San Francisco’s Municipal Solar Energy Incentive Program

On June 11th, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed legislation to implement a 10-year solar rebate program for local residents, businesses and non-profits. It is the first solar rebate of its kind and size made available by a city in the country and will create the nation’s largest municipal solar program. The proposal was originally announced by Mayor Gavin Newsom and Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting on December 11, 2007. It had eight legislative hearings over the last seven months and finally passed on an 8-3 vote.

"This rebate program further establishes San Francisco as America’s solar energy leader and symbolizes the commitment of the City to make affordable solar power available to those who want it," said Mayor Newsom. "This program will ensure San Francisco’s ongoing leadership for providing the opportunity to thousands of residents to economically place solar on their rooftops. I want to thank Supervisor Bevan Dufty and Assessor Ting for their leadership on this legislation."

The incentive program provides solar rebates to local residents ranging from $3,000-$6,000. It provides up to $10,000 for non-profits and businesses that install solar. It also provides up to $30,000 for non-profit affordable housing. These rebates incentivize local building owners and leverage about 80% of the average solar installation cost from non-city sources (state, federal and the owner’s investment), promoting the installation of significant new amounts of solar with fairly limited resources. The highest residential incentive is reserved for residents or businesses who use an installer that hires graduates of the City’s workforce development program.

"Less than 1,000 rooftops in San Francisco have solar installed," said legislative co-sponsor and champion Supervisor Dufty. "Not only will this program significantly expand solar in the City, but it will also provide much-needed meaningful employment to the workers being trained to join the new green economy."

Convened by Assessor-Recorder Ting, the San Francisco Solar Taskforce met for 12 months and crafted the program. The Taskforce concluded that an inclusive solar rebate program open to all local rooftops was the single most effective way to greatly increase solar in San Francisco.

"Today San Francisco has taken a big step forward towards addressing climate change and becoming more energy independent," said Assessor-Recorder Ting. "I am thrilled that legislation was finally passed."

The program enjoys the strong support of the full range of environmental groups and environmental justice advocates, including the Sierra Club, Vote Solar, the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, SPUR, Literacy for Environmental Justice, and the Neighborhood Parks Council, among others.

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