Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) customers interested in installing solar-powered upgrades to their homes and businesses can apply for rebates starting June 21 through a new pilot program approved by the Florida Public Service Commission.

Rebates will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for residential and business customers who install solar water heating or solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in 2011. Approximately 1,100 of FPL's 4.5 million customer accounts currently operate their own solar generation. FPL expects the funding cap for new solar PV rebates to be reached quickly due to growing interest in distributed solar generation. Interested customers should begin exploring options to ensure that they have time to identify a contractor and gather the required information before the application period opens on June 21.

FPL's residential solar water heating program will provide US$1,000 per installed solar water heater. A solar water heater can cut a family's water heating costs by up to 85%, according to the Florida Solar Energy Center.

Business customers will be eligible for a variable rebate, based on the size of the system installed, that will equal $30 per 1,000 BTUh/day of the maximum rated output of the installed system. The maximum incentive during the life of the program is $50,000 per site. Businesses with multiple locations can receive a maximum combined rebate of up to $150,000 per funding year.

The residential solar PV program will provide an incentive of $2,000 per kW of the rated DC output of a PV system up to a maximum of $20,000.

The business PV program will provide a variable incentive depending on the output of the system. The rebate will be up to $50,000 per site during the life of the program and will be calculated as: $2 per DC watt nameplate rating of the solar panel up to the first 10 kW; $1.50 per DC watt nameplate rating of the solar panel from 10 kW up to 25 kW and $1 per DC watt nameplate rating of the solar panel greater than 25 kW. Businesses with multiple locations can receive a maximum combined rebate of up to $150,000 per funding year.

For more information, visit www.FPL.com/netmetering.