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”).
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.
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.
Solar Tax Manual
SEIA members enjoy exclusive access to the SEIA Guide to Federal Tax Incentives for Solar Energy, a regularly updated resource to guide you and your customers through the federal tax benefits for solar.
Assessment of Incentives and Employment Impacts of Solar Industry Deployment
An independent research report by the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, found that solar energy is following the same path to commercialization as other traditional energy sources spurred by federal incentives. The study, titled "Assessment of Incentives and Employment Impacts of Solar Industry Deployment," also estimates that the U.S. solar industry could employ hundreds of thousands of Americans by the end of the decade.