000. Our monthly electric consumption is about 550KwH, so this will cover a significant portion of our energy needs on an annual basis.

By: Mike White

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:49:11 +0000

The Maine Renewable Energy Sources Act, a feed-in tariff bill has been submitted this session 3/24/09.

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By: henry fossett

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:57:03 +0000

Ive just started researching this alternate power source, but either i’m reading things wrong, or maybe theres just confusing terms here: First, my house used about 700kwh last month, so what good is it for me to max out the credit allowance and get a system that peaks 100kw? also, I was just researching a system that will give me about 1000kw a month, but needs 312sqft of roof, why does this 100kw system need 700sqft? thats a pretty big roof (and likely one side, too)

While this tax credit is a nice gesture, its just that, a gesture. How is it that the power company gets to keep my overage free of charge? I’m sure they will be charging the next person down the line recieving it the going rate. With only 100kw max (for the credit), I wont likely be seeing any overage anyway, like I stated earlier, my house runs about 700kwh… Whats a 100kw equal? a fridge and a nightlight? I truly hope it is a misunderstanding of terminology here, as it seems like this credit is not designed to get Mainers off the grid, but mainly to satisfy a special interest group that dabbles in solar power. (I realize the author(s) of this page merely report what is, I am simply trying to express what a lot of other people I have spoken to about this have opined)

I also would like to point to the wide range in estimating the payoff timeframe. 2-13 years? why such a large gap? I’m sure there are a lot of reasons for this; A list of pros and cons to solar power in Maine would be nice, with a more detailed reason for the huge estimate swings; some insights on living with solar power in a State with such seasonal and daylight availability as we have here. How about some input from some of our neighbors who have taken the plunge, so to speak.

I am still investigating this as an feasible alternate energy source, but until the average person gets some serious cost relief from the massive initial installation layout and some long term incentive (like getting a check from CMP for all overages), It is simply out of reach for most of us in the short term, and the long term payoff for running and maintaining a system is too little, too late.

Thank you for your time, Henry Fossett