Pacific Power Solar Program

The Energy Trust of Oregon offers a cash-incentive program to customers of Pacific Power who install new solar installations on homes, commercial buildings, farms, non-profits, or government buildings. This rebate can be majorly helpful in lowering the upfront cost of a solar energy system installation, and at Sunbridge Solar, our goal is to help everyone realize their solar dreams, regardless of your budget.

PP Solar Incentive Qualifications

In order to qualify, your building must fall into one of the following sectors: commercial, industrial, local/state/federal government, non-profit, residential (including multifamily and low-income), school, agricultural, or institutional.

The system that you install must be new, UL-listed, in compliance with all applicable standards and laws, and have a two-year minimum warranty on the parts and labor, a five-year minimum warranty on inverters, and a twenty-year minimum warranty on solar panels.

Additionally, the installation must meet all local, state, and federal codes and meet site criteria regarding total solar resource fractions. The system also must be grid-tied, net-metered (for residential installations), and installed by an approved Energy Trust solar trade ally contractor - such as our expert contractors at Sunbridge Solar. Systems up to 1,000 kW are eligible for this incentive.

Residential Incentives

For residential customers, the current incentive level is $0.45 per watt, with a maximum rebate of $3,600. So, residential systems up to 8 kW will be fully incentivized, although larger systems are allowed.

Read More: Oregon Solar Incentives

Commercial, Industrial, Agricultural, Non-Profit, and Government Incentives

For non-residential customers, the incentive rate varies between $0.25 per watt and $0.45 per watt, with a maximum rebate amount of $25,000. The commercial incentives are allocated in steps, with the per-watt amount changing as each previous step’s allocation of funds is used up. The amount does not decrease in a linear fashion, but you can estimate the amount that you will receive by checking the Energy Trust of Oregon’s benefits calculator tool.

Net Energy Metering

Normal electricity meters just measure the amount of electricity in kWh that you buy from the utility company, but net metering uses a special two-way energy meter to find the difference between the amount of grid energy that you consume from the utility company and the amount of excess electricity your solar panels produce that flows into the grid.

Solar Net Energy in Oregon Explained: When you generate more power than you require at that moment, the utility will buy back your power at market rate (same rate you pay) earning you a credit. When you require more electricity than what you can gen… — **Solar Net Energy in Oregon Explained:** When you generate more power than you require at that moment, the utility will buy back your power at market rate (same rate you pay) earning you a credit. When you require more electricity than what you can generate (e.g., night time, etc) you will automatically cash in that credit to cover what you need.

With net metering, you can use the electricity that you generate onsite with solar panels first, and then supplement that as necessary with grid power. Or, if your panels produce more electricity than you can use at any given time, that energy can be essentially “sold” to your utility company for credits against your future energy bills.

Benefits of Net Metering

The main benefit of net metering is that you do not have to use your solar power as it’s generated, which is often impractical if you work during the day and are not home to take advantage of peak solar generation hours. Instead, you can essentially store the energy that your solar panels produce on the grid, which helps reduce or even completely offset the cost of the electricity that you would otherwise have to buy entirely from the grid.

Read More: 3 Main Benefits of Solar Energy

Other Oregon Solar Incentives

Oregon is one of the best states in the nation in terms of solar incentives, with several other offers beyond the Pacific Power rebate program. If applicable, multiple incentives can be applied to the same solar energy system project.

Federal Solar Tax Credit

The Federal Investment Tax Credit for solar is a national program that allows home or business owners who install new solar energy systems to deduct 26% of the total cost of the system from their federal tax liability. If the credit amount is more than your federal tax liability for the year, you can roll the remaining credit over to subsequent years.

This incentive won’t be around for long though - in 2021 the credit amount will drop to 22% and in 2022 and beyond there will be no incentive available to homeowners and only a 10% credit for business owners.

ODOE Battery Rebate

The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) recently rolled out a new rebate program for standalone solar systems as well as solar plus battery backup systems for residential customers. This rebate will cover up to 60% of the net system cost, up to $5,000 for a standalone solar energy system, and up to $7,500 for a solar plus battery backup system.

In order to qualify, the solar energy system and battery backup system must be installed on real property within the state lines of Oregon and the site must have a minimum of 75% total solar resource fraction. Finally, all of the solar and battery equipment must be purchased and installed by the same ODOE-approved contractor - which we at Sunbridge Solar are!

USDA REAP Grant for Solar Installations

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers the Rural Energy for America Program Grant (REAP Grant), which provides solar energy grants and guaranteed loan funding for small rural businesses and agricultural producers. This grant and loan money is specifically for installing renewable energy systems or making improvements to the overall energy efficiency of agricultural producers and rural businesses.