Maryland and Connecticut are struggling with budget shortfulls for solar power programs that have run out of money early.

Maryland is out of cash when it comes to funding a popular program that provided aid to home or business owners who installed solar energy systems.

State’s solar incentives offer help to subsidize the cost of buying and installing a solar power system for home and business owners, which could cost tens of thousands of dollars for a home. These programs have become popular not only among citizens, but among state and local governments trying to promote clean energy production. However with the ever-flailing econonmy, Maryland is having trouble continuing to fund these programs.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that Connecticut is struggling to find money for a solar rebate program.

“We won’t know what we will have available [for solar rebates] for the next several months,” Donna Tommelleo, a spokeswoman for Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell, said Tuesday. “Like every other state, everybody is hurting.”

Rather than rebates, some local governments are looking at alternative solar power incentives. California, for example, has net metering programs in place that allow solar energy system owners that generate more power than they can use to feed the excess power back into the grid – a deduction they will enjoy on their future electricity bills.