Xcel
Energy Inc. and the
solar energy industry have reached a compromise on incentives offered to customers who install small-scale solar electric systems in Colorado.
The agreement announced Tuesday has to be considered by state regulators.
Xcel Energy had reduced the incentives and suspended the program while the Colorado Public Utilities Commission considered the utility's request for further cuts. Representatives of the solar energy industry said cutting the incentives could lead to the loss of thousands of jobs and asked the PUC to halt suspension of the program.
In February, Xcel decreased the
incentives from $2.35 per watt to $1.75. The agreement calls for a rebate of $1.75 per watt on the first four megawatts and reducing it as the number of megawatts increase.
The agreement would last a year.
