United States
In April, 2009, 11 United States state legislatures were considering adopting an FiT as a complement to their renewable electricity mandates.
“While feed-in tariffs are most closely associated with solar photovoltaic panels, utilities managing the programs in Vermont and Sacramento will also pay a set price for electricity generated from other renewable sources, like wind.
The Sacramento program is open to homeowners who are not participating in another program, called net metering, which allows anyone whose system is producing more electricity than they need to sell the excess back to the utility, thus reducing their electric bill. But once their bill falls to zero, the homeowner gets no more money from the system.
Jon Bertolino, a spokesman for the Sacramento utility, said that customers with land to spare had been asking whether, if they put up small solar farms, the utility would buy the excess electricity.
As long as they are not part of the net-metering program and not seeking the $2.80$1.90- to $2.20-per-watt ratepayer subsidy for their new panels under the state’s “Million Solar Roofs” program, Mr. Bertolino said, small generators can sell their power to S.M.U.D. The rates would depend on the time of day the power is generated, ranging from a low of 5 or 6 cents a kilowatt-hour to 30 cents on a hot summer afternoon; the size of eligible systems is capped at 5 megawatts (and the program overall has a 100-megawatt cap).
The Vermont law caps the size of individual systems at 2.2 megawatts. Solar energy fetches a fixed price of 30 cents a kilowatt-hour, and other forms of renewables fetch lower rates”.
Federal
Federal tax credits of 30%, capped at $2000 for residential systems, no cap for businesses and expires December 31, 2008. Details of this and state incentives are summarized at DSIRE. Legislation currently under consideration in Congress: “Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008″. This multifaceted energy bill would extend investment tax credit. As of June 21, 2008 it had passed the House but has not overcome opposition from Senate Republicans who have filibustered it over tax provisions that would finance the program
California
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a feed-in tariff on 31 January 2008 that is effective immediately.
Starting 1 Jan 2007
Administrative basis: California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) decision of Aug. 24, 2006
Feed-in Tariffs and Investment subsidies :
* Systems >100 kWp: $0.39/kWh
* Systems <100 kWp can choose either $2.50/Wp or $0.39/kWh
Contract duration 5 years, constant remuneration
Net metering
* Up to 2.5% of peak demand, rolls over month to month, granted to utility at end of 12 month billing cycle
Approved equipment
* Since 1 July 2009, the CEC list of approved solar panels has been tightened to the SP1 / NSHP list to provide more protection to the end-users.
Florida
Gainesville, Florida, enacted a feed-in tariff in 2009.
Hawaii
In September 2009 the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission issed a decision on a new rate mechanism, which requires Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO & MECO & HELCO) to pay above-market prices for renewable energy fed into the electric grid.
The decision doesn’t set specific rates for the purchase of clean power. The actual rate amounts will be determined by the Commission within the next few months. The new policy will provide a set price and standard 20-year contract for “green” electricity. The PUC’s decision sets project size limits of five megawatts (MW) for the island of Oahu and 2.72 MW for Maui and Hawaii island. The Commission’s decision caps the total amount of feed-in tariff projects brought onto the electricity grid at 5% of the system peak on Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island for the first two years of the program. Many of Hawaii’s clean energy advocates were promoting a more aggressive feed-in tariff–one similar to that enacted in Germany that doesn’t have many of the limitations imposed by Hawaii’s new policy.The PUC will revisit these and other issues when the initial feed-in tariff is reviewed two years after the program starts.
Maine
In the 2009 Maine Legislature’s session, a “Feed-In” Tariff bill, (LD 1450), introduced by Rep. Herbert Adams (D-Portland), was considered. It made it from the House to the Senate, where is was killed May 21. Known as “An Act to Establish the Renewable Energy Resources Program” it was closely modeled on the German law.
Vermont
Vermont adopted feed-in tariffs on May 27, 2009. Generators must possess a capacity of no more than 2.2 MW