2013 Solar Industry Trends, Part 2: A Look at Geographical Markets
Dan Yonkin and Yuri Horwitz had the second part of their article “2013 Solar Industry Trends” published in the April issue of the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits
2013 Solar Industry Trends, Part 2: A Look at Geographical Markets
Trends in the geography of solar development are determined by three primary drivers: solar insolation (the quantity of sunlight during the year), local electricity rates (the higher the rate the better) and local regulatory and incentive programs. Good projects are found where bountiful solar resources, costly electricity rates, and generous incentive programs overlap. Nevertheless, even if the first two factors are lacking, strong state and local incentive programs and regulations can singlehandedly determine favorable solar markets for financeable projects. In 2013, a number of new state and local programs, including programs in New York, Indiana, Georgia, Connecticut and Washington D.C., in combination with established markets, like California and Massachusetts, will drive solar development trends nationwide.
Sol Systems Co-founders to Travel to New York as Solar Shines on Wall Street
The Sunshine Backed Bonds Conference will be held May 3rd, 2013
On May 3rd, the Information Management Network will be hosting its first annual Sunshine Backed Bonds conference in New York. The event, aimed at introducing investors to solar as a viable asset class, will be located at the Union League Club in lower Manhattan. Sol Systems’ co-founders, George Ashton and Yuri Horwitz, will both be in attendance. George will be participating in a panel discussion entitled “Exploring the Role of Securitization in Renewable Energy Finance.” The conference will largely focus on large-scale financing opportunities available through securities, allowing typical developers to network with ABS investors seeking alternative financing ventures.
Read the rest of this entry »
Vermont’s 2013 SPEED Program Proposal Deadline Quickly Approaches
The first round of the Vermont Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) program in its new competitive form will close on May 1st of this year. In March, the Vermont Public Service Board altered the structure of the standard offer program in Vermont, reducing the avoided-cost ceiling rate for solar projects and changing the mechanism used to determine which projects receive the offers. The ceiling rate for solar PV systems dropped to $0.257/kWh down from $0.271/kWh. This new rate is based upon a renewed analysis of the costs of solar production. Some fear that this price is based too extensively on the expected decrease in solar costs, as efficiency in the industry grows; however, this rate remains strong in comparison to other states. All avoided-costs for other energy sources have not been altered.
LADWP Approves First 100MW of 150MW Feed-in Tariff
On January 11th, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Board of Commissioners voted to approve the first 100MW of a 150MW solar feed-in tariff program, designed to help Los Angeles achieve its renewable energy goals through 2016. The program could be open for applications as soon as February 1st, and will be released in 20MW increments every six months with reserves for smaller project sizes (30kW to 150kW). The maximum project size is 3MW. The last 50MW will come before the Board for a vote in March, once the program is up and running.
Previously, LADWP launched a modest pilot program in spring of 2012 for 10 MW of capacity, only 3.7 MW of which will receive contracts at an average weighted price of $0.175/kWh. This average weighted price influenced the pricing for the larger procurement program which now has a set price of $0.17/kWh for 20 years. That pricing will gradually decrease for each 20MW of capacity contracted for under the feed-in tariff, eventually dropping down cent by cent to $0.13/kWh by the end of the program. 20MW increments will open for applications every six months. Ideally, the procurement program will gradually bring solar in Los Angeles in line with the average cost for other energy sources, program administrators hope, by the time the 30% investment tax credit (ITC) falls to 10% in 2016.
Not all feed-in tariff programs in California have found similar success. For instance, the city of Palo Alto released a small $0.14/kWh program in 2012 that failed to receive any applications, presumably because the set price offered was too low to lead to viable solar projects. While $0.17/kWh is above the current avoided cost for LADWP, officials decided to launch the program at higher-than-average prices in order to meet upcoming renewable energy targets. LADWP aims to get 25% of its energy from renewable sources by 2016 and 33% by 2020.
Because most of the capacity in this program will likely be sited on rooftops, site selection plays an important role in keeping costs reasonable and ensuring that the project is financeable. Sol Systems will be tracking the LADWP feed-in tariff closely as additional program materials are released. Should you have a project that you are bidding into the LADWP Program or have questions about financing for other California projects please contact info@solmarket.com. Our team would be happy to discuss your project with you and assess financing opportunities.
