California Solar Initiative

• California residents with an income low enough to qualify for the California Alternate Rates for Energy program can receive between $4.75 and $7.00 for each watt of AC power generated by the solar equipment they install. There is a limit of $10,000 for installations that are completely subsidized, but no limit for installations that are at least partially paid for by the homeowner. Further, projects must be at least 1 kilowatt in size.
  
  

New York State's Assisted Home Performance Program

• If you plan on equipping your single-family home with solar panels, you may qualify for a 50 percent subsidy of up to $5,000 through New York State's Assisted Home Performance Program. The program is dedicated to helping low-income residents make energy improvements to their homes. For this program, "low-income" is defined as "households with an income equal to or lower than 80 percent of state or area median income, whichever is greater," according to your county. For example, one person living in a single family home in Erie County must have an income under $35,733.00 to qualify.
  
  

Wisconsin's Focus on Energy Program

• All homeowners, including low-income citizens, may be eligible for small-system incentives that allow them to enhance their single-family home of 1 to 3 units with photovoltaic cells. Those who qualify for the grant could receive $600 for each direct current kilowatt of power they install. This amount may also be greater if the homeowner qualifies for the Enhanced Efficiency Incentive, meaning that they invested in energy efficiency upgrades before installing solar panels.
  
  

Grant Concerns

• Whenever you search for a grant or apply for one, the Federal Trade Commission advises you to beware of agencies that fraudulently advertise nonexistent grants or steal the identities of grant applicants. FTC officials advise you never to give your bank or personal information to anyone you don't know. Remember -- if a grant looks too good to be true, it probably is.