The Maryland Energy Administration today announced the launch of an important new program to provide major incentives for income-eligible Maryland households to install solar panels. Contained in the Brighter Tomorrow Act of 2024 recently signed by Governor Wes Moore, the new Maryland Solar Access program will boost solar development in the state and make it easier for more Marylanders to reduce both their energy bills and carbon footprints.

The Maryland Solar Access program will provide up to $7,500 per eligible household, based on an incentive of $750 per installed kilowatt hour of DC solar capacity. The levels of the individual incentive and overall investment align closely with the recommendations of the 2023 Maryland Task Force to Study Solar Incentives.

“The Maryland Solar Access program will help hard-working Marylanders and their families enjoy the cost and societal benefits of solar power. Solar is affordable, clean and vital in helping us meet our energy and climate goals under the Climate Solutions Now Act,” said Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul G. Pinsky. “By providing a significant incentive to those Marylanders who need it most, the Maryland Solar Access program will connect people with solar’s cost savings who most likely would never otherwise get it.”

Maryland Solar Access program grants will be reserved by eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Solar systems that are purchased or owned by third parties will qualify. The agency will provide full information on eligibility requirements, rules and restrictions in a Funding Opportunity Announcement later this year.

In the meantime, interested parties can visit the Maryland Energy Administration’s Maryland Solar Access program webpage to review the Notice of Intent and Request for Information. There they can respond to a set of questions to help the agency maximize the program’s impact and inform the design of the program. Responses are due by 3:00 p.m. ET, June 30, 2024.

The Solar Access program will succeed the agency’s long-running Residential Clean Energy Rebate Program, which will be offered for a final time from July 1 to November 30, or until funding is depleted. For more information, visit this webpage.

The Maryland Energy Administration also welcomed other components of the Brighter Tomorrow Act, such as a measure promoting standardized residential solar permitting via automated online software, including the Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus, or SolarAPP+. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed this innovative technology, for which the Maryland Energy Administration will make available grant funding to local governments through a new federally funded pilot program.

“Simplifying and streamlining ‘going solar’ through SolarAPP+ will help Maryland communities speed up permitting times,” said Director Pinsky. “The Maryland Energy Administration looks forward to collaborating with our local government colleagues to assist them to deliver an efficient and equitable process for every Marylander, so that the clean energy transition leaves no one behind.”

News item from the Maryland Energy Administration