Thoughts on Solar

We have just learned that the City of Burbank will once again be offering rebates for a very limited number of solar installations.  Here are the details.

The total program is limited to projects below 30 kW; larger projects need not apply.

The program will pay rebates to residential customers at $1.28/Watt (CEC-AC) and $0.97/Watt for commercial customers.  There is no carve out for non-profits, however they say that such entities “will be given lottery priority."  Burbank says that is anticipates having enough funding for 50 residential and 10 commercial projects, with the allocation evenly split between the two.  That figures to be around a total of 500 kW, 50 residential at 5 and ten commercial at 25 kW each.  Surely the demand in Burbank is greater than that, so how will they handle the inevitable over-subscription?  Easy - Burbank is holding a lottery.

Throughout the month of July, applications can be delivered to the offices of Burbank Water & Power.  Then, on August 12, 2013, Burbank will hold a lottery and application numbers will be selected at random.  (Not sure how that squares with giving non-profits “lottery priority".) The lucky few winners will be notified by August 16, 2013.  “Winning” applications will have 1 year to complete their installation.

Questions about the program can be addressed to Solar Support Program Managers John Joyce or Alfred Antoun.

Not a great program by any stretch, but at least, for a while, Burbank is back in the game.

We have just learned that Burbank Water and Power (BWP) - which had suspended its solar rebates back in April 2011 - is introducing what might be the most bizarre rebate procedure ever - a rebate lottery!  Here is the text of the announcement in its entirety from the BWP website:

Direction for how the program will accept new applications effective July 1, 2012 will be provided by the Burbank City Council on June 26. Staff is proposing the following:

1. Retain the current policy of dividing the remaining non-Performance Based Incentive (PBI) budget amount evenly between residential and small commercial solar installations. This is projected to provide approximately $60,000 in incentives for each customer category.
2. Lottery applications would be accepted from July 1 through September 1, 2012.
3. On September 4, 2012, BWP would use a lottery system to provide an order of rebate consideration for both residential and commercial (including Not-for-Profit organizations)solar applications. Priority will be given to business accounts that fall under a not-for-profit designation.
4. Applicants will be notified in early September of their lottery number and application status. ”Winners” will be provided one month to meet all previously defined system application requirements through BWP’s online PowerClerk system, including, but not limited to, a signed contract, meter service confirmation, and City permit application approval.
5. Rebates would open at Step 6: $1.28/watt for residential installations and $0.97/watt for commercial installations.

Additional details will be posted on this web site in early July 2012. If you have additional questions please contact the program manager at solarsupport@ci.burbank.ca.us

If this announcement is to be taken at face value, this means that they will be setting up a two-month lottery for the chance to be one of maybe 12 residential projects to get a rebate and only one fo 2-4 small commercial projects.  Seriously?  All this Sturm und Drang for a grand total of 16 rebates?  With no way for a BWP customer to know in advance whether they will be one of the lucky “winners"?

We sent an email to the address above asking for some clarification, but as of this publication we have not received a reply.  If you think this “lottery” is as silly as we do, please send an email to solarsupport@ci.burbank.ca.us - maybe they will be more willing to respond to you!