Benchmark Study on Green Buildings - Royal Architectural Institute ...

Investment Fund (GIF), which is meant to help offset the incremental costs of green
building projects in the Portland area which meet high levels of environmental
performance through multi-faceted and innovative designs, progressive technologies, and
best practices. Both public and private projects can apply for a total of $500,000 in aid
available per year, with a maximum of $150,000 available per project. A 3:1 cost share
ratio is required, meaning that a $90,000 package of approved green building and site
measures may be eligible for a $30,000 GIF grant award. To date, the GIF has distributed
nearly $1.5 million to developments demonstrating innovation in green building
technologies and practices in Portland.
Renewable energy generator incentives:
Incentive programs are also coming into place for buildings that use various new
technologies to draw power from sustainable energy sources. For the first time in a
generation, the federal government will offer income tax credits for new solar energy
installations. The Energy Act of 2005 also clears a major obstacle to decentralized
electric production by amending existing law to require every public electric utility to
offer net metering. This means that utilities must purchase power from small-scale
electric producers, such as photovoltaic and wind. The new solar tax credit covers 30
percent of the system cost up to $2,000, after taking into account state and utility
incentives. Solar water heaters, except pool heaters, and photovoltaic systems installed in
2006 and 2007 are eligible. Arizona and Oregon have taken solar incentives a step further,
with Arizona allowing residential customers who use solar power to receive a rebate of
$4 per watt of solar electric power installed in a grid-tied application, and $2 per watt
installed in an off-grid application. There is also a personal income tax credit for residents
that install a photovoltaic power system on their property. This one-time credit applies to
both on- and off-grid residences and amounts to 25% of the system price or $1,000,
whichever is less. Oregon also raised its income tax credit for photovoltaic systems to an
unprecedented $6,000 per installation. Starting in 2006 and for the next 10 years, Oregon
citizens who install photovoltaic systems can receive $3 per watt. The total credit is
$6,000, but it can be taken only $1,500 per year over four years. The United States
currently generates 156MW of solar energy, which translates to approximately 7% of the
global total.
Million Solar Roofs initiative & Solar America Initiative:
The Million Solar Roofs Initiative (MSR) had the American national government and
various state governments teaming up to provide incentives to home owners for installing
solar panels on their roofs. These rebates were approximately $2.80 per watt of
generating power, and with the average home installing 3kW systems, the final result
should have been an increase of about 3,000MW of solar generating power. However, the
program was not finished as it was swept up into the Solar America Initiative (SAI). The
goal of the SAI is to accelerate the development of advanced solar electric technologies,
including photovoltaics and concentrating solar power systems, with the goal of making
them cost-competitive with other forms of renewable electricity by 2015. The SAI has a
budget of $148 million and will continue with the MSR installation incentives, as well as
fund photovoltaic and solar power R&D at universities, government laboratories, and in
the industry. Although the MSR incentives are the only part of the SAI currently in action,
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