Topics - Finance & Tax
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Effects of a Federal Government Shutdown
Each federal agency prepared and published plans outlining which activities would continue and which activities would be halted if no federal spending bill was passed prior to October 1, 2013. Inside are links to and excerpts from those plans relevant to the solar industry. Please keep in mind that this situation is in flux. Some agencies have enough funding to continue certain activities for a few days or weeks, but a continued government shutdown would force more activities to cease.
Access To Financing Critically Important To Solar's Future Growth
The U.S. solar industry is booming. "U.S. [Residential] Installation Frequency Hits One Every Four Minutes," according to a recent article in PV-tech.org. That puts the US residential solar industry on track to install 128,000 systems in 2013, according to GTM Research (Q213). We have come a long way since 2007 when I sold the first residential solar power purchase agreement to a homeowner in Redwood City, CA.
Valuation of Solar Generation Assets
This paper is intended to highlight best practices, as well as common pitfalls in valuing solar energy projects including the tangible and intangible assets comprising a fully contracted in-place system (a “solar asset”).
Congress, Don't Send The U.S. Solar Industry On An Extended Vacation
It's that time of year when many Americans are just returning from a summer vacation. During their travels, most of those vacationers probably passed by some of the many solar projects, large and small, being installed across the country. However, they probably didn't know that while they were on holiday, smart policies were at work speeding up deployment of solar projects. From PV farms to solar water heating systems, solar is having a record growth year and is creating stable, well-paying American jobs.
LBNL Releases Tracking the Sun VI
LBNL's Tracking the Sun VI is their annual summary of photovoltaic pricing, including installed pricing data from 1998-2012 with an early look at preliminary 2013 data.
Comments to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Proposed Interagency CRA Q&As
On May 17, 2013, SEIA submitted comments to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The comments identify banking regulations associated with the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and the Public Welfare Investment authority that could be clarified and improved to recognize the public welfare and community development objectives served by the deployment of solar energy in the United States.
Senate Finance Committee Staff Infrastructure, Energy and Natural Resources Tax Reform Options Paper
On April 25, 2013, the Senate Finance Committee Staff released the Infrastructure, Energy and Natural Resources Option Paper. The options laid out in the paper were briefly discussed in a closed-door Finance Committee meeting today. The Paper does not provide any recommendations, but instead lists various options for reforming the existing tax code, including eliminating, replacing and modifying tax expenditures like the ITC and accelerated depreciation. Another option is to establish a carbon tax.
Financing through Public Capital Vehicles Can Lower Solar Costs 10%
A recent NREL report finds that the use of public capital (asset-backed securities, investment pools and real estate investment trusts) can lower the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by up to $0.16 for residential projects and $0.08 for utility projects. As consumer confidence in securitization grows, prices could fall by as much as 30%.
Comments to House Ways and Means Committee Working Group on Energy Tax Reform
On April 15, 2013, SEIA submitted comments to the House Ways and Means Committee's Energy Tax Reform Working Group. The comments review the success of the 30-percent Investment Tax Credit in supporting the deployment of solar energy in the United States.
The Case for the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC)
The tremendous success of the ITC for solar energy projects exemplifies the importance of stable policy for the private sector and reveals a high return on public investment in solar energy in terms of economic benefits, domestic job creation, energy security and lower costs for consumers.