On Friday, January 12, 2024, the North Carolina Utilities Commission passed the PowerPair solar + storage Duke rebate program.
Yes Solar was one of the three companies to work with Duke on establishing this new PowerPair program and the Residential Bridge Rate rider.
The PowerPair program provides rebates up to $9,000 for new solar panel installations who also purchase a battery at the same time. An additional monetary incentive is available to the 50% of the program participants participating in Battery Control.
PowerPair Incentives:
- Solar Incentive: $.36/watt for solar panels, capped at $3,600 per residence.
- Battery Incentive: $400/kWh for battery storage, capped at $5,400 per residence.
- Battery Control Incentive: $6.50/kW per month, approximately $40 per month, or $480 per year. (Only available for Cohort B participants)
All program participants are required to select net energy metering (NEM), as their electric tariff. Cohort A and Cohort be will have an equal 50% split of the 60,000 kW program capacity.
The PowerPair rebate incentives would cover about 13% of the installed equipment cost and the IRA tax credit would cover 30%, nearing a total rebate of almost 50% on a solar + storage system!
Cohort A: TOU Rates
- Participants must enroll in the Successor Tariff with mandatory TOU rates.
- Participants retain complete control of the energy storage device.
- Participants will receive the upfront solar + storage incentive payment only.
*This is the Residential Solar Choice rate schedule (policy). This is the only option for anyone going solar after 2027.
Cohort B: Bridge Rate & Battery Control
- Participants must enroll in the Bridge Rate with optional TOU rates.
- Participants must participate in the Battery Control. Duke controls the battery.
- Participants will receive the upfront incentive payments + monthly battery control incentive payments ($6.50/kW per month).
Battery Control
The customer’s battery may see Duke schedule between 30 and 36 ‘control events’ per year.
- Up to 18 times per winter season (December-March)
- Up to 9 times per summer season (May-September)
- Up to 9 times in the remaining months
Duke would signal a ‘control event’ to control the battery and within 48 hours a discharge of the battery could occur. Duke would not discharge the battery below a 20% state of charge.
Customers can use their batteries outside of the ‘control event’ window.
PowerPair Rebate Eligibility:
- The applicant must be a Duke North Carolina customer; Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) or Duke Energy Progress (DEP).
- The applicant must own the premise and maintain internet connectivity at the premise.
- The rebate application are for new solar system installation. Solar system additions are not applicable.
- The rebate application is only available for paired solar + storage projects. (There are no solar only incentives through Duke Energy.)
Length and Capacity of Program:
Customers may initially apply for the rebate during a four-week application period from May 10th to June 7th, 2024. Eligible applications will be assigned a place in line at random using an analytical software. Applications will receive an incentive allocation or be placed on the waiting list. The program participation requirement is for a minimum of ten years.
Next steps:
- January: NC Utililites Commission approves the PowerPair program
- February: Duke Energy establishes the application process
- March: NC Utilities Commission will review and provide application feedback
- May: Applications for the PowerPair rebate will begin.
PowerPair Clawback Provisions:
- Early Termination Fee: An early termination fee is given to any project removed from the program prior to the term. It will a prorated based on the months remaining and the total incentive amount paid.
- Inoperable equipment charge: This charge is a monthly proration of the total incentive payment and assessed each month following a 90-day grace period. If a systems is proven inoperable for 12-months (directly after the 90-day grace period), it will be removed from the program and receive an early termination fee.
Customers can switch cohorts after the completion of 24 months in their original cohort, subject to availability.
Yes Solar Solution has been working closely to monitor the latest developments and our team of Energy Specialist will determine what it takes for you to qualify for this program.