About Sol Systems
Sol Systems is a solar finance firm and a leader in financial innovation in the renewable energy industry. Since its inception in 2008, Sol Systems has partnered with 350 solar installers and developers to bring over 3,000 solar projects from conception to completion by offering innovative financing solutions for residential, commercial, and utility-scale projects.
Sol Systems’ financing programs catalyze investments for a broad set of solar projects by simplifying their origination, diligence, and financing processes. Developers seeking financing for solar projects can access over $2.5 billion in capital through the Sol Systems investor network.
In addition to providing financing, Sol Systems also offers project due diligence, deal structuring, and asset management services – all designed to reduce overhead and transaction costs and quicken project development timelines.
For more information, please visit www.solsystemscompany.com.
Think Tanks Suggest Overhaul of Federal Subsidy Programs for Clean Tech Industry
After peaking in 2009 at $44.3 billion, Federal spending to support clean energy will decline precipitously between 2009-2014. The main driver behind this phenomenon will be the expiration of many programs established by the American Re-Investment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009. These programs include: the Treasury 1603 Grant Program, section 1705 of the DOE Loan Guarantee Program, and the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for the wind energy industry in 2012. Coupled with declines of support in Europe, the formerly booming clean tech industry could experience a period of significant bust due to oversupply in both the European and American markets. However, the expiration of such programs need not lead to the stagnation of this critical endeavor to bring clean technologies to cost competitive status.
Several think tanks including: the Breakthrough Institute, the Brookings Institute, and the World Resources Institute recently published policy recommendations that would create sustainable and efficacious alterations to current subsidization practices. The report emphasized the importance of creating targeted and temporary policies. Specifically, Federal support should focus on increasing R&D funding, accelerating advanced energy technology commercialization, strengthening advanced manufacturing capabilities, and supporting regional industry clusters. Other key recommendations include:
- Establishing a Competitive Market – New policies should create market opportunities while fostering competition between technology firms.
- Providing Targeted and Temporary Support for Maturing Technologies – Perpetual subsidies are ultimately unsustainable and do not incentivize the rapid growth of economies of scale they are intended to create. Deployment policies should terminate subsidies for technologies that fail to improve in price and performance or become competitive without a subsidy.
- Reducing Subsidy Levels in Response to Changing Technology Costs – Incentive programs should gradually decline as the technology performance and prices improve. This will save taxpayer resources and motivate firms to keep up with the “curve.”
- Providing Sufficient Business Certainty- While incentives should remain temporary, their structure and content should provide clarity for businesses and investors to make necessary decisions.
- Providing Ready Access to Affordable Private Capital- Incentives should seek to avoid high transactions costs, but also open up clean tech investments to larger private capital markets.
The suggestions by these think tanks advocate the replacement of the DOE Loan Guarantee program with more “flexible, independent, and sophisticated” financial tools designed to draw private investment into cleantech projects. This can be accomplished through a variety of credit, standardization, securitization and investment mechanisms delivered through a Clean Energy Deployment Administration or other entities. They also underscored the power of military procurement to leverage demand in the short term, as many clean energy technology can be used for both civilian and military activities (advanced vehicle technology, aviation biofuels, advanced solar power, storage technology, etc.).
Furthermore, these policies are believed to foster bipartisan traction in the legislative arena. They aim to reduce the impact on the taxpayer by maximizing the impact of public funds through targeted subsidization. They also strive to utilize mainly private sector mechanisms, creating new markets in which private firms can thrive.
Read the full report by the Breakthrough Institute, “Beyond Boom and Bust: Putting Clean Tech on a Path to Subsidy Independence.”
Sol Systems will continue to track any progress of this and any other initiatives supporting the solar industry on the federal level. Please also check out our blog for updates on state legislation as well.
About Sol Systems
Sol Systems is a solar energy finance and development firm that was built on the principle that solar energy should be an economically viable energy solution. With thousands of customers and hundreds of partners throughout the United States, Sol Systems is the largest and oldest SREC aggregator. We provide homeowners, businesses, solar installers, and developers with sophisticated financing solutions that help make solar energy more affordable. Sol Systems also helps energy suppliers and utilitiesmanage and meet their solar RPS requirements efficiently by providing them with access to diverse portfolios of SRECs. For more information, please visit http://www.solsystemscompany.com.
