The latest Office of Clean Energy rebate-funding round opened on September 1, and it's only about half-subscribed so far. The previous funding round in May was fully subscribed on the day it opened; some solar installers even camped out the night before.
There are a few reasons for the lack of interest in rebates, the Star-Ledger says. One is that more New Jerseyans are relying on solar renewable energy credits, which are produced when a household generates a certain amount of clean energy. The credits can be sold on the spot market to utilities that must meet state energy-purchasing rules.
Also driving solar-rebate demand lower is the increased use of power-purchase agreements, where a homeowner or business contracts to buy clean energy from a third party for a set amount of time. There are no upfront costs, and electricity bought through PPAs is generally cheaper than grid-sourced energy.
While solar rebates may not be as popular in New Jersey as they once were, solar installations continue to spring up around the state. This week, northern New Jersey's Record newspaper reports that a church in Upper Saddle River is adopting solar power.
