Just a few months back, before President Bush left office, he signed the revised Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 into law. In that legislation is a an opportunity for small businesses, farms, and residents to credit some of their small wind turbine cost against their tax expenses.
The Act offers a federal tax credit for 30% of the total installed cost of any wind power system with a 100 kilowatt capacity or less, but the credit will not exceed $4,000. The limitation of the Act is that it only applies to new systems installed from 3 October 2008 through to December 2016, so any current systems will get no tax relief. In addition, for home wind turbines, the credit is further limited to the lesser of $4,000 or $1,000 per kW of capacity.
Traditionally North America has had the largest market in the small wind turbine industry, but lately it was getting under-cut by its European rivals who offered greater tax relief for small wind turbine systems. So the tax incentives were very much loved by Ron Stimmel, a small wind advocate for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), who said:
"Congress should be thanked for realizing and supporting the small wind turbine industry as a vital player in our energy security and greener environment. These tax incentives will encourage households to reduce their power costs, and fight global warming in a real way."
Being the first federal tax subsidy for small wind turbines since 1985, industry analysts believe it could help inflate the United States wind power market by over forty-percent a year. Not to mention the equipment certification scheme that, together with the Act, could help secure America as the global market leader.
If it were not for the persistence of the AWEA requesting a 30% tax credit for small wind turbines (of no more than 100 kilowatts in capacity), perhaps the wind power marker would never have been able to compete equally with the photovoltaic (PV) market.
With both the wind and solar power industries operating in the same renewable energy market, it made sense that the legislation also offers tax relief for solar power installations. Small solar power owners receive 30% credit on the cost of the system, limited to four thousand dollars. And commercial solar owners get an unlimited 30% tax credit on their installation costs.
So how does this act affect anyone who has installed their own system? By the looks of things, DIY renewable energy enthusiasts can also enjoy the federal tax credit as long they have proof of all installation costs and the date they were incurred. But, it is best to get sound legal advice first to help you maximize any tax credit due.
With all these state and federal tax credits for renewable energy homeowners, it makes sense to get your own small wind turbine at home. No matter whether you buy an expensive commercial home wind turbine, or learn to build a cheaper one yourself, the potential for you to save a lot of money on electricity and tax expenses is a decision away. It just requires you to make the right choice.
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