Progress Energy Florida to launch Expanded Solar Energy Program March 15

Enhanced SunSense® program includes new incentives for solar thermal hot water and photovoltaic systems

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.  – Progress Energy Florida customers looking to add a solar photovoltaic (PV) or solar water heating system may soon be eligible for additional financial incentives from the company.The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has granted Progress Energy Florida final approval to expand its existing solar program to include new and increased incentives and offerings for customers installing solar-energy technology.

The expanded SunSense program will go into effect March 15.

“We’re excited to offer additional incentives to customers interested in installing solar technology at home and at work,” said Progress Energy Florida President and CEO Vincent Dolan. “The added introduction of solar programs for schools and low-income customers reflects our company’s continued commitment to support our customers and the communities we serve.”

The newly approved solar incentives and programs include:

· SunSense Residential and Commercial Solar PV Programs: Progress Energy Florida willprovide residential and commercial customers rebates of up to $2 per watt for customer-installed solar PV systems. The company will implement a reservation process to help customers qualify for the solar PV rebate prior to installation. The company’s residential and commercial customer classes will each be allocated up to $1 million in solar PV incentives on an annual basis.

· SunSense Schools Program: Progress Energy will partner with schools serving as emergency shelters to install a 10-kilowatt (kW) solar PV system with battery backup on 40 sites throughout the company’s Florida service territory. The company also will install 100-kW solar PV systems on one post-secondary school per year through 2014.

· SunSense Solar Water Heating Program: The existing SunSense Solar Water Heating Program rebate will increase from $450 to $550 toward the installation of a qualifying system. The company also will work with non-profit builders to incorporate a freesolar thermal water-heating system into qualifying, low-income customers’ homes during construction.

The expansions to Progress Energy’s SunSense program were proposed in the company’s 10-year energy efficiency program filing, which was submitted to the PSC in March 2010. The solar-energy program received initial PSC approval in September 2010, and final approval was issued January 20. The new and increased solar incentives and offerings will be in place through 2014.

The remainder of the company’s energy-efficiency program is awaiting final PSC review and approval.

For more information about the expanded SunSense program, visit progress-energy.com/sunsense.

Alternative energy technologies, such as those included in the SunSense program – combined with energy efficiency and state-of-the-art plants – collectively form the balanced solution strategy Progress Energy believes is necessary to best meet its customers’ short- and long-term energy needs.

Progress Energy is an industry leader in the development and implementation of programs to help customers save energy and money. Through the company’s energy-efficiency programs, Progress Energy Florida’s customers have collectively saved more than $1 billion in energy costs since 1981, reducing the need for enough electricity to power more than 900,000 homes for a year. In all, Progress Energy Florida currently offers its customers 14 programs and more than 100 energy-efficiency upgrades to reduce their energy bills and carbon footprints.

For more information on Progress Energy Florida’s energy-efficiency programs, visit savethewatts.com.

Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), provides electricity and related services to more than 1.6 million customers in Florida. The company is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., and serves a territory encompassing more than 20,000 square miles including the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, as well as the Central Florida area surrounding Orlando. Progress Energy Florida is pursuing a balanced approach to meeting the future energy needs of the region. That balance includes increased energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art power system. For more information about Progress Energy, visit progress-energy.com.

Tags: pay for solar, solar financing, solar funding, solar incentives, solar rebates

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