Rooftop SolarRemoving Barriers and Inspiring Action

Moderator: Rick Minard, NH Office of Energy and Planning

Sarah Simonds, Vital Communities & Solarize Upper ValleyJon Osgood, NH Public Utilities Commission

Jonathan Gregory, Revision EnergyRick LaBrecque, Eversource Energy

Scott Albert, GDS Associates

Solarize Upper Valley

15 Towns and 7 InstallersAddress Common Barriers to Going Solar

1. Consumer Confidence Trusted source

2. Complexity Simple first step

3. Cost Tiered pricing

4. Inertia DEADLINE to act!

Solarize = Local Volunteers + Local Installers + 15 Weeks

Solarize Upper Valley

Maybe 200 installations to begin with… 15 Towns and 7 Installers

Andover-New London-Wilmot

14%Hanover

21%

Orford5%

Randolph-Braintree-Brookfield

14%

Pomfret-Woodstock

10%

Cornish-Plain-field7%

Lyme16%

Thetford-Strafford

15%

1.7 Megawatts of new solar Over 300 new solar

homes!

Over 1200 site visits (8% of all

households) And counting…

Residential Solar (and Wind) Rebates

• Rebate Amount• Maximum $3,750.00• Lowest of:

• $0.75 per Watt• Total panel DC rating

Or• 50% of total project cost

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Residential Solar (and Wind) Rebates

• Conditions• 10kW DC or smaller systems• New or Expansion Systems• One-time Rebate• UL Listed Equipment• 80% System Efficiency (Target)

• Home-owner is Applicant• Payment to applicant only

• Permits• Inspection

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Residential Solar (and Wind) Rebates

• 1,540 rebates paid

• 1,862 rebate applications received

• $35m project value

• Avg. system size 3.94 kW

• Avg. per kW cost $5,200/kW

• FY15 avg. sys size 6.55 kW

• FY15 Avg. sys cost $24,500

• FY15 avg. per kW cost $3,760/kW

FY2010 FY2011 FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY15 YTD0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

87 195 189 237 271 383

Rebated Solar Systems

The Importance of Licensed Electricians

Jonathan GregoryReVision Energy, LLCjgregory@ReVisionEnergy.com

• Its the Law!• Code Complexities• High Voltage (DC and AC)• Terminals and Grounding• Accountability and Experience• Apprenticeship Programs

Working with your Utility

• Get to know your utility DG contact people, website, and forms

• Submit a completed application early in the process

• Avoid issues with non-approved installations (meter box, UL-1741, disconnect, transformer size)

• Make sure of the meter # and account #

• Kilowatt-hours cannot be shared across multiple meters (w/o Group Host treatment)

• Licensed Electrician vs Town Inspector (Certificate of Completion)

• Do not energize system until proper meter is installed and authorized

• Avoid the late December rush

Steps to Consider When Pursuing Residential Solar PV

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* As with any significant purchase, shop around when considering purchasing a solar PV system. Gather as much information as

possible, check contractor references and obtain multiple quotes.

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Example of Project Soft Costs:

Here is an example of the soft costs incurred for one professional installation. These figures were provided by a New Hampshire solar PV installer and show how the permitting and inspection costs may play out in a New Hampshire community with value-based permitting – they are not meant to be representative of typical permitting costs for residential solar PV systems in the State.

Sample Permit Costs for a $20,000 residential rooftop array:

$200 Building Permit ($10 per $1,000)

$100 Electrical Permit ($5 per $1,000)

$500 Structural Analysis and Professional Engineer’s (PE) stamp

$150 Installer Office labor (compiling and submitting permit materials)

$300 Installer Labor costs (Licensed professional required to pick up permit in person, and return

for final inspection)

$1,250 in associated permitting costs = 6.25% of project cost.

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New Hampshire Residential Rooftop Solar PV Permitting, Zoning and Interconnection Guide

January 2015

Purpose: Provide information and tools for municipalities, installers and others. Help reduce soft costs for residential solar PV.

Key Elements:1. Make information available for

municipalities, residents, installers, and utilities

2. Simplify permit application, submission, review and inspection processes

3. Understand utility interconnection requirements

4. Pursue training and other resources

Available for download at nh.gov/oep

DiscussionModerator: Rick Minard, NH Office of Energy and Planning

Sarah Simonds, Vital Communities & Solarize Upper ValleyJon Osgood, NH Public Utilities Commission

Jonathan Gregory, Revision EnergyRick LaBrecque, EverSource

Scott Albert, GDS Associates &