North Carolina customers soon will receive as much as $10,000 from Progress Energy for the rooftop solar panels they installed, according to published reports.

As approved earlier this week by the state utilities commission, SunSense - the solar energy incentive - will further slash prices for solar panels. When merged with tax credits from the state and the federal government, eligible consumers will end up having paid one-third of the total cost.

A policy analyst at the state Solar Center in Raleigh said SunSense will provide significant discounts to customers interested in capitalizing on solar energy.

Those eligible for the incentive are Progress customers in North Carolina. The offer begins on January 1, 2011. Under SunSense, customers will earn rebates of $1,000 per kilowatt capacity. Rebates will range from $2,000 to $10,000 depending on the size of the solar paneling.

The SunSense program also offers a credit on monthly bills. Depending on the size of the paneling, credits will range from $9 to $45 and Progress customers will subsidize the rebates on their bills.