Sol Insights
Women in Power: The Team Behind Nebraska’s Largest Solar Project
The solar industry is beginning to take steps to diversify and create new leadership and professional development pathways for women. At Sol Systems, we just completed our first project led by an all-woman development team. It also Nebraska’s largest solar project and Nebraska Public Power ... Read More
Mexico’s Energy Reform: Retreating from Private Energy Markets
Mexican lawmakers are close to dismantling the national renewable energy market by acting to pass a constitutional reform proposal that would fundamentally change the Mexican national power sector leaving renewable energy buyers and developers with nowhere to turn. The proposal would ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE – October 2021
Click here to read The Sol SOURCE October 2021. The Sol SOURCE is a renewables journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through interviews with our team, incorporating news from a variety of ... Read More
Robots Roaming Around Solar Projects? Sol Systems’ Newest Tech Addition
The robots are coming...to our solar sites! This spring, Sol Systems installed robotic mowers at its 1 MWac project in Rock Falls, Illinois to assist with vegetation management. For Rock Falls, Sol Systems collaborated with ... Read More
Service Spotlight Series – Chaz Moore
To pay homage to our dedicated customer service team at Sol Systems, we launched our Service Spotlight Series! This interview series provides the opportunity for our customers and partners to get to know their customer service representatives and learn about what goes into serving our 16,000 ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE – June 2021
Click here to read The Sol SOURCE June 2021. The Sol SOURCE is a renewables journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through interviews with our team, incorporating news from a variety of ... Read More
How We’ve Committed to Ensuring No Forced Labor Ever Touches our Projects
At Sol Systems, we are committed to a just equitable energy transition and to ensuring this commitment flows through our entire business. In the past year, the production of polysilicon has been linked in many ways to forced labor in the Xinjiang region of China. Sol Systems is taking ... Read More
Renewables Will Be An Engine – Now Let’s Do This Right
When we started Sol in 2008 most people questioned whether the renewable energy industry would ever be cost competitive, or scale, or be financeable. Solar was unrealistic, cute, or at best, quixotic. Time has been the great arbiter. Solar is now the single least expensive form of ... Read More
Service Spotlight Series – Isla Kennedy
Isla Kennedy is a SREC Customer Operations Analyst on the SREC team. To pay homage to our dedicated customer service team at Sol Systems, we are launching our Service Spotlight Series! This interview series will provide the opportunity for our customers and partners to get to know ... Read More
Maryland SREC Values Increase Due to New RPS Law
On May 30th, Senate Bill No. 65 (SB 65) went into law, which revised Maryland’s renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS). The bill increased the solar alternative compliance payment (SACP) which utilities must pay when they do not meet RPS requirements but decreased the percentage of energy ... Read More
Breaking the (Photovoltaic) Glass Ceiling – Celebrating Women’s History Month at Sol Systems
March of every year is dedicated to Women’s History Month, where women are celebrated for their contributions to society and how their actions have changed the world. The observance of the month was established after a weeklong celebration established by Congress ... Read More
Installer Partner Spotlight – Lumina Solar
Sol Systems currently works with over 15,000 customers to monetize their Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs). Many of these customers come to us through our long-standing installer partnerships. To highlight these unique relationships, we are continuing our Installer Spotlight ... Read More
From Intern to Full Time: How Sol’s Intern Program Helped These Talents Shine
Each summer at Sol Systems, we provide an opportunity for undergraduate students and graduates who are passionate about the environment, sustainability, and renewable energy to join us for our Summer Intern Program. We offer ... Read More
Solar is the Way of the Future in New York
Well known for its robust renewable energy goals and friendly business environment, New York is seen by many in the solar and renewable energy space as a state with large investment and development opportunities. With increased solar investment and ... Read More
Delaware Looks Further Ahead on its RPS
After its swift progress through the state’s legislature, Governor Carney signed Senate Bill No. 33 (“SB 33”) on February 10. The bill extends and expands Delaware’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (“RPS”) and alters the previous statute’s RPS freeze requirements, which ... Read More
A Community of Communities: The Employee Resource Groups and Clubs at Sol Systems
Sol Systems’ company culture feels special. It’s a warm, inviting environment filled with passionate, intelligent individuals that share a common goal: to protect the environment and reinvest within the communities we serve while deploying renewable energy across the United ... Read More
Service Spotlight Series – Elizabeth Campbell
To pay homage to our dedicated customer service team at Sol Systems, we are launching our Service Spotlight Series! This interview series will provide the opportunity for our customers and partners to get to know their customer service representatives and learn about what goes into serving our ... Read More
Installer Partner Spotlight – Solar Energy World
Sol Systems currently works with over 15,000 customers to monetize their Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs). Many of these customers come to us through our long-standing installer partnerships. To highlight these unique relationships, we are kick-starting an Installer Spotlight Series! For ... Read More
A Groundwork for Solar Sustainability
This past week, two groups of students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign presented to Sol Systems regarding their findings through the university's sustainability minor capstone course. The students conducted an emissions audit for supply chain and land-usage for the university’s Read More
5 Ways Solar Energy Benefits Schools
Schools and universities, both private and public, are constantly met with challenges: budget cuts, adjustments to teaching methods, accommodating every students’ need, and exceeding sustainability goals. Those challenges shape the educational experience for students and without the proper ... Read More
Sol Profit Share: Only Upside with Sol Systems’ New SREC Contract
Sol Systems’ new profit share contract offers solar renewable energy credit (SREC) customers the option to maximize value while making a positive impact on the community. SREC owners often face the challenge of choosing between the high risk and potential reward of selling their SRECs on the Read More
Sol Systems Continues to Look for Ways to Make Our Solar Energy Even More Green
While solar energy represents an offset of fossil fuels in our Nation’s energy infrastructure, we often don’t talk about the methods developers use to reduce their footprint in the construction and operations phases of the projects themselves. In the first of many internal presentations held ... Read More
Service Spotlight Series – Avery Sellers
To pay homage to our dedicated SREC team here at Sol Systems, we’ve launched our Service Spotlight Series! This interview series will provide the opportunity for our customers and partners to get to know their customer service representatives and key players on the SREC team ... Read More
Safely Sustainable – Sol Systems Volunteers with the Rock Creek Conservancy
2020 has been quite the challenging year, but our team has stayed committed to its volunteering efforts and sustainable practices. This past week, Sol Systems volunteered with the Rock Creek Conservancy to help clean-up the national park that is ... Read More
Service Spotlight Series – Kenita Williams
To pay homage to our dedicated customer service team at Sol Systems, we are launching our Service Spotlight Series! This interview series will provide the opportunity for our customers and partners to get to know their customer service representatives and learn about what goes into serving our ... Read More
Why Residential Installers should choose Sol Systems as their SREC Provider
Since 2008, residential installers across the East Coast have entrusted their customers’ solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) with Sol Systems. With consistent dedication to our customers and a constant drive for improvement, there has never been a better time for residential installers ... Read More
Service Spotlight Series – Ben Adams
To pay homage to our dedicated customer service team at Sol Systems, we are launching our Service Spotlight Series! This interview series will provide the opportunity for our customers and partners to get to know their customer service representatives and learn about what goes into serving our ... Read More
Service Spotlight Series – Javier Chacon
To pay homage to our dedicated customer service team at Sol Systems, we are launching our Service Spotlight Series! This interview series will provide the opportunity for our customers and partners to get to know their customer service representatives and learn about what goes into serving our ... Read More
Sol Rolls out Resources for Spanish-Speaking SREC Customers
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sol Systems’ SREC team has launched a new Spanish resource center for our SREC customers. Solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) are fairly complex. So, when communicating with Spanish-speaking customers, Sol’s SREC customer service team has faced ... Read More
Service Spotlight Series – Abbie Borowski
It’s National Customer Service Week! This week, we recognize and celebrate excellent customer service. To pay homage to our dedicated customer service team at Sol Systems, we are launching our Service Spotlight Series! This interview series will provide the opportunity for our customers and ... Read More
How do I sell my SRECs?
