Encouraging Solar Development through SREC Financing

The promotion of renewable energy has been an important policy goal at the state and federal levels in recent years, and public support for solar energy in particular has driven a significant increase in installed solar capacity across the United States. There are numerous federal, state and local tax incentives which encourage consumers, businesses and utilities to increase renewable energy consumption, and solar developers offer attractive financing opportunities for consumers and businesses considering the installation of solar panels to reduce their electricity costs. More recently, solar developers themselves have begun to explore financing opportunities related to another solar incentive program, Solar Renewable Energy Certificates/Credits (“SRECs”), which can provide a valuable source of liquidity for developers and other owners of solar projects. 

In this client alert, Jennifer K. Grady and Kevin Rubinstein discuss the use of SRECs as a source of financing and explore the key legal and business issues raised by such a financing structure.

Please click here to read the client alert.