The District of Columbia reneged on a promise to reimburse 51 residents who installed solar panels for roughly a third of the cost.

The city said it will try to find money in next year’s budget.

The city set up an incentive program in 2009 that is funded by a dedicated tax on electricity and gas bills. The tax was supposed to raise $2 million a year through 2012. However, $700,000 from the fund that was supposed to be used to make incentive payments to the 51 residents who had been approved for the payments before they installed panels has been diverted to help close a citywide budget gap.

Keith Martin