Did you know that you can monetize the energy produced by your solar facility in addition to savings on your electric bill? Sol Systems can broker your SRECs to help you get the most out of your solar investment. What is an SREC? Renewable energy credits, or ... Read More
Why Solar for Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities?
Water and wastewater facilities are vital to the success and growth of surrounding communities. However, powering these facilities requires a tremendous amount of energy, consuming 4% of all energy used in the US. To free up budgets and make use of excess land, water and ... Read More
Uncovered Opportunity – Why New York Parking Lots are Potential Cash Cows
As any New Yorker knows, clean energy has been a priority for Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration. However, not every New Yorker knows that thousands of parking lots in ConEdison territory have the potential to receive a substantial lease payment for converting their uncovered parking lots ... Read More
How Young Professionals Can Get Into the Solar Industry
A special thank you to Miles Braxton, Sam Ditesheim, Erin Hickok, Juliana Isaac, Adil Javat, and Sandhya Mahadevan for their input and advice! The solar energy industry is continuously growing and has been on the ... Read More
Putting NJ Parking Lots to Work with Solar Energy
New Jersey’s solar presence has become increasingly prevalent in today’s market for renewables. As a long-time solar energy leader on the East Coast, recent policies have continued to open up opportunity in the state for property owners with easy to come by space: parking lots. The New ... Read More
What is a PPA?
Corporations, municipalities, and non-profits spend a lot of time looking for new ways to save money and commit to sustainable initiatives. However, those two needs often don’t mesh. Luckily, going solar no longer requires a large upfront cost with a long payback period, as solar energy has ... Read More
How Can My Municipality Go Solar?
Municipalities across the country are realizing energy savings and increased budgets by powering their facilities with inexpensive solar energy. Solar offers opportunities for municipalities to, utilize unused land, rooftops, and parking lots to house clean, low-cost energy that saves customers Read More
Why Maine Is Positioned to Lead in the Solar Energy Space
Just a short jaunt across the Piscataqua River from Kittery, my passion for renewable energy and environmental protection was born. Growing up on the Piscataqua fueled my dream of making a positive impact on the world and drove me to my now alma mater, Bowdoin College. Since then, and for the ... Read More
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
At Sol Systems, how we deliver for our customers and investors is as important as the value we create for them. Sol strives to have a sustainable impact on our communities socially, economically, and environmentally. We do this by developing clean, sustainable energy infrastructure, and ... Read More
Lauren Miller Elected to MDV-SEIA Board of Directors
On June 19th, MDV-SEIA members elected Lauren Miller, Senior Associate of Policy at Sol Systems, to the organization’s board of directors. The election took place on June 8-19 with 21 applicants vying to fill 8 seats on the member board. MDV-SEIA is the overarching organization that ... Read More
Black Lives Matter
Sol Systems is Committed to the Black Community The team at Sol is heart-broken by the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. While it should not take murder to elicit meaningful, lasting change, we are embracing the opportunity to listen, learn, and grow, both as Read More
Sol SOURCE: State Markets and Solar Chatter – Q2 2020
Click here to access the web edition of The Sol SOURCE Q2 2020. The Sol SOURCE is a quarterly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through quarterly interviews with our team, Read More
How to Deliver Solar Safely, Soundly, and Successfully during COVID-19
In any scenario, the construction phase of a solar energy project brings with it a slew of logistical challenges and decision points for the delivery team. During the COVID-19 crisis, that list has understandably grown. COVID-19 has impacted all aspects of construction, both administrative and ... Read More
Why (and How) the Solar Finance Market Is Changing in This Crisis
This is an excerpt from the Q2 2020 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a quarterly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy development and investment based on our unique position in the solar industry. To receive future editions of the journal, please subscribe. The ... Read More
The Dirt on Solar as an Essential Service: What happens when your work is “essential” but the services you rely on to complete your work are not?
Solar Designated as an Essential Service in Illinois On March 20, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed an executive order instructing his constituents to stay at home to limit the spread of COVID-19. All businesses deemed "non-essential" were required to suspend operations, and all travel ... Read More
Uniting with Local Governments to Engage Communities During COVID-19
While a typical news cycle may lead you to think otherwise, the executive branch is not the most impactful level of government for the average American citizen. Our daily lives are most affected by a handful of our neighbors making decisions right down the road: noise ordinances, parking ... Read More
Business as Unusual: One Company’s Story of Adapt and Adopt Part 2 (of 3): Culture, Family, and Love
At a time when all of us need the support of our friends and families to cope with the impacts of COVID-19, we also find ourselves isolated. Fortunately, thanks to 2020 technology, digital portals offer new and creative ways to keep connected to our families, friends, and coworkers so none of ... Read More
Business as Unusual: One Company’s Story of Adapt and Adopt Part 1 (of 3): Productivity Tools that Work So We Can
Here we are, all of us together, arguably facing the biggest challenge, threat, and opportunity of our lives. Emotions of disbelief, or maybe fear and grief, are giving way to ingenuity and perseverance. As the ground shifts under our feet, so do our priorities. Just as many of you have ... Read More
New Jersey’s Legacy SREC Program Reaches a Transition Point
New Jersey plans to close its legacy Solar Renewable Energy Credit (“SREC”) program at the end of April. However, the closure of the program is by no means the end to solar in New Jersey. Per the Clean Energy Act of 2018, New Jersey is required to close the current SREC incentive program ... Read More
#Resilience: Cultivating Resolve in the Face of COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic attacks the health and financial security of our families, businesses, and communities, Sol Systems is increasing its investment in resiliency for our people, communities, company, and the solar industry. We are working both to survive and thrive by directing resources ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE – Q1 2020
Click here to read the The Sol SOURCE Q1 2020. The Sol SOURCE is a quarterly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through quarterly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
A Compelling (and Complex) Opportunity: Creating Value as a Solar Developer in 2020
When we started Sol Systems around a dinner table in 2008, PV modules cost $3/watt – and that was a recent breakthrough. Those same modules now cost 30-40 cents/watt and they are significantly more efficient. As we noted last year, solar energy technology continues its path to global dominance. Read More
5 Solar Technical Issues Avoided with Integrated Delivery and Engineering
As the solar energy market grows, asset owners and investors must understand the technical risks that can emerge during project construction and impact the long-term operation and performance of their assets. However, owners and investors – who are rightly focused on project finance -- are not ... Read More
Sol Takes Culture Notes from the NBA
What makes a high-performing team tick – is it a particular system, combination of personnel, leadership? Perhaps a combination of these elements? Sports, particularly NBA basketball, provide a useful petri dish for observing high-performing teams as they perform in real time. So why have ... Read More
This Is How You Cut It in Solar Energy – Sol Systems Delivers 3 MW Maryland Project to Greenbacker and Under Armour
Sol Systems, Under Armour, and Greenbacker, along with government officials cut the ceremonial ribbon to celebrate the 3 MW solar project in Capitol Heights, MD Under Armour joins the ranks of corporate leadership to prioritize renewable energy and sustainability goals. Increasingly, top ... Read More
If It’s Chilly Out, Then It Must Be Time for the Sol Chili Cook-Off!
