Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

FOX CHAPEL, Pa. (AP) — Phillip N.H. Smith worked on an experimental solar-powered house when he was a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951.

Now, the retired Copperweld Corp. chief executive and his wife, Martha, want to use some of the sun’s energy to power their Fox Chapel home. They plan to install solar panels on the roof of an attached garage, once a state subsidy for alternative energy equipment becomes available.

“This is a chance for us to see what we can do,” he said.

Hundreds of home and business owners and even local governments have been pricing solar panels, small wind turbines and other energy-making systems in the three months since Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law a bill that, for solar equipment, would cut costs by 35 percent.

The federal renewable energy and energy efficiency tax credit program recently was expanded, meaning even more potential savings.

Homeowners like the Smiths are waiting for the state Department of Environmental Protection to write the rules for Pennsylvania’s program, specifying what types of home and small-business systems are covered and how and where they can be installed, department spokesman Charlie Young said.

Similar incentives in other states, such as Maryland, have increased solar panel installations dramatically. So far, almost 2,300 people have signed up for DEP’s e-mail notifications about the program, Young said, and the program could be running by early next year.

Contractors who install solar rooftop panels are seeing an uptick in inquiries. “We have 200 potential customers — a lot are waiting to see what the rebates are,” said Rich Foltz, president of Vox Energy Solutions in McCandless.

“We go out every week and do proposals. People are just starting now to get educated, and they say they’re doing the research and waiting for the rebate. I compare it to buying a $60,000 car for $40,000 — who wouldn’t take the deal?”

About $100 million has been earmarked for state rebates for solar installations at residences and small businesses, Young said. Another $25 million is to be available for wind and geothermal equipment.

The recent renewal of federal investment tax credits for solar power, once capped at $2,000 for a residential system, could cover another big part of the costs. The new federal incentive is 30 percent of the project cost, Young said, though state officials are unsure at this point how the two programs might overlap.

Costs vary for home solar systems. Foltz said an average, 2,200-square-foot home with two adults and two children uses about 9,000 kilowatt hours each year.

A system that could “zero out” electricity bills for that home might cost $40,000 to $50,000, and involve as many as 24 solar panels. Foltz added the financial benefits of solar panels vary greatly, depending on the price of electricity in the region.