Subsidies Help Residents Go Solar

Deborah Parrish had solar panels installed at her Gaithersburg home in July, spurred by a Montgomery tax break. (Courtesy Of Standard Solar)

Cardin said he applied for a state grant this year for solar panels at his house but doesn't think he'll make the cut. His name does not appear on the waiting list.

In Maryland, effective this year, there is no state sales tax on solar equipment, and property with such an installation cannot be assessed at a higher value.

Prince George's County Council member Eric Olson (D-College Park) said he supported the local measure because he's worried about the possibility of rolling blackouts if people remain dependent on conventional power.

"The more renewable energy that we're using, the better off we're all going to be," he said.

Alex Hirtle, a member of the executive committee of the Prince George's Sierra Club, said the county subsidies could reduce the amount of time it takes to pay off a system from 16 to 18 years to about 12.

But there are some downsides to solar power. Output drops off at night and on cloudy days. And some users have complained about trouble with power companies and hassles in getting approval from homeowners associations worried about the shiny panels.

Sometimes it takes awhile to get the word out about solar incentives.

Only one person applied for Anne Arundel County's tax credit last year. But eight have applied this year for what William Brown, the county's controller, calls a "good deal."

Linda Watts, chief of Howard's bureau of revenue, said 10 credits were given out in the first year of the county's program. In the second year, the most recent fiscal year, 44 people received credits worth a combined $161,000. Seven have been approved to take the exemption for next year.

Since Montgomery's program went into effect in July, about a dozen residents have applied for the tax break. Rob Hagedoorn, chief of the county's treasury division, said requests will be granted as inspectors certify installations.

Deborah Parrish, an office manager whose Gaithersburg home was outfitted with solar panels July 1, said she rushed to submit her application online.

"We're the first in the neighborhood to have solar," she said, anticipating that others will follow. "I know that the incentives are what's going to make it possible."