This chilly Halloween at Sol, we got creative with slow cookers and costumes. The Sol team raised the bar for our costume contest, with creative, unique, and “punny” costumes. Some teams donned group costumes, and others, costumes with Solar Energy themes. Regardless, Solster’s didn’t turn ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE – Q3 2019
Click here to read the The Sol SOURCE Q3 2019. The Sol SOURCE is a quarterly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through quarterly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news Read More
Solving Price Volatility in Renewable Energy Wholesale Markets
Clean energy resources like solar and wind energy are fast becoming the cheapest sources of electricity generation in the United States. Since 2009, the levelized cost of electricity dropped by 69% for onshore wind power and by 88% for solar power. The numbers and trends are more or less ... Read More
All Solar on the Wasatch Front: Takeaways from Solar Power International Salt Lake
As solar continues its year-over-year growth, the massive Solar Power International conference (or North American Smart Energy Week, depending on who you ask) provides an annual opportunity for the industry to put on display its newest shiny objects. For solar veterans like Sol Systems VP of ... Read More
Employee Spotlight – Sandhya Mahadevan
With a team of bright, dedicated professionals, Sol Customer Solutions (SCS), delivers premier services for solar energy clients with one of the strongest solar development platforms in the United States for customers in the commercial, municipal, and educational space. Throughout the year, ... Read More
Employee Spotlight – Miles Braxton
With a team of bright, dedicated professionals, Sol Systems, delivers premier services for solar energy clients with one of the strongest solar development platforms in the United States for customers in the commercial, municipal, and educational space. Throughout the year, we will give you ... Read More
Another Sol Systems Ragnar
Last year, I wrote about my first time participating in a Sol Systems leg-destroying tradition: the 12-person, 200-mile Ragnar relay. Twelve months rolled by and I found myself back in New Hampshire, waking up in a crammed van at five in the morning preparing to run six miles for the third ... Read More
Pennsylvania SRECs Two Years After Act 40
Two years ago, SREC prices in the state of Pennsylvania were at an extreme low point of $4/SREC. In response to these low prices, the Pennsylvania legislature passed Act 40 which removed the eligibility of out-of-state systems to produce Pennsylvania SRECs. The effects of this supply reduction ... Read More
Sol SOURCE: Q2 2019
Click here to read the The Sol SOURCE Q2 2019. The Sol SOURCE is a quarterly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through quarterly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news Read More
To Safe Harbor or Not to Safe Harbor
Whether tis nobler in the model to suffer / the cost and hassle of outrageous procurement expense… As the clock ticks into the third quarter of the year, solar energy developers are increasingly confronted with a question of Shakespearean proportions: in order to preserve 4 percent additional ... Read More
Maryland Clean Energy Jobs Act Bolsters SREC Prices
On April 8th, 2019 the Maryland General Assembly passed the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA), an update to the state’s renewable portfolio standard. The bill raises the state’s renewable goal to 50% by 2030 with a 14.5% solar carve-out. This increases 2019 demand for SRECs from 1.95% to 5.5%. SREC Read More
Celebrating Success: Soliversary 2019
Sol Systems’ anniversary, Soliversary, is quite the annual event at our office. With a full week dedicated to it, Soliversary is a time where everyone gathers to reflect on the past and set goals for the future while also celebrating our roots. This year marked Sol Systems’ 11th anniversary. ... Read More
Welcoming the 2019 Summer Intern Class
My name is Claire Siwulec, the new marketing intern at Sol Systems. This summer, my responsibilities will include constructing blog posts, obtaining market research, and assisting with internal and external marketing efforts. From my first day, it has been clear that I am not just an intern, ... Read More
Employee Spotlight – Kate Brandus
The unique and dedicated team of people who work at Sol Systems have been a key part of our success over the past 11 years. With a growing staff of more than 60 full-time employees in Washington, D.C., the driven, talented group of industry professionals have created ... Read More
Four Things D.C. Real Estate Owners Should Know about D.C.’s New Clean Energy Law
In March, the most aggressive clean energy bill in the country become law in Washington, D.C. The Clean Energy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018 will heavily impact real estate owners and developers in the city. Here’s what you need to know: The law establishes D.C. as a clean energy ... Read More
What We Learned Doing a Corporate Carbon Inventory and What We’re Doing About It
You’ve gotta practice what you preach. As an organization with environmental stewardship at its very core, Sol Systems takes myriad actions every day to minimize our impact on the planet and to be thoughtful about how we can continually improve. So when an opportunity arose for the company to ... Read More
Sol’s Environmental Stewardship: Sustainability is in our DNA
As a company at the forefront of efforts to fight climate change and its impacts, environmental stewardship is written into Sol Systems’ DNA. Our company was founded on a mission of environmental stewardship and sustainability and it is built on the principle that small actions lead to big ... Read More
Sol Systems Partners with Potomac Conservancy to Celebrate Earth Day 2019
The Sol Systems team will observe Earth Day 2019 by partnering with local clean water advocacy group Potomac Conservancy and re-committing to its corporate sustainability goals and initiatives. As the Washington, D.C. region’s leading clean water advocate, Potomac Conservancy fights to ... Read More
Sol SOURCE: Q1 2019
Click here to read the full newsletter. The Sol SOURCE is a quarterly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through quarterly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety ... Read More
Bifacial or bust? Engineering solar financings of the future
The solar industry hates stasis, which is exemplified in industry members’ self-proclaimed rides on “the Solar Coaster.” Solar trade shows and conferences are filled with companies looking to provide solar with its “next big thing.” One of solar energy’s (literal) shiny new objects - bifacial ... Read More
Tax equity structuring and the advantage of a tax-efficient sponsor
We in the United States, whether in the name of ideological principal or political necessity, have decided to incentivize renewable energy deployment through our tax code. This has produced a byzantine system of rules and regulations surrounding the financing of solar facilities. The result ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: December 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we ... Read More
Assessing Solar’s 2018: Tariffs and Tax Reform? No Problem
For seven years and counting, The Sol SOURCE has covered the news surrounding the solar industry, utilizing our unique perspective into the worlds of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs), project finance, tax equity, and policy. As we reach our twelfth publication of 2018, we look back at ... Read More
Solar on the Farm: A Beautiful Thing
A few weeks ago, Sol Systems hosted a screening of Sierra Club’s new film, Reinventing Power, at our Washington, D.C. headquarters. The documentary included vignettes of everyday citizens in communities across the United States who had been positively impacted by clean energy deployment, ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: November 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we ... Read More
How Is Solar Preparing for the ITC Step-Down?
The federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC), as established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, has been vital to the growth of solar. The 30% credit has fueled a 1,600% increase in solar installations since its inception. The tax credit remains at 30% of project cost until the end of 2019 before ... Read More
State RPSs Poised for Expansion as Supportive Governors Win 2018 Midterm Elections
Over the past decade, state renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) have been a leading policy driver for renewable energy growth across the country, and the 2018 midterms saw the elections of several governors who have pledged to work to double or even quadruple their state’s renewable energy ... Read More
A Long-Running History of Long Running: Sol Systems and Ragnar Relays
It was 5:00 pm on a Saturday evening, and I found myself four miles into a run along the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean in Hampton, New Hampshire. Like most times I run, I was exhausted, pushing my body to keep moving, and keeping my mind focused on the goal. Unlike most times I run, I was ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: October 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we have ... Read More
How Is Solar Faring in the Face of Another Hurricane Season?
Last year, in the midst of what some called a “once-in-a-lifetime” hurricane season, we looked at solar energy’s resiliency in the face of extreme weather. A year/’lifetime” later, another devastating season of hurricanes including Michael and Florence have battered American shorelines. As ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: September 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we have ... Read More
What’s Driving Downward Pressure in Solar Module Prices?
Since May of last year, the module market has been anything but business as usual (though in solar, is it ever?). Uncertainty fueled by the 201 case plagued module prices in 2017, resulting in price increases after years of steady decline. Once tariffs were established, prices stabilized and ... Read More
Is the Solar Industry Clearing a Path to Diversity?