Sol Systems Issues Call for Solar Projects – New Project Finance Platform Now Has $400 Million in Available Funding
Sol Systems Issues Call for Solar Projects – New Project Finance Platform Now Has $400 Million in Available Funding
Washington, DC: September 14, 2011 – Less than two weeks after launch, Sol Systems is proud to announce that its new solar finance platform, SolMarket, has increased from $350 million in available investment dollars to $400 million. In addition, reception by solar installers and developers across the country has been overwhelmingly positive. SolMarket’s network now includes over 180 companies and 300 users.
SolMarket is a financing platform that will catalyze investment in solar energy projects nationwide by transforming how solar projects are financed. SolMarket provides investors and developers with the tools they need to efficiently originate, evaluate, finance, and construct renewable energy projects. It provides a standardized origination platform, a document library, modeling software, and a standardized document suite. SolMarket will also offer developers group purchase discounts for solar modules and other equipment. There are no costs for developers to participate in SolMarket.
“We talk to hundreds of solar developers about prospective commercial and utility-scale projects, and unfortunately, many of these solar projects are never built due to an inability to efficiently locate financing,” said Yuri Horwitz, CEO of Sol Systems. “We have created SolMarket to help drive efficiencies into the solar market and connect investors and developers effectively. SolMarket will reduce the cost of financing transactions and enhance the tempo of solar project development.”
SolMarket is currently seeking projects ranging from 50 kW to multi-megawatts in size. Solar developers are encouraged to submit their projects prior to September 30th, when investors will get their first look at projects. Projects entered prior to this date increase their visibility and the likelihood of getting included in the investors’ 2011 portfolios.
Sol Systems invites interested solar developers to attend a SolMarket webinar, hosted every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during the month of September at 2 pm EST. For more information, please email info@solmarket.com or visit www.solmarket.com.
About Sol Systems
SolMarket is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sol Systems. Sol Systems is a Washington D.C. based solar finance firm, and the largest solar renewable energy credit (SREC) aggregator in the nation, with over 2,300 customers and over 20 MW of solar capacity under management. Through its SREC offerings, it has promoted the development of the solar market by providing long-term financing options for SRECs, facilitating over $100 million in solar development.
Contact:
Ms. Sudha Gollapudi, Director of Strategic Partnerships
888-765-1115 x1
Sol Systems Issues Call for Solar Projects – Launches Project Finance Platform with $350 Million in Available Funding
Washington, DC: August 31, 2011 - Sol Systems today announced the launch of SolMarket, a new financing platform that will catalyze investment in solar energy projects nationwide by transforming how solar projects are financed. SolMarket launches with over $350 million of committed partner funds, actively seeking solar projects in need of financing.
SolMarket provides investors and developers with the tools they need to efficiently originate, evaluate, finance, and construct renewable energy projects. It provides a standardized origination platform, a document library, modeling software, and a standardized document suite. SolMarket will also offer developers group purchase discounts for solar modules and other equipment. There are no costs for developers to participate in SolMarket.
“We talk to hundreds of solar developers about prospective commercial and utility-scale projects, and unfortunately, many of these solar projects are never built due to an inability to efficiently locate financing,” said Yuri Horwitz, CEO of Sol Systems. “We have created SolMarket to help drive efficiencies into the solar market and connect investors and developers effectively. SolMarket will reduce the cost of financing transactions and enhance the tempo of solar project development.”
SolMarket has already attracted funding from a number of investors and is seeking projects ranging from 50 kW to multi-megawatts in size. Solar developers are encouraged to submit their projects prior to September 30th because investors are quickly building out their portfolios for 2011.
Sol Systems invites interested solar developers to attend a SolMarket webinar on Thursday, September 1st, Friday, September 2nd, or Tuesday, September 6th at 11 am EST. For more information, please email info@solmarket.com or visit www.solmarket.com.
About Sol Systems
SolMarket is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sol Systems. Sol Systems is a Washington D.C. based solar finance firm, and the largest solar renewable energy credit (SREC) aggregator in the nation, with over 2,300 customers and over 20 MW of solar capacity under management. Through its SREC offerings, it has promoted the development of the solar market by providing long-term financing options for SRECs, facilitating over $100 million in solar development.
