Alternative energy

YieldCo Market Unfolds While Waiting for Congressional Action on MLPs

Alternative power producers continue to turn to the YieldCo model to find lower costs of capital and residual value. Investors benefit from low risk exposure to renewable energy development, high yield and more favorable tax rates, however, risks do exist. Since January 1, 2014, two new YieldCos have been announced, SunEdison and Hannon Armstrong Sustainable…...

ARPA-E Update: $625M Private Funding Leveraged

To date, the 2009 Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy has invested $900M for innovative projects leveraging $625M in private funding. On February 25, 2014, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) announced that it has advanced 22 innovative projects over the past five years, leveraging approximately $625M private funding following its…...

New Hawaii Bill Supports Energy Storage

Hawaii Senate Bill 2933 mirrors energy storage sector growth interest and introduces investment and utilization tax credits. Senate Bill 2933 introduces two tax credit forms on utility scale renewable energy storage properties with the requirement that all departments of business, economic, and tourism are to submit an annual joint report to legislature. Investment credit will…...

Critical Minerals Legislation Addresses Domestic Rare Earth Production Constraints

On January 28, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to receive testimony on S. 1600, the Critical Minerals Policy Act of 2013. This Act that would enable domestic production of critical minerals necessary in the manufacturing of many clean energy technologies. Overview Critical minerals play and important role in…...

2014 Farm Bill – Energy Title Funding

On February 7th, 2014, president Obama signed the latest American farm bill, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2014. Title IX of the new farm bill, the Energy Title, will authorize a total of $879M in mandatory spending on energy programs through 2023, according to the congressional budget office (CBO). Programs receiving funding…...

Heavy-Duty Vehicle Program Extended Beyond Model Year 2018

President Obama has directed EPA and DOT to develop fuel efficiency and emissions standards for medium- and heavy duty vehicles beyond model year 2018. On February 18, 2014, President Barack Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop the next phase of…...

President Obama proposes $1B Climate Resilience Fund

President Obama’s 2015 Budget proposal will include a $1B Climate Resilience Fund to enhance climate change preparedness and infrastructure resilience. During a meeting with farmers and ranchers in drought-affected California on February 14, 2014, President Barack Obama announced a $1B Climate Resilience Fund to support climate impact actions.  The Fund will be included in the…...

World’s Largest Solar Electric System Launched

The $2.2B Ivanpah Solar Electric System can deliver 392 MW of solar power to California’s electric grid. On February 13, 2014, the Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz inaugurated the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, the world’s largest solar thermal power tower system.  The three-unit power system spans approximately 3,500 acres of public desert land in…...

U.S. Solar PV Industry Growth on Pace

The U.S. utility-scale solar PV industry is 60 percent towards the SunShot Initiative’s 2020 goal of making solar energy cost-competitive with traditional energy sources. On February 12, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the U.S. utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) industry is more than 60 percent of the way to achieve DOE’s SunShot 2020…...

New Energy Efficiency Finance Mechanisms Expand Market Opportunities

On January 21, Kilowatt Financial announced $100 million debt facility with Citi to support residential energy efficiency upgrades. One day later, Joule Assets announced a $100 million fund to aggregate energy efficiency and demand response projects for private equity investors. Overview Although creative energy efficiency financing has existed for decades, new mechanisms are emerging to…...