2018 is shaping up to be a red-letter year for achieving a more diverse and equitable workforce in the solar space. On the industry level, there’s a growing drumbeat of studies, articles, and resources designed to educate and provide guidance. On the company level, there is a new standard of ... Read More
9 Solar Energy Podcasts to Download before your Flight to SPI
We have entered the age of the podcast. More than a quarter of Americans listen to podcasts monthly: that’s more than 73 million people. So it’s no surprise that news outlets and solar power marketers are investing in podcasts as an essential tool for providing quality content to their ... Read More
Sol Systems Partners with Solar United Neighbors
Sol Systems has recently rolled out a partnership with Solar United Neighbors, offering their members and co-op participants a streamlined solar renewable energy credit (SREC) experience. Solar United Neighbors began about a decade ago when a teenager asked a simple question: “Mom, can we go ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: August 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we have ... Read More
Solar Energy: Saving Your Business Money…and Jobs?
It’s no secret that solar helps businesses and municipalities to save money (see our other trend article in this month’s newsletter). However, peripheral effects like a 55 percent spike in employee morale, a 43 percent improvement in both process efficiency and public image, and a 38 percent ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: July 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we have ... Read More
A Solar Guide to Demand Charges
Unsurprisingly, the monumental rise in solar installations in the US over the past decade has been driven by the ever-increasing economic case for the technology. For the most part, solar developers are focused on trying to come in below a customer’s energy rate, which makes sense, but in an ... Read More
Commencing the Rush to Construction? Your Horizon Just Got a Little Longer
At the end of June 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released its much-anticipated guidance on commence construction requirements for solar projects claiming the investment tax credit (ITC). The guidance, Notice 2018-59, is a rare win for the solar industry in a year of a number of ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: June 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we have ... Read More
A Not-So-Free Market: Energy Policy in the Current Administration
Although solar markets tend to be defined at the state level, the federal government has directly impacted the industry in significant ways over the last few years. Since the end of 2015, when the industry received positive news that the 30 percent solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) would be ... Read More
Sunny-Side Up (and Down): How Feasible are Bifacial Trackers
As anyone following the solar industry understands, the costs of installing solar photovoltaic systems have declined dramatically and consistently over time. Despite massive cost declines over the years, solar PV systems today look a lot like solar PV systems installed a decade ago. This is ... Read More
Welcoming the 2018 Summer Intern Class
My name is Candace Chatman, the new marketing intern at Sol Systems. With responsibilities that include marketing research, blog and journal writing and editing, and internal communications, I have a long and full summer ahead of me. Along with seven others, I will be part of a summer intern ... Read More
New RPS will Help Solar Bloom in the Garden State
It’s official! New Jersey has increased its renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 50 percent by 2030, with a solar carve out of 5.1 percent by 2021. The newly elected Governor Murphy signed the legislation into effect on May 23rd only months after Governor Christie pocket-vetoed previous ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: May 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we ... Read More
Tax Equity Forecast: Low Visibility, Thick Fog Expected to Continue
For companies still on the road to placing or finding tax equity in their capital stacks for 2018, you’ll need to turn on your fog lights. Even then, there are so many layers to the mist, it is not possible to see clearly if there is an oversupply or undersupply of tax equity for the ... Read More
Pennsylvania’s SREC Market: The Borders Have Officially Closed
In October 2017, Pennsylvania lawmakers and Governor Wolf passed Act 40. The law aimed to fix the oversupply in Pennsylvania’s solar renewable energy credit (SREC) market by closing the borders to out-of-state solar energy systems, preventing them from selling their SRECs into the state. Since Read More
The Sol SOURCE: April 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we ... Read More
Circumventing Policymakers: Voters in Three States to Consider RPS Ballot Initiatives
Over the past two decades, renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) have been among the most effective policies supporting the growth of renewable energy. Arguably the most straightforward policy to advance the growth of renewable energy sources, an RPS requires that a state’s utilities procure a ... Read More
A Clearer Look at the Solar Module Market
As the solar trade case loomed for much of last year, regulatory uncertainty drove price spikes. Now, three months after President Trump announced that he would be levying tariffs on solar modules and cells, the market is finally beginning to stabilize. Current module prices, which rest in the ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: March 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we have ... Read More
Standing Out from the Wall of Money: Introducing Helios
Trends in solar finance come and go. We saw the YieldCo boom, followed by the YieldCo bust, followed by YieldCo sales (see: Terraform and Brookfield, 8point3 Energy Partners and Capital Dynamics, NRG Yield and Global Infrastructure Partners, all very recent news). We saw a shortage of tax ... Read More
New School or Old School, All Solar Customers Occasionally Need a Refresher Course
This is an excerpt from the March 2018 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar industry. To receive future editions of the journal, please subscribe. With an average annual growth ... Read More
Levied Metal – The Underrepresented Costs of Steel Tariffs
This article was co-written by Will Patterson and Sandhya Mahadevan This is an excerpt from the March 2018 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar industry. To receive future editions ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: February 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains trends and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry resources. Below, we have ... Read More
Can Solar Powered Carports Alleviate Land Use Concerns?
Greenfield development, either through utility-scale solar or smaller commercial solar arrays on properties of vacant farmland, schoolyard fields, and wastewater treatment facilities has grown rapidly, earning solar the nickname of the "new row crop." Solar’s growth has provided new income for ... Read More
Federal Solar Policy in 2018: Smoother Waters on the Horizon?
This is an excerpt from the February 2018 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar industry. To receive future editions of the journal, please subscribe. For the solar industry in 2017, ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: January 2018
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates news from a variety of industry ... Read More
Tax Equity in 2018: What to Watch For
This is an excerpt from the January 2018 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar industry. To receive future editions of the journal, please subscribe. 2017 was a year of challenges ... Read More
Solar Prices “Xcel” in CO: Reading into the Low-Priced RFP Bids
This article was co-written by Will Patterson and William Graves This is an excerpt from the January 2018 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar industry. To receive future editions of Read More
The Sol SOURCE: December 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
A Look Back at 2017: Illinois, Tax Equity Investors, and a Shifting Federal Landscape
This is an excerpt from the December 2017 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To receive future editions of the journal, please subscribe. Since 2012, The Sol ... Read More
Module Prices: Finding Stability Amid Uncertainty
This is an excerpt from the December 2017 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To receive future editions of the journal, please subscribe. With the solar trade case Read More
Tax Reform and the Solar Industry: What’s the BEAT?
This is an excerpt from the December 2017 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To receive future editions of the journal, please subscribe. With December 31, 2017 ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: November 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Tracking the Sun: The Increasing Popularity of Trackers
This article was co-authored by Andrew Grin and Kevin Mayer. This is an excerpt from the November 2017 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To receive future ... Read More
Section 201: A Look at Key Markets. As Tariff-ying as You Think?
