Grants and rebates differ from state to state; some funds are collected and distributed by the states, well some states let your local power company over see these programs. When Appling for these grant programs in most states, you will be asked to, draw a diagram of the proposed system, list all of the components, estimate the average monthly power out put, yearly savings to you, over all cost of the system and the years it will take for the system to pay back in savings for the initial cost. While the initial cost will very, do to the size and quality of your system the average pay back period is 7-15 years.

There are many local, state and federal tax incentives, that in most cases many be used over a period of 1  to 5 years. They all differ but remember once there are used, you will probably be taxed on the equipment in the future.

A good source for incentives and grants listed by states is at NC State University dsireusa.org; DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Be cautious of companies saying you can have a free system after rebates, 9-10 they are using cheap unproved or substandard solar panels or equipment.

We see so many people spending thousands on systems that don’t include back up power for when the grid goes down. Most systems being installed today are connected to the grid and are designed to shut off if the grid power fails, just when you need it the most. While adding a set of batteries in an enclosure may add another three to four thousand dollars to your system, you will never have to worry about the essentials, refrigeration, lights and communications. Just a little food for thought.