Rebates

S.B. 802 of 2024 authorized the establishment of a statewide Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditure (C-PACE) program that local governments may voluntarily join. Eligible properties include commercial, industrial, agricultural, nonprofit, and multifamily residential properties with five or more dwelling units. The bill establishes the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina as the statewide administrator for the program and assigns a variety of tasks to it: 

• Prepare a C-PACE toolkit, as described in S.B. 802, in consultation with stakeholders and local governments
• Impose fees to offset the actual and reasonable costs of administering the C-PACE Program, including an application fee not

Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing effectively allows property owners to borrow money to pay for energy improvements. The amount borrowed is typically repaid via a special assessment on the property over a period of years. In 2021, S.B. 147 authorized the creation of a Commercial PACE (C-PACE) program to be administered by the Montana Facility Finance Authority (MFFA). To be eligible, properties must be located in a Montana city, county, town, or a consolidated city-town that has or will establish a C-PACE District. C-PACE District designation is tracked by the MFFA and may be viewed here.

The C-PACE program

On November 28, 2023, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bill 5120 (PA 233 of 2023) which provides siting authority to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) for utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage facilities under specified conditions. The MPSC has engagement sessions scheduled that are open to the public to gather input on the implementation of PA 233.

What facilities are covered by PA 233?

• The siting process created in PA 233 applies to
• Solar facilities with a nameplate capacity of 50 MW or more,

• Wind facilities with a nameplate capacity of 100 MW or more, and

• Energy storage facilities

Tennessee does not have statewide interconnection standards. However, the Tennessee Valley Authority, which supplies electric utilities in Tennessee, does have interconnection procedures for small (20 MW or smaller) and large (larger than 20 MW) generating facilities.

North Dakota does not have statewide interconnection standards. 

Interconnection processes for Otter Tail Power are available here.

Interconnection guidelines for Xcel Energy can be found here.

Interconnection processes for Montana-Dakota Utilities can be found here.

Alabama does not have statewide interconnection standards. 

Southern Company, the parent company of Alabama Power Company, does have a policy on operation of distributed energy resources (DER) in parallel with the distribution system. 

The policy does not give explicit information on system size limits in relation to levels of review. The scope of any required system impact study is determined jointly by the DER owner and the utility. Following the system impact study, an interconnection equipment study may also be required. Incorporation of energy storage systems may require additional study.

Note: In 2010, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which has authority over mortgage underwriters Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, directed these enterprises against purchasing mortgages of homes with a PACE lien due to its senior status above a mortgage. Most residential PACE activity subsided following this directive; however, some residential PACE programs are now operating with loan loss reserve funds, appropriate disclosures, or other protections meant to address FHFA's concerns. Commercial PACE programs were not directly affected by FHFA’s actions, as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not underwrite commercial mortgages. Visit PACENation for more information about PACE financing

Marin Clean Energy (MCE), a Community Choice Aggregator, provides an incentive for its customers to install renewable energy systems through the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Plus Program. MCE will pay for all energy, environmental attributes, capacity, and if applicable, storage-related services and attributes delivered by the system at a fixed rate based on metered energy quantities multiplied by the applicable contract price for the delivery term.

The contract price is scheduled to step down over time as the installed capacity of all participating systems increases.  As of May 2024 there are 10.8 MW remaining on the 5th of 6 steps

The  New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority's (CDFA) Clean Energy Fund invests in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for cost reduction purposes -- specifically for businesses, non-profits, and municipalities. The fund is capitalized at over $10 million and merges four individual revolving loan funds dedicated to energy efficiency improvements and various clean/renewable energy initiatives, all into a single program (some specific limitations may apply).

Funding comes from both federal and state sources, including CDFA's own funds. Projects eligible for funding are those resulting in a minimum energy savings of 15%, among other criteria. Project examples include LED lighting retrofits

Focus on Energy offers a variety of tools and financial incentives to eligible business customers to retro-commission buildings or design and build new buildings to optimize performance. Through Focus on Energy's Energy Design Assistance Program, customers will receive a free, customized, whole-building analysis of energy-saving design options. Focus on Energy prepares multiple design options, each progressively more efficient, so that building owners and design teams can customize dozens of design elements to maximize energy efficiency opportunities while balancing financial considerations. Projects can also receive custom incentives based on estimated energy savings. See program website and contact Focus on Energy for