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Interested in installing a solar energy system on your home or business?

To maximize the benefits of having your own solar power system, make sure the electricity it generates is not lost to energy-inefficiency in your home. You probably have a lot of questions and we offer answers to some of the most common ones below. In some locations across DEC’s service territory, members are no longer able to install solar generation systems that feed energy back onto Cooperative power lines. In these areas, so many solar installations have been installed that it is not safe for additional power to be fed onto our distribution system. The addition of new solar systems in these areas would overburden the system and cause possible damage or the failure of electrical equipment leading to power outages. Please click HERE to view a map where members can no longer install solar arrays. Those areas are shaded in red. Members who live in areas shaded in yellow on the map may require an interconnect study to be completed before they install solar on their home or business. Please note that the boundaries and substation statuses are approximate, and that further analysis must be completed before approval of an interconnection. Please contact DEC with any questions at 855-332-9090.

Please see this document for a review of the solar interconnection process from start to finish

solar-panels

Solar Grants

Solar systems must be installed by a qualified installer to be eligible for a grant.  Here's a list of Delaware installers.

Solar Grants

Solar Energy Questions & Answers

 

Once you choose a contractor, that installer will work with you to submit a complete application to Delaware Electric Cooperative. If your grant request is approved, you, the contractor and DEC will work together to make sure the Co-op has proper documentation for your project.  

 

This all depends on the size of the system, your energy consumption and the cost to purchase or lease the solar system. To help gauge changes in our rates, from 2000 to 2008, DEC averaged an annual rate increase of about two-percent. From 2008 to the present, our rates are nearly stable. Our overall cost for power, including energy and distribution charges averages 12 cents per kilowatt-hour, however you individual cost may vary depending on your rate. 

After your solar system has been installed, you’ll receive a meter that will allow DEC to record excess energy produced by your system that your home/business doesn’t use. This is called net-metering and you will be credited for excess energy produced. It’s important to note that very few systems meet a home’s overall energy needs. Members may be required to pay for the set up of the new meter.  

Get more information on the interconnection process.

If you are approved for a solar grant, it may take up to two years to receive the grant payment. There are limited funds available for renewable grants and demand is high. 

If you’ve already been approved for a grant, you can view our grant queue, using the grant number issued by the Delaware Energy Office to see when you might receive your payment.

When you purchase a solar system, you are eligible to sell your solar renewable energy credits (SREC’s) and may also qualify for renewable energy grants. If you lease a system, your project is NOT eligible for grant money and you may not be able to sell your SREC’s. Many solar contractors are now offering leased systems because the upfront cost is much cheaper. The price you pay for power produced from a leased system can either increase every year or remain flat, depending on the type of contract you sign and may or may not save you money in the long run. Be sure to ask the contractor for a clear statement of what you will pay per kWh produced by the system over the term of the contract. If you would like DEC to review any contracts before signing, please give us a call. 

General Grant Information

Thank you for your interest in Delaware Electric Cooperative’s Renewable Resource Program. The 2023 grant submittal period is now closed. Information about the 2024 submission process will be posted to this site in early 2024. Starting in 2024, DEC members will apply for solar grants through Energize Delaware. In early 2024, any DEC member who has not yet received a solar grant from the Co-op will be eligible to apply. For more information regarding the application portal, requirements and grant limits, please reach out to Energize Delaware at [email protected]

Grant Applications

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