****Currently accepting new reservation request applications.*****

****Please be advised that on June 1, 2010 the Vermont Small Scale Renewable Energy Incentive Program is revising the Wind Incentive from a straight rated capacity based incentive to a hybrid upfront capacity payment to buy-down the capital cost and a one year performance payment to reward proper siting of wind turbines in windy locations. For more information about this change, please contact us directly - selowson@veic.org or 1-877-888-7372 x1170. ****

Updated: May 25, 2010

Program status:

In April 2010, an additional $5,275,000 in funding, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund, has been made available to the Vermont Renewable Energy Incentive Program.  These funds are provided through a new incentive structure, provided here.

1. Download the appropriate incentive reservation form(s) below. Complete and submit to the RERC as stated in the instructions on the form. The reservation form requires the signature of your selected installer. If you are applying for a hybrid system, you must fill out all of the applicable reservation forms and return in the same envelope; incentives for additional systems for the same customer will not considered if submitted at a later date. All questions on the reservation form must be completed or it will be returned

2.Vermont is required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for all ground mounted 60+kW PV systems and 20+ kW wind systems. After we receive your incentive reservation application, we will submit relevant data to the Clean Energy Development Fund, which will, in turn, submit to the Department of Energy. Once we receive approval from the DOE, we will notify your installer and the installation can begin. ***Please note that installation cannot begin until you receive notification from the Department of Energy that your system/ installation is in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.***

3. In order to qualify as a Special Category Customer you must be a non-profit, public-serving institution e.g. low-income, multi-family housing authorities; K-12 public schools; hospitals; etc.

4. All projects for public buildings and public works must comply with the "Buy America Provision". All major components of an installed renewable energy system (plus any other equipment that costs $5,000+) must be produced in the United States.

5. All projects for buildings that are 50 years and older must be in compliance with Section 106 of the National Environmental Policy Act. Please visit the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation for more information. For a list of qualified consultants to review your project, please click here.

6. All large-scale, ground mounted systems - PV and Wind - must have a SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office) review due to possible archeological disturbance issues. Please contact the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation for more information.

7. Upon the approval of your application, you will be sent an incentive reservation letter that includes an incentive reservation number and expiration date. Incentive reservations are active for nine months from the date of the incentive reservation approval for solar electric, solar hot water, and small wind. Micro-hydro reservations are made for one year, with a one-year extension available if progress toward permit approval can be shown.

7. After receiving an approval and incentive reservation number, you should work with your installer to proceed with the installation of the system. After your system is fully installed, your installer will complete and return by mail a Project Documentation and Final Incentive Request Form, signed and dated by you. This form must be completed and submitted before the end of the nine-month, (1 year for micro-hydro systems,) reservation period.

Any changes between the system as proposed in the incentive reservation form and the system as installed must be fully documented when the project documentation forms are submitted. Any such changes are subject to review and approval with respect to system eligibility and incentive calculation.

If the Project Documentation and Final Incentive Request Forms comply with all of the program requirements, and the additional American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 and Davis-Bacon Act (if applicable) reporting requirements, an incentive check will be issued directly to residential customers; for non-residential customers, the check will be issued to the installer.

Customers may apply for incentives for more than one renewable system, whether installed at the same time or over multiple installations. Residential customers have a lifetime maximum customer incentive amount of $25,000 and Commercial and Industrial customers have a two-year maximum customer incentive amount of $110,000 for solar and 1 turbine up to 150 kW for wind. Customers that have received incentives through this program previously may apply for an additional incentive up to the maximum for their customer category. Special Category customers are capped at 35% of total installed cost for Solar; 1 turbine up to 150 kW for Wind; $17,500 for Micro-hydro. To ensure that the program achieves its goals as equitably and efficiently as possible, there are maximum per-entity size caps, set by technology and customer type, shown in the table below:

Incentive caps are determined according to the cap for the technology being installed in the most recent incentive reservation application. Any incentive received under any previous round of the Vermont Small Scale Renewable Energy Incentive Program (formerly known as the Vermont Solar and Small Wind Incentive Program) will be included in the calculation of this cap.

Here are the links to download the incentive reservation forms. You should submit the form as soon as you are committed to install a system . Incentives are reserved on a first-come first-served basis.

The forms are in Adobe PDF format.
Click here to download the free Adobe Reader

Solar electric (PV) system incentive reservation form
Wind system incentive reservation form
Solar hot water system incentive reservation form
Micro-hydro system incentive reservation form

Here is a link to the Net Metering form for a Certificate of Public Good (CPG) from Vermont's Department of Public Service:

Link to CPG application (pdf)
or
http://publicservice.vermont.gov/energy-efficiency/ee_netmetering.html

Here are links to the State and Federal Permit Requirements for Micro-Hydro Projects and the permitting agancies:

Vermont Micro-hydro Permitting Process pdf

http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/permits.htm

http://www.usace.army.mil/CECW/Pages/reg_materials.aspx

Here are the project documentation forms for incentive reservations approved *prior to* January 1, 2010. These forms are for projects that already have confirmed incentive reservations and are now complete.

2009 Solar electric project documentation form
2009 Wind system project documentation form
2009 Solar hot water project documentation form
2009 Micro-hydro project documentation form

Here are the project documentation forms for incentive reservations approved *after* January 1, 2010. There are 2 categories: Bridge Funded Incentives (Feb/Mar 2010) and New Program Incentives (April 22 - current). These forms are for projects that already have confirmed incentive reservations and are now complete.

Bridge Funded Incentives (Feb/Mar 2010)
2010 Solar electric project documentation form
2010 Wind system project documentation form
2010 Solar hot water project documentation form
2010 Micro-hydro project documentation form

New Program Incentives (April 22 - current)
2010 Solar electric project documentation form
2010 Wind system project documentation form
2010 Solar hot water project documentation form
2010 Micro-hydro project documentation form