This article was co-authored by Lauren Miller and Stephanie Sienkowski. This is an excerpt from the November 2017 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To receive ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: October 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Get Ready. The Illinois Market is Coming
This is an excerpt from the October 2017 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To receive future editions of the journal, please subscribe. In December 2016, Governor Read More
Navigating Choppy Waters: Federal Regulatory Risk
This article was co-written by Ben Margolis and Lauren Miller - This is an excerpt from the October 2017 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To receive future ... Read More
New on HG(P)V – System Hunters: A Secondary Market for Solar Assets
This article was co-written by Andrew Gilligan and Will Patterson - This is an excerpt from the October 2017 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To receive ... Read More
Additionality You Can Count On Part IV: Summing it All Up: Environmental Claims & Additionality for Modern Times
Additionality You Can Count On This is the final installment in the series, Additionality You Can Count On, from Colin Murchie. The series tackles the issue of additionality and transparent accounting for environmental claims. If you missed them, find the other parts below: Part I: ... Read More
Puerto Rico‘s Springboard Opportunity for Grid-Resilience
Weeks after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico with 155 mile-per-hour winds, destroying crops, flooding cities, and damaging major infrastructure, many of its 3.4 million residents are still without necessities. The federal government has been slow to respond, and now companies are seeking ... Read More
Additionality You Can Count On Part III: Renewable Energy, Market Transformation, and NASCAR
Welcome to the third in a series, Additionality You Can Count On, from Colin Murchie tackling the issue of additionality and transparent accounting for environmental claims. Part I: Additionality, Divisibility, and a Zen Koan Part II: RECs, Double Counting, and Additionality Part III: ... Read More
Additionality You Can Count On Part II: RECs, Double Counting, and Additionality
Welcome to the second in a series, Additionality You Can Count On, from Colin Murchie tackling the issue of additionality and transparent accounting for environmental claims. Part I: Additionality, Divisibility, and a Zen Koan Part II: RECs, Double Counting, and Additionality Part III: ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: September 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Solar Coaster: Ride or Die – Takeaways from SPI 2017
Solar Power International (SPI) is, without a doubt, the solar industry event of the year. This year, nearly 20,000 solar industry professionals flocked to Vegas for SPI 2017, a week to reunite with solar colleagues from across the country. SPI is a sprint full of dehydration, sore feet, ... Read More
The Shifting Solar Incentive Landscape
This is an excerpt from the September 2017 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To receive future editions of the journal, please subscribe. As the solar industry ... Read More
Weathering the Storm: Solar and Extreme Weather
This is an excerpt from the September 2017 edition of The SOL SOURCE, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the latest trends in renewable energy based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To receive future editions of the journal, please subscribe. As the Atlantic ... Read More
You Can’t Drive Uber While Delivering Pizzas: Why Commercial Storage Is Slow to Grow
Energy storage is growing, and the buzz around energy storage is growing even faster. Tesla’s Gigafactories and Model 3 are eager investments in residential and vehicle energy storage technology, and significant (though perhaps less salient) investments have been aimed at storage in the ... Read More
Additionality You Can Count On, Part I: Additionality, Divisibility, and a Zen Koan
Welcome to the first in a series, Additionality You Can Count On, from Colin Murchie tackling the issue of additionality and transparent accounting for environmental claims. Part I: Additionality, Divisibility, and a Zen Koan Part II: RECs, Double Counting, and Additionality Part III: ... Read More
Not Just Another Day of Sun: Reviewing the Solar Eclipse’s Effect on PV System Performance
On August 21, 2017, eclipse fever gripped the nation! A total solar eclipse is the Super Bowl of astronomical events, and millions of Americans were treated to a rare natural spectacle. The path of totality was about 70 miles wide, and swept from Oregon to South Carolina over a period of about ... Read More
Sol Systems Monetizes SRECs for First Community Solar Project in DC
What’s better than clean air? Getting money for clean air! The first community solar project in Washington, DC just received its first solar renewable energy credit (SREC) check, and can look forward to many more throughout the years. Sol Systems has partnered with New Partners Community ... Read More
Getting SMARTer Still: Massachusetts Announces Final SMART Regulations
In early 2016, Massachusetts hit its SREC II program cap and had many in the solar industry asking: what’s next for the Bay State? To help answer this question, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) issued SREC II extensions and then an initial outline for the new Solar ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: August 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Break on Through to the Other Side: Would Bifacial Panels Become More Popular in a Post-Tariff Solar Industry?
Bifacial modules have long played the role of being one of the cooler exhibits at solar conferences, but in our experience to date, have failed to enter the market in a serious way. The panels capture energy on both sides of the module by capturing sunlight on the backside that was reflected ... Read More
How Low Can You Go: Natural Gas & Wholesale Markets Today & Tomorrow
Any day now, the Department of Energy should be releasing the results of a study initiated by Secretary Rick Perry that examines the security and reliability of the US electrical grid with respect to the retirement of baseload power generation plants. In July, an Interim Draft Report of the ... Read More
Tax Equity in 2017: The Capital Supply + Demand Shift
2017 has certainly been an interesting year for solar investments. While early policy reform uncertainty had some investors staying away, many are back at the table and wondering, where are the assets, and how can I invest? At the beginning of the year, the prospect of tax reform under the new Read More
Solar For Hospitals: Here’s What to Consider
A hospital is not just a place for healing; it’s a place of discovery. It is not only a place to diagnose, but also to develop. It represents the community it serves and contributes to its health and prosperity. And as the second most-intensive users of energy around the country, it seems ... Read More
The Results Are In: MA Clearinghouse Auctions
Following suit from recent years, all SREC I and SREC II 2016 compliance-year solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) cleared in the first round of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Clearinghouse Auction on July 24th. The DOER’s auction is designed to support SREC pricing ... Read More
Rural Electric Coops and Public Power Utilities Have Voluntarily Built Nearly 100MW of Community Solar: Here is Why
In 2015 a farmer walked into the office of a customer-owned electric cooperative in Wisconsin. He pulled out his checkbook and proceeded to write a check to the cooperative for $60,000. That day two other cooperative members followed suit, and the three of them bought up 10% of the brand-new ... Read More
We’ve got Delaware’s 2017 SREC Procurement Results, Going Once…Going Twice…
On July 12th, SRECDelaware released the auction results for the 2017 Delaware Procurement Program. The procurement program, created in 2011, attempts to provide price stability for both new and existing solar customers through long-term 20-year fixed price SREC contracts with Delmarva Power. ... Read More
Are Cities Being 100% Clear About Their 100% Renewable Goals?
When the United States pulled itself out of its commitment to the Paris climate accord, corporations, non-profits, towns, and cities reminded everyone that their commitments to cleaner energy still stood. Many towns and cities have even signed on to go 100 percent renewable, including big names Read More
Is Residential Solar Down for the Count?
Reflecting on 2017 so Far 2017 has been an interesting year so far for the solar industry, but then again, when is it not? According to the latest Solar Market Insight report, residential solar build slowed ever-so-slightly in 2017 compared to Q1 2016 numbers; 2,044MW were installed in Q1 of ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: July 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Three Actions You Can Take to Oppose the 201 Proceeding
This article was co-written by Sara Rafalson and Avery Sellers Suniva. A word that incites concern for most in the solar industry right now, and with good reason. The national Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) estimates that the requested tariff level of $0.40/W and minimum price of ... Read More
Man of Steel? How Trump Could Give us a Look into Suniva Sooner than We’d Think.
It is needless to say that the Section 201 trade case has cast a dark, uncertain cloud since Suniva’s filing in April. Given the use of Section 201 has historically been scarce (only a handful of safeguards have been implemented under this clause since its inception), it can be challenging to ... Read More
Employee Spotlight – Christian Hofer
The unique and dedicated team of people who work at Sol Systems have been a key part of our success over the past nine years. With a growing staff of nearly seventy full-time employees, in offices at Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and San Francisco, the driven, talented group of industry ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: June 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Community Solar: Lots of Buzz, but Where’s the Action?
