Xcel’s solar rebates kick-start industry

On March 1, Xcel Energy launched its Solar Rewards rebate program, providing a much-anticipated incentive to boost Colorado’s solar industry.

The program launched two months later than Xcel had planned, which put some solar companies in a holding pattern. Even with the delay, however, many companies have seen a significant increase in interest and orders.

Xcel had hoped to kick-start the solar industry by beginning the program Jan.1, but the start was delayed when the Public Utilities Commission did not approve Xcel’s request for a 1 percent Renewable Energy Standard Adjustment, or RESA, said Tom Henley, Xcel Energy spokesman. This…