Contact:
Ms. Sudha Gollapudi, Director of Strategic Partnerships
888-765-1115 x1
Magic and Sunrays in the Air
In a neighborhood where painting your door a different color requires approval from a presidentially appointed commission, Georgetown Energy is aiming to permanently change the view of dozens of houses – from the sky.
Georgetown Energy, a student consultancy devoted to helping residents convert to solar electricity, is heading a monumental solar project that involves turning 43 quintessential student townhouse residences to solar electricity in the midst of Washington DC’s historic Georgetown district. Although it is a long-term project to be enjoyed by the generations after many of the current members of the group have graduated, Georgetown Energy students believe that the rewards of such an innovative project are well worth the effort.
What magic surrounding solar coaxed students to become involved so profoundly? First, there is a substantial payback for the investment. In a solar lease contract signed between Georgetown University, which owns the student townhouses, and Solar City, a leading national solar installation company, adding 96.6 kW of solar capacity to 43 townhouses will require an initial investment of about $164,000, much less than if the University were to purchase the solar panels. Although Georgetown Energy has partnered with SolarCity for this project and used its solar lease scheme as a model, the project will be offered to various installers at its final stages. In the innovative solar lease scheme, the University will “lease” the roof of each townhouse to the installer, which will design, own, and operate a solar photovoltaic system on each townhouse. The installer will then sell the electricity produced from each solar project to the residents of the townhouse at a lower price than the traditional competing utility. Savings increase every year and over the 20 years duration of the solar lease contract, students would save a total of $458,856 in their electricity cost. After the contract is over, the student body can decide whether to buy the panels at a low price.
Indeed, another charming aspect of the proposal is that everything is student-owned. Originating from the need to allocate a 3.4 million dollar defunct student endowment, the solar investment will take up only a portion of the available fund and coexist with other student proposals as well as generate profit. Ideally, Georgetown Energy sees the proceeds creating a fund for related projects to further environmental awareness and energy studies on campus.
Is there anything else in it for the university, the students, and the DC area? Sol Systems, a strong force in the fight for better solar incentives in DC, believes so. Not only is being involved in such a movement ideal preparation for a career in renewable energy (two recent graduates and former members of Georgetown Energy actually work at Sol Systems), but there is much potential for the greater DC area too. Of course, cleaner air for the district tops the list. It may even attract more students interested in environmental and energy issues and demonstrate the feasibility of clean energy investments, creating a virtuous cycle of environmental awareness and action in the university community. Perhaps the project may even set an example of a successful clean energy investment that some students may follow individually in the future. Lastly, it is a modern display of service to the community, the crux of the founding Jesuit ideals of Georgetown University.
What stage is the project at right now? In April 2011, a student commission voted in support of the proposal. Now Georgetown Energy students are working with University officials on the details. These include contractual issues, billing mechanisms, pricing, and structural and electrical issues with the houses. The Georgetown Energy students are learning some concrete skills needed for evaluating any type of construction investment. The work done from June-August 2011 will culminate in a final recommendation to be handed to the University on September 1st after which Georgetown Energy students will have to persuade the rest of the student body off their feet for a concluding student referendum and choose from final proposals from competing vendors and permitting. If all goes well, the battle will be won one year from today. The panels will be constructed in Fall 2012 and convert ordinary sunrays to a unique opportunity for revenue and intellectual growth – truly magic!
Maryland & DC Promote Solar Thermal through SREC Markets
Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) markets are comprised almost entirely of solar photovoltaic generators. However, recent legal changes offer opportunities for solar thermal developers to participate in two of the country’s most lucrative programs.
As a background, a solar renewable energy credit is a tradable commodity like a carbon credit. However, unlike carbon credits, an SREC signifies the environmental attributes associated with 1 MWH of electricity, or its thermal equivalent, produced by a solar energy generator.
The value of an SREC is derived by a state’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). A RPS is a state-specific statute dictating that certain percentage electricity must come from renewable energy generators. Thirty-one states within the US have RPS statutes on the books. Of these thirty-one states, seven require a percentage of the renewable electricity production come from solar energy technologies (i.e. solar carve-out). These seven states also define a Solar Alternative Compliance Penalty (SACP), or the penalty a regulated utility or energy supplier must pay if they fail to acquire the dictated number of SRECs to meet the RPS. For example, energy suppliers in MD and DC must surrender $400.00 and $500.00, respectively, for each SREC they fail to acquire to meet the solar carve out defined within the RPS. The SACP functions as the price ceiling for an SREC market.