What is it? Recent years have seen an increase in community solar and shared renewable policies. So far, 14 states and the District of Columbia have enacted such policies with additional utilities pursuing them on their own. At their core, community solar programs seek to expand access to ... Read More
The Greener Supply Chain: Increasing Operational Value with Solar
Would you pick up a penny on the street? What about a nickel? A dime? A quarter? At one point in time, renewable energy investments were analogous to penny-picking in terms of savings; the energy exerted and time spent was comparatively unprofitable. Now in 2017, we are operating in a different Read More
Tax Rate Reform Could Make 2017 a “Unicorn Year” for Solar Tax Equity Investors
It’s been an interesting few months for the solar industry. Uncertainty about the status and potential impact of tax rate reform, coupled with the gut-punch of the recent Suniva Section 201 filing, has made good news for investors and developers alike hard to come by. However, behind the ... Read More
What We Can Learn from a Southern Virginia Solar Project Roundtable
On a sunny May morning in the heart of Pittsylvania County, Virginia just a few miles away from an upcoming 6MW solar project that will provide the City of Danville 2 percent of its energy, Sol Systems participated in a Clean Energy Jobs Tour with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. The solar ... Read More
PURPA Reign: Michigan Could Grow Solar Market with New Avoided Cost Methodology
Recently, the Michigan Public Service Commission (“MPSC”) approved a final order to the approach the Consumers Energy Company (“Consumers Energy”) determines the avoided cost under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (“PURPA”). Consumers Energy is a public utility providing power Read More
Get SMART: Massachusetts Paves the Way for 1600MW Solar Energy Program
On Monday, June 5th, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) filed the much-anticipated draft design for Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART), the Bay State’s new solar incentive program. SMART will replace Massachusetts’s current solar incentive program, SREC II, and is Read More
The Buzz Around Solar Co-Location
This article was co-written by Bartley Higgins, Brendan Grajewski and Georgia Carroll. Ten years ago, the U.S. Senate unanimously (yes, seriously) designated June 19-25 as National Pollinator Week. This event serves as a rallying cry to address the urgent issue of declining bee populations, ... Read More
DE-Claring the 2017 Delaware SREC Procurement
The Basics In 2011, Delaware’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) was amended to make electric distribution companies rather than state power providers responsible for purchasing solar renewable energy credits (SRECs). With this switch, Delmarva Power became the largest SREC purchaser in ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE: May 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Kind of a Big Deal: Land Use and Ground Mount Solar
Utility-scale solar has been steadily growing over the last couple of years, with 10.4 GW installed in 2016 alone, more than twice 2015’s 4.3 GW. 2016 was also the first time solar accounted for the highest percentage of new energy capacity build in the United States at 39%. Utility-scale solar Read More
Should We Lose Sleep over the Suniva Filing?
After declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month, Suniva has shaken up the solar industry by filing a Section 201 petition. This rarely used mechanism from the Trade Act of 1974 gives the President power to provide import relief to help domestic industries. In this case, Suniva is seeking high ... Read More
Upsurge: Why CFOs are expanding their roles to include CSR
Why CFOs are expanding their roles to include CSR The material impact that CSR initiatives have on corporate performance has resulted in a sea change. CSR has evolved from simple corporate giving and employee volunteer programs into comprehensive environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE, April 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Cash Purchase vs. PPA in the Commercial Market: Own Your Situation
In 2016, 47 percent of new residential solar customers chose cash deals with their new systems as opposed to signing a power purchase agreement (PPA), in which a third party builds and owns the system and agrees to sell power to the customer at a fixed price. For homeowners, the decision to buy Read More
Should the Solar Industry Be Worried about Tax Reform?
With the election of President Trump at the end of 2016 came concern regarding tax reform and its potential impact on the solar industry. A massive overhaul of the tax code could mean doing away with the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which was recently extended at the end of 2015 – though ... Read More
SREC II Strikes Back: Massachusetts DOER Announces Extension Details
After months of regulatory uncertainty, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) finalized the MA SREC II extension details on Wednesday, March 22. This decision provides much-needed certainty to the #7 solar market in the country as it transitions from its incumbent SREC program Read More
The Sol SOURCE, March 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Nuclear and the State Clean Energy Standards – Better Together?
New York’s Clean Energy Standard – issued last August – set an interesting precedent: the state would move to 50% renewable energy by 2030. But, as part of that package, New York would also support its struggling nuclear facilities with zero emission credits (ZECs). It is important to note that Read More
A Solid Market for MUSH
The Municipalities, Universities, Schools and Hospitals (MUSH) market has consisted of some of the most attractive solar project opportunities. MUSH projects have been the “lower hanging fruit” in the slow-going, non-residential rooftop solar market, which installed nearly 1.5GW of solar in ... Read More
Is Maryland the Next Frontier for Energy Storage?
Keeping the Legislative Momentum Earlier this year we saw Maryland’s legislature stand for solar and other renewables with the override of Governor Hogan’s veto of the Clean Energy Jobs bill. This allowed for an increase in the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 25%. Maryland has long ... Read More
Almost Ready for Takeoff: Maryland’s Community Solar Program
It has been years in the making, but Maryland is almost ready to launch its community solar program. Maryland, which currently has installed capacity of over 600MW of solar, looks to gain an additional ~190MW under the MD Community Solar Pilot program. Given the tariff discussions thus far, ... Read More
The Sol SOURCE, February 2017
The Sol SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Federal Trends to Watch
From renewable portfolio standards to net metering, solar energy progress has always been driven at the state level. Still, here are a few federal level trends to watch. 1. FERC Since the departure of Commissioner Norman Bay, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) lacks a quorum to ... Read More
A Look at the Customer Perspective: 7 Common Onsite Solar RFP Mistakes
Since SOURCE’s inception, we have discussed request for proposals (RFPs) at length from the developer’s perspective. We provided local developers with advice for competing with national installers who generally have a lower cost of capital and can build with lower margins, and discussed why ... Read More
What the Patriots’ Miraculous Super Bowl Victory (however painful) Can Teach Us about Installing Solar in Cities
Following the historic Super Bowl LI this past weekend, which featured the first ever overtime and largest comeback in the game’s history, many of us left our respective Super Bowl parties with a few takeaways: Nothing brings the country together like football (specifically: loving or hating Read More
It’s Official: Maryland Aims for 25% Renewables after Overriding Governor’s Veto
If at First You Don’t Succeed… In May 2016, renewable energy advocates were surprised to see Governor Hogan veto the Clean Energy Jobs Act (SB 921/ HB 1106), which had passed the legislature with strong bipartisan support. The Clean Energy Jobs Act would have increased the states renewable Read More
The SOL SOURCE, January 2017
The SOL SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
A Glimpse into the Future: Technology Predictions for 2017
In last month’s SOL SOURCE, we looked back at top trends in solar during 2016. To start the New Year, here are three solar technology trends to watch. 1. Equipment prices continue to fall In 2016, the industry saw module prices fall from the mid-60s (cents/Watt) to the low 40s. At Sol ... Read More
10 Myths About Going Solar & The Facts
Myth 1: Solar is too expensive. The Facts: Power purchase agreements (PPAs) require zero capital expenditure on the part of the customer. Instead, customers realize savings from day one by locking in a lower, stable, predictable energy rate for the long term. The cost of solar ... Read More
Sol Systems Takes a Bite out of Food Waste During Bi-annual Community Service Day
Did you know that 40% of food in America is discarded rather than consumed by the 43 million Americans that are hungry? The consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is in a powerful position to help reduce this waste. The CPG plays a huge role in the American economy as the largest single ... Read More
The SOL SOURCE, December 2016
The SOL SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Our Most-read Articles of 2016
Since 2012, The Sol SOURCE has been providing readers like you with real-life trends in the world of solar energy finance, development, policy, and customer trends. As we close up another year and another 12 issues of the Sol SOURCE, we reflect on our most-read articles of 2016. 1. The Rise Read More
The Solar Industry: A Year in the Life
My, oh my. How much can change in a year. As we close out another year of The Sol SOURCE, we reflect on how much has changed between Q4 2015 and Q4 2016. Last year, the solar industry was racing to a December 31, 2016 placed in service deadline, or else facing the risk of the federal ... Read More
Risky Business: Assessing Risk for Offsite Renewables
Last month, we touched on basis risk as an advantage for solar compared to other energy technologies Although basis risk needs to be addressed, and is a natural starting point, we find other potential risks are often overlooked by host customers and developers. If basis risk is new to your ... Read More
The Heart and Sol Inside and Outside of the Workplace: Sol Team Members Take Action to Solarize D.C. Through Philanthropy
As a solar energy company, Sol Systems truly walks the talk in advancing our clean energy future. Historically, the firm has provided both financial and human capital to support sustainability initiatives. We call this our Heart and Sol. To do our part to ensure a more sustainable future, we Read More
The SOL SOURCE, November 2016
The SOL SOURCE is a monthly journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains energy statistics from current real-life renewables projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our team, and it incorporates ... Read More
Fueling the Tax Equity Machine
The extension of the ITC and bonus depreciation continues to drive a strong solar market; however, it also exacerbates the tax equity “bottleneck” experienced by many developers and investors. Looking ahead to 2017, tax equity scarcity will likely grow. In January, we estimated that $10 ... Read More
Room in the Breeze: Why Solar Competes for Offsite Renewables
Offsite renewables have certainly been a hot topic in 2016. Last year, corporates procured 3.24GW of wind and solar energy combined. While wind has historically comprised the majority of offsite transactions, comprising nearly 85 percent of announced transactions, GTM Research estimates over ... Read More
Celebrating Maryland Solar with Baltimore Mayor-Elect Catherine Pugh
Earlier this month, Sol Systems hosted an event to celebrate solar energy at the Christ Church Harbor Apartments, home to a 196kW rooftop system financed by Sol Systems with our partners RER Energy Group and WGL. Christ Church is a low-to-moderate income senior living facility located on the ... Read More
It’s Official: D.C.’s 50% RPS Becomes Law
You may have heard talk over the past couple of months about a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) expansion happening in the District of Columbia. Well, it’s no longer just talk. Back in July, Mayor Bowser signed the initial bill, and it then went to Congress for review. Now, effective as of ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, October 2016
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
Developing the Right Choice (of Developer)
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) reports that 333 campuses in 46 states have now installed solar, and recent analysis from the Governance & Accountability Institute showed that 80 percent of S&P 500 companies now publish sustainability ... Read More
What Comes After North Carolina?
