Go Green Electric Inc.

Commerce City announced today on their Twitter feed, they will be the first city to consider supporting the solar industry by opposing XCEL’s Request to Reduce Solar Rebate.

In addressing this resolution, Commerce City shows support for the solar industry in their fight to keep small business jobs for electricians, solar installers, engineers, architects, city building department employees and the ever growing student population hoping to graduate or retool their skills and get to work in this Colorado market.

Please show your support for this resolution, and urge your elected officials to sponsor legislation like this in your area!  Commerce City Council is meeting Monday March 7th @ 6:30pm to discuss Resolution 2011-15, Page 44-47 (Resolution Opposing XCEL for Request to Reduce Solar Rebate).

Commerce City Council Chambers
7887 E. 60th Ave.
Monday March 7th @ 6:30 p.m

Find your elected Officials and urge them to do the same as Commerce City and support solar jobs!
http://www.votesmart.org/

Download and read the full Commerce City Resolution.

Here is your chance to help restart the Solar Rewards rebate program.  The PUC is holding a meeting on Friday March 4th and may consider holding Xcel to their word and to keep this rebate program open!  Attendance will help demonstrate the urgency to restart this program, but only if a civil approach is demonstrated.

Friday, March 4, 2011
1560 Broadway, Suite 250
Denver, CO 80202
Hearing Room B
11:00AM - 1:00PM

Xcel Energy is waging a financial war on solar in Colorado.  On February 16th, Xcel announced that they filled a request with the Public Utilities Commission to reduce the current Solar Rebate from $2.00 per watt to $0.25 per watt.  At the same time Xcel lowered the amount they pay for the Renewable Energy Credits from $0.35 to $0.01 per watt.  These two actions account for an 88% decrease in the total rebate received by customer’s installing solar PV.

The biggest problem with Xcel’s recent actions, is that not only have they chosen to reduce the rebates by 88%, but they have now CLOSED the program to any new applications until the first part of May when the Public Utilities Commission is expected to rule on reducing the rebate amount from $2.00 to $0.25 per watt!  Closing the Solar Rewards program not only prevents customer’s from accessing the rebates paid for by all Xcel customers, but also stops solar business dead in their tracks.  Installers cannot sign up new customers for the rebate program, nor can customers access the rebates which are part of Amendment 37 approved by voters in 2005.

Xcel energy, for the past three and half years, has collected a percentage of every customer’s utility bill to pay for a portion of the solar rebates.  Currently Xcel is collecting 2% of each customer’s bill.

The rebate program had been working well.  Spurred by the passage of Amendment 37, there are now roughly 5,300 solar jobs and more than 400 solar businesses in Colorado.  Colorado is now the #2 state in the US for solar jobs per capita.  Xcel’s Solar Rewards program was on schedule, slowly ratcheting down incentives as solar costs decreased.  Incentives were reduced nearly 50% during the past two years as solar electric costs decreased by 40-50% during the same period.  The program changes were predictable, incremental and transparent so consumers and businesses could react.

We have taken huge strides in the past few years to promote clean energy and new jobs, and Xcel wants to unravel it all.  Please help to write to your elected officials and to the PUC, and let them know we need these rebates to continue and we need the rebate program restarted!
Public Utilities Commission

Refer to Docket #11A-135E
http://www.dora.state.co.us/pls/real/CCTS_oWEB.comment_form

Find your elected Officials
http://www.votesmart.org/