Currently, only a very small number of solar thermal generators participate in these SREC markets, because until recently solar thermal generators did not meet the definitional requirements of a solar energy generator within RPS statutes. However this is changing.
The SREC landscape for solar thermal generators is now open for system owners in MD and DC. Effective January 1, 2012, the Maryland RPS will allow solar thermal generators to earn SRECs. To earn SRECs in Maryland the following conditions must be met: (1) the system must be installed on or after June 1, 2011, (2) if the system is residentially owned, the facility must meet the Solar Rating & Certification Corporation’s (SRCC) OG-300 standards, (3) if the facility is commercially owned, the components installed must meet the SRCC’s OG-100 standards and an OIML certified meter must be installed to measure generation at the facility, and (4) the facility must be located within Maryland. To participate in the DC SREC market, (1) residentially owned systems must meet the SRCC OG-300 standards, (2) commercially owned systems must utilize components that meet the SRCC’s OG-100 standards and have an OIML meter installed to measure generation, and (3) pending new legislation, the facility must be located within the District.
In light of these recent legal changes, solar thermal developers can now participate in two lucrative SREC markets. In 2015 alone, the Maryland SREC market alone will have a ceiling value of over $100 million. Or, put another way, more than 195 MW-eq. of new compliance appetite is legislated in DC and MD over the next 3 years. To learn more about SREC options available to you, please visit www.solsystemscompany.com. As the country’s oldest and largest SREC aggregator, we can craft the solution that is right for you.
SRECs: Key Drivers in Solar Growth
Recent reports about both the domestic and global solar market have all pointed towards another year of remarkable growth. In fact, Bloomberg Finance identified Apple’s growth following the release of the iPad last year as the best analogy for the projected growth of the solar industry. Just a few days ago, the CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association announced that the “solar is the fastest growing industry in America”.
With this incredible growth, it is useful to examine the key drivers behind the acceleration of the solar market. One key driver is the continuous reduction in PV cost, as prices for solar panels have declined by around 75% in the past 10 years. Solar panel prices in the U.S. specifically are set to drop by U.S. $0.20 per watt in 2011, bringing the average panel price to U.S, $1.40 per watt.
The second key driver is government policy and incentives. German and Japanese governments have been two of the leaders in the solar industry because they have legislated high incentives for solar deployment at the federal level. In the United States, however, state policies and utilities have played a larger role in growth, which has been impressive. In fact, the U.S. solar industry experienced a year-over-year growth of 67 percent. Furthermore, this growth is no longer simply due to California; over 16 states installed more than 10 MW in 2010. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) CEO, Rhone Resch said, “the Mid-Atlantic region is beating California as the largest market in the U.S. for PV installations”.
Solar growth in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern region is due primarily to policies at the state level, which include both incentive programs and Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). These state programs award money to owners of solar systems to help offset the initial cost of the system. Renewable Portfolio Standards that include specific requirements for solar (i.e. solar carve-outs) mandate energy suppliers and utilities to generate or procure a certain percentage of electricity from solar or risk paying a steep Alternative Compliance Penalty (ACP).
Both measures have been effective, but solar carve-outs in the RPS represent a sustainable, market-based approach to solar financing. These solar carve-outs make Solar Renewable Energy Credits, or SRECs valuable, allowing solar system owners to realize the financial benefits associated with clean energy production. The percentage of solar electricity that energy suppliers must obtain increases each year until 2025 for most states with an RPS, guaranteeing that there will be a market for SRECs. Furthermore, an RPS is budget-neutral, and thus state governments do not have to worry about running out of funds prematurely, which has happened to several state solar rebate programs.
The Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. will have need for more than 3 gigawatts (GW) of new photovoltaic capacity by 2015, which is due in large part to these state solar carve-outs. The new capacity will be a mix of residential and business systems as well as utility-scale projects. Furthermore, with continued reductions in PV cost, there may actually be more solar deployment than is needed to satisfy the RPS. This makes the value of SRECs hard to predict in the short and long term; however, it does not change the fact that SRECs will remain an important piece of the solar financing puzzle for the next decade.
Looking forward, consistent and stable policies coupled with technical improvements will allow the solar industry to continue its remarkable growth.