It is no secret that North Carolina has experienced a solar boom in recent years, skyrocketing to the #3 spot nationally in terms of installed capacity. This boom was jumpstarted by a 35% state tax credit and an attractive qualifying facility (QF) rate and contract term. As a result, the ... Read More
Ohio’s Renewable Portfolio Standard: It’s Time for a Thaw
Back in 2014, with the infamous, SB310, Ohio became the first state to freeze its renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and halted requirements for renewable energy at 2014 levels. This means that until the end of 2016, rather than gradually increasing its renewable energy goals, the RPS has been ... Read More
New Jersey RPS “Pull Forward” Bill Pushes Forward
On Thursday, October 6th, the New Jersey Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee passed and merged bills S-2276 and A-3918 in a 5-2 vote that will “pull forward” the solar carve-out from 3.47 percent to 4.1 percent by 2021. For several years, New Jersey was the poster child for ... Read More
Employee Spotlight: Senayt Rahwa
The unique and dedicated team of people who work at Sol Systems have been a key part of our success over the past eight years. With a growing staff of over 60 full-time employees, in offices at Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and San Francisco, the driven, talented group of industry ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, September 2016
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
Overheard at Solar Power International: Musings on Solar Technology Trends
Last week marked yet another Solar Power International. We sat down with Joe Song, Senior Director at Sol Systems, to discuss some of the Sol engineering team’s biggest takeaways from this year’s show. Module price declines continue, and they are here to stay. This year at SPI, rumblings of ... Read More
Should Community Solar Be Marketed to Corporates?
Trends come and go in the solar energy industry. Hot buzz words like storage, YieldCo, securitization, and community solar have dominated industry discussions in recent years. In some cases, hype becomes history; other trends are here to stay. The last year has been abuzz with news of ... Read More
Massachusetts in Transition: SREC II to the New Solar Regime
The Massachusetts solar industry has a long history of hitting caps. Whether it’s for net metering or the SREC market (both SREC I and II), as more solar energy systems have come online in the Commonwealth, current solar policies in place have reached their limits. And now, it is time for a ... Read More
New York’s Clean Energy Standard: Cuomo’s Plan Put into Action
On August 1, New York regulators unanimously approved a Clean Energy Standard that requires 50% renewable energy use by 2030, affirming and laying groundwork for Governor Cuomo’s mandate. The New York State Public Service Commission estimates it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, August 2016
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
50(d): What Does It Mean for the Tax Credit Market?
Last month, we wrote in SOURCE that after years of anticipation, a 50(d) income ruling would soon be released. Sure enough, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued temporary regulations in the Federal Register on July 22. In its issuance, the IRS clarifies its recognition of the income ... Read More
The Storage Story: What’s in Store?
Storage has been no stranger to the energy conversation over the last several years. According to the White House, the United States doubled the installed capacity of energy storage to 500MW in 2015 alone. As the U.S. solar market continues to grow, the industry is beginning to envision a ... Read More
The Moment We’ve Been Waiting For: MA SREC Clearinghouse Auction Results
It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Well, at least for Massachusetts SREC customers. On July 29th, all 2015 Compliance Year SRECs that were deposited into the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Auction Account on New England Power Pool (NEPOOL) cleared in the first ... Read More
On the Rhode Island to Success: Rhode Island Passes Laws to Strengthen Renewable Energy
Early last month, Rhode Island’s Gov. Gina Raimondo signed a package of legislation that will expand renewable energy investments by: Increasing the Renewable Energy Standard (RES) from 14.5% by 2019 to 38.5% by 2035 Opening the market to community distributed generation systems and ... Read More
Investing in Community: Schools (Nonprofits) and Solar Energy
Just like any residential or commercial customer, nonprofits must consider many factors before financing a solar project. Unlike homeowners and businesspeople, however, 501(c)3 organizations are tax-exempt and thus cannot directly benefit from the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) like their ... Read More
FERC Ruling Opens Solar Market Potential to Co-ops and Munis
Access to solar energy has significantly increased as the cost of solar installation has dropped 70 percent within the past decade (2006-2016). Cost declines, when paired with supportive energy policies, have enabled the growth of solar in new markets. One such policy, the Public Utility ... Read More
Grounded, Growing: Sol Systems Over the Years
Then & Now Sol Systems is deeply rooted in effective teamwork. Co-founders George Ashton (President) and Yuri Horwitz (CEO) started as track teammates in 2001 at their alma mater, William and Mary. After school, their career paths parted ways—George becoming a finance professional and ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, July 2016
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
Property Taxes: Still Taxing
Increases in project costs due to property taxes and/or a developer’s inability to secure a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) can make or break the economics of commercial and small utility-scale projects. According to a report written by Sunshot, Meister Consultants, and the North Carolina ... Read More
Module Shortage? That’s So 2015.
