Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, has fully allocated the third round of solar photovoltaic (PV) rebates offered through the utility's innovative SunSense® solar energy program.

The residential rebates, which were available for qualifying customer-owned solar PV systems to be installed in 2013, were fully allocated shortly after the program's application period opened at 10 a.m. Monday.

Commercial incentives are still available.

The utility's residential customers were allocated $1.9 million and commercial customers were allocated $1 million in solar PV incentives.

'We are gratified with the level of interest customers have expressed for our rebate program,' said Alex Glenn, incoming Duke Energy state president - Florida. 'The SunSense program is a key component of our strategy to assist those customers interested in investing in solar technology.'

Progress Energy implemented a reservation process to help customers qualify for the solar PV rebate prior to installation. The reservation process allowed interested customers to apply online. Progress Energy received more than 120 applications per hour when the process opened.

Through the SunSense program, Progress Energy Florida provides qualifying residential and commercial customers rebates of up to $2 per watt for customer-installed solar PV systems. The program will continue on an annual basis through 2014. Additional information about the company's reservation process is available at progress-energy.com/sunsense.

Alternative energy technologies, such as those included in the SunSense program – combined with energy efficiency and state-of-the-art plants – collectively form the balanced solution strategy Progress Energy Florida believes will best help meet customers' short- and long-term energy needs.

Progress Energy Florida is an industry leader in the development and implementation of programs to help customers save energy and money. Through the company's energy-efficiency programs, Progress Energy Florida's customers have collectively saved more than $1 billion in energy costs since 1981, reducing the need for enough electricity to power more than 900,000 homes for a year.

In all, Progress Energy Florida offers its customers 14 programs and more than 100 energy-efficiency upgrades to reduce their energy bills and carbon footprints.

Progress Energy Florida
Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), provides electricity and related services to more than 1.6 million customers in Florida. The company is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., and serves a territory encompassing more than 20,000 square miles including the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, as well as the Central Florida area surrounding Orlando. Progress Energy Florida is pursuing a balanced approach to meeting the future energy needs of the region. That balance includes increased energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. More information is available at www.progress-energy.com.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at www.duke-energy.com.