Solar Panel Buyers Waiting For State Rebate

A Seminole County man says the state owes him $20,000, and WFTV discovered he's not alone. Over 7,000 people who bought solar panels have been waiting months for their rebates, but WFTV learned they may never get the money.

John Gjertsen may have to wait longer than he expected to pay off his solar panels. He paid $30,000, but he knew he was eligible for a $9,000 tax break from the federal government and a $20,000 rebate from the state.

"You got to do a lot of research before you put down that kind of cash," he said.

Gjertsen figured the whole setup would cost him $1,000, but growing demand has drained the state's solar power rebate fund down to nothing.

"Evidently, there are a lot of smart guys in Florida or there'd be a lot more money," Gjertsen said.

The state already owes $27 million in rebates to people like Gjertsen. Governor Charlie Crist wants to help plug the gap with another $10 million, but state lawmakers may not approve that request and additional applications are turned in daily.

"Once they process all the applications, it could be $50 million in the hole," Solar Ray CEO Mike Brown said.

Brown works in the solar industry. He says business will suffer if the state does not honor the rebates.

"If they don't have any financial incentive, they're not going to buy," Brown said.

State lawmakers hope federal stimulus money will solve the problem, but they say the rebate was never a guarantee. Almost 7,000 people are waiting for the rebate.

Days are shorter during the winter months and it's been cloudy recently, but Gjertsen says since October he's been saving $70 per month on electricity.

"It'd be a disappointment if the state didn't pay, but that's the risk I made," he said.

At his current rate of savings, without that state rebate, Gjertsen will recover his investment in around 25 years. With the rebate, he would break even in a little over a year.

The state started the rebate program for solar panels five years ago.

If lawmakers approve an extra $10 million for the program, only about one-third of the applicants would get rebates. The others would continue to wait.