Current solar tax credits, eligible purchases and upgrades

[SYKSolar]

See the latest draft form from IRS on tax rebate

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-dft/i5695--dft.pdf

Used solar equipment including solar panels are not qualified for 30% rebate. If you want claim the rebate without the solar panels, how would you justify you have a solar system installed? IRS may just consider it as incomplete system,

 

[Mithril]

See the latest draft form from IRS on tax rebate

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-dft/i5695--dft.pdf

Used solar equipment including solar panels are not qualified for 30% rebate. If you want claim the rebate without the solar panels, how would you justify you have a solar system installed? IRS may just consider it as incomplete system,

Several people who filed in previous years said they just gave totals, no receipts. My guess would be $ amount claimed drives likeyhood of audit

 

[Mithril]

Several people who filed in previous years said they just gave totals, no receipts. My guess would be $ amount claimed drives likeyhood of audit

So that form seems to say that there is a total lifetime limit of $500? I feel like I'm reading that part wrong?

You may be able to take a credit of 30% of your costs of qualified solar electric property,[...]. Include any labor costs properly allocable to the onsite preparation, assembly, or original installation of the residential energy efficient property and for piping or wiring to interconnect such property to the home.

Qualified solar electric property costs. Qualified solar electric property costs are costs for property that uses solar energy to generate electricity for use in your home located in the United States.[...] The home doesn't have to be your main home.

I don't see anywhere in that draft that defines that it must be for a complete system, that it cannot add on to an existing system, or that any part of the system cannot be used (other than that such used items would themselves be ineligible).

 

[timselectric]

Used equipment is not eligible because it could have already been part of a rebate claim with its original purchase. Although I think that there should still be an incentive to keep working equipment out of the landfills.

 

[Hogheavenfarm]

So what is a "qualified Fuel cell", Is that a battery?

"Qualified fuel cell property costs. Qualified fuel cell property costs are costs for qualified fuel cell property installed on or in connection with your main home located in the United States. Qualified fuel cell property is an integrated system comprised of a fuel cell stack assembly and associated balance of plant components that converts a fuel into electricity using electrochemical means. To qualify for the credit, the fuel cell property must have a nameplate capacity of at least one-half kilowatt of electricity using an electrochemical process and an electricity-only generation efficiency greater than 30%."

 

[Hedges]

Most fuel cells take hydrogen as fuel. That must be pure; contaminants like hydrogen monoxide will poison them.
Some fuel cell cars are available.

There are high temperature "reformer" fuel cells which run on natural gas, can produce electricity and heat for the house (CHP, Combined Heat and Power), which I guess is evil because natural gas releases carbon monoxide. Better than spraying steam on coal to create "town gas" (H2 + CO), however (and that needs the CO removed.)

What I have not found is a life-cycle cost per kWh (and BTU) considering lifespan of fuel cell as well as cost of fuel (and any maintenance.)

Fuels are going up in price. Maybe, with a hydrogen storage mechanism, these could be attractive for rooftop PV users as net metering gets killed off.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell in your home! Vitovalor 300P price and how much it returns?

What is Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology, and why would I want it? How much is a Vitovalor 300P CHP boiler and how much does it return?

www.chapmanplumbers.com

https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/09/f33/CHP-Fuel%20Cell.pdf

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Honda Unveils Clarity Fuel Cell With 700 KM Driving Range, Prices It From $63,630 In Japan | Carscoops

This is the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, an all-new production vehicle that will rival the Toyota Mirai. Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show, the Clarity Fuel

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[Mithril]

Used equipment is not eligible because it could have already been part of a rebate claim with its original purchase. Although I think that there should still be an incentive to keep working equipment out of the landfills.

I never said it was. I said based on my reading and interpretation of the current IRS draft, that a given system doesn't need to be 100% new in any sense of the word. So from what I can tell both adding to an existing system and a system with mixed new and used parts would be fine so long as you only *claim* the new parts for the credit.

 

[timselectric]

I never said it was. I said based on my reading and interpretation of the current IRS draft, that a given system doesn't need to be 100% new in any sense of the word. So from what I can tell both adding to an existing system and a system with mixed new and used parts would be fine so long as you only *claim* the new parts for the credit.

I never said that you said it was. lol
And I agree with you.

 

[Mithril]

I never said that you said it was. lol
And I agree with you.

Ah. My brain is very confused after trying to read tax code stuff, sorry! :D