Oh, how quickly things can change in one year on the solar coaster. After reporting extensively on module shortage rumors throughout 2015, a funny thing has happened: we are now facing a module oversupply. Why? Decreased demand from major rest-of-world markets is creating a glut in supply. Read More
Procurement DE-claration, 2016: SRECDelaware Announces 2016 Procurement Results
The Delaware solar renewable energy credit (SREC) program, SRECDelaware, recently announced the results of its 2016 Procurement. This year, procurement was marked by a higher than anticipated volume of SRECs produced by new systems between 25kW and 2MW in capacity. In response, Delaware’s state Read More
Clean Energy Incentive Program Marches Along Despite Clean Power Plan Stay
Despite the “stay” halting implementation of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) earlier this year, rulemaking regarding the national Environmental Protect Agency’s (EPA) Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) continues. The purpose of the CEIP is to encourage early investment in renewable energy (i.e. Read More
The Run for the Sun 5k Benefiting CALSEIA Is Almost Here
Last month, many of our employees joined in supporting renewable energy by running the CELI Run for Clean Energy 5k – a race sponsored and led by Sol Systems – in Washington, D.C. Next Wednesday, July 13th, we will be heading across the country to San Francisco to step up to another starting ... Read More
Meet the New Faces of the SREC Customer Service Team
Sol Systems is pleased to introduce two new members of the Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) Customer Service Team: Lauren Miller and Avery Sellers. Along with Bridget Callahan, Kate Brandus, and Jessica Cowan, Lauren and Avery are responsible for managing over 7,000 customer accounts, ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, June 2016
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
The Rise and Stall of the Commercial Solar Market
GTM Research recently released its report on the non-residential/commercial solar market, demonstrating relatively stagnant growth of the sector for the fourth straight year. According to the report, after a rise in installations from 2010 to 2012, commercial solar, consisting of projects ... Read More
So, You Want to Go Merchant…
In some markets, solar is now at a price point where installation costs are competitive with locational marginal pricing (LMP). As solar costs continue to fall, the potential for merchant solar is on the rise. With overall system pricing decreasing by 5-10% in Q1 2016 alone (depending on ... Read More
Employee Spotlight: James Machulak
At Sol Systems, our team is the foundation of our continued success. With nearly sixty full-time staff and counting, our talented team of industry professionals have brought creative financing solutions to the solar industry for the past eight years. Giving our clients, partners, and growing ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, May 2016
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
The Elephant in the Room
Without a doubt, the solar industry has been rocked these last few months. We’ve shied away from discussing the headlines, but it’s time we address the effects on the marketplace. Developers are adjusting return expectations. Projects have re-entered the marketplace, and as such, terms ... Read More
Why SREC Forecasts Are Stronger Than You Think
The value of solar renewable energy credits (SRECs), by nature, is designed to decline over time as the cost of solar declines. SREC markets – markets generally with a solar carve-out in their renewable portfolio standard (RPS) – are governed by the laws of supply, demand, and the alternative Read More
Ohio Tries to Freeze Its RPS…Again. Not Cool.
Late last month, Ohio state Senator Bill Seitz (R – Cincinnati) introduced legislation to extend the freeze on the state’s renewable and energy efficiency standards for another three years. Unfortunately, that’s not all. The bill – SB 320 – also expands the definition of renewable energy ... Read More
Providing Value: Certainty in Financing
For developers seeking financing for a sub-500kW project, all-in price is never the only consideration. The price of a project does not matter if the financier is unable pay the developer in a timely manner, overpromises on his/her ability to raise tax equity, delays diligence items, ... Read More
What’s It Like to Intern at Sol Systems? I’ll Tell You.
As summer approaches, Sol Systems is in the process of hiring interns with an interest in either communications, finance, policy, or asset management. What’s it like to intern at Sol Systems? Our Communications Intern – and soon-to-be newest member of the Customer Service team – shares his ... Read More
Giving that Matters: April Community Service Day Targets Environmental Stewardship
During one of our bi-annual community service days, Sol Systems worked to restore and protect vegetation in our D.C. and San Francisco communities. The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) and Golden Gate National Park Service (NPS) were our service project partners.AWS is a non-profit working ... Read More
Development Capital: Giving Local and Regional Developers a Leg up on the Competition
It is not always easy being a local or regional solar developer going head-to-head with a national giant to win business. In requests for proposals and otherwise, national, sometimes publicly traded companies often beat out localized partners due to a much lower cost of capital. In addition, ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, April 2016
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
Is Community Solar Too Complicated for Tax Equity Investors?
Community solar – or shared solar – has been getting a whole lotta love lately. At the end of March, The Washington Post published an article entitled “Why this new solar market could be set to explode,” pointing to a report from Rocky Mountain Institute estimating that the untapped market ... Read More
Raising the Bar: States Move to Increase Renewable Portfolio Standards
Have you missed out on some of the latest renewable portfolio standard (RPS) updates? Don’t worry – we’ve got some of the major markets covered for you, and in one place. D.C. – Councilmember Mary Cheh put forth a 50% by 2032 RPS bill, which included a 5% solar carve-out. Without a ... Read More
New Solar Interconnection Standards Adopted in New York and Next Steps
What? This past March, the NY Public Service Commission (PSC) issued an official update to its Standard Interconnection Requirements (SIR) regarding New York grid connection for solar and other distributed resources. The updated guidelines allow for more standardized and expedient ... Read More
Rhode Island’s RE Growth Program: Sailing Steady in the Ocean State
For anyone looking to test the solar energy waters in Rhode Island, mark your calendars for April 18th at 9 a.m. National Grid has gotten approval from the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission for its 2016 Renewable Energy (RE) Growth program. The first Open Enrollment for solar energy ... Read More
Talkin’ ’bout My Distributed Generation
Anyone working in clean tech today (or paying attention) knows that the disruption in the U.S. energy infrastructure is picking up speed. Take solar alone. The U.S. installed over 7GW of solar in 2015, up 16% over 2014, and the largest annual total to date (source: GTM Research). Plus, ... Read More
A Tale of Two Carolinas
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. North Carolina is the country’s #2 solar market, but the 35% state tax credit is no more. Without the state tax credit, the Tar Heel state starts to look a lot more like its neighbor to the South. And that’s not a bad thing. North Carolina Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, March 2016
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
The Solar Development Landscape is Shifting. Are You Ready?
In January, we wrote about how state-level battles over net metering and rate design will push the industry closer to self-consumption. Moreover, challenges to PURPA are encouraging some utility-scale solar developers to finance their deals through wholesale power contracts. Meanwhile, GTM ... Read More
Employee Spotlight: Jade Turpin
When did you first become interested in a career in solar energy? It is important that I lead a purpose-driven life and I place high value in spending time supporting a social, economic, or environmental challenge. Energy is a critical asset, essential for society to optimally function. My ... Read More
Will the Clean Energy Jobs Bill Stabilize the Maryland Solar Market?
According to the latest Solar Jobs Census, Maryland ranks #12 in solar jobs nationally, with nearly 4,300 solar workers cross the state. 40,485 homes were powered by solar as of The Solar Foundation’s latest report. The growth of the Maryland solar market is largely due to the state’s ... Read More
So, You’re Developing a Sub-500kW Solar Project…
Sol Systems reviews all types of solar projects for investment, from small non-profits up to large utility- scale solar farms, and everything in between. Sample projects include a 197kW apartment building in Baltimore, a 658kW church in San Jose, and even multi-megawatt solar farms in North ... Read More
Sol Systems Participates in Women in Solar Energy Round Table
Sol Systems is proud to have participated in the second annual #NationWISE Women in Solar Energy round table event on Tuesday, February 23. The multi-city round table had over 700 attendees, and sold out in multiple cities including in Washington D.C., where Sol Systems chaired the event with ... Read More
New Jersey’s Energy Storage Incentive
Last year, New Jersey, in an attempt to improve the resiliency of their electricity infrastructure as well as for load shifting and frequency regulation, sought to incentivize behind the meter energy storage. The initial program, The Renewable Electric Storage Incentive, was aimed primarily ... Read More
Massachusetts’ SREC II Program: A New Hope?
For anyone interested in the solar energy industry, lately Massachusetts is synonymous with hitting solar energy caps. We have discussed the Commonwealth’s net metering caps at length, and have reported as the cap for the Solar Carve-Out II Program (SREC II) has neared. With another update ... Read More
Virginia’s Solar Legislation: Will It Live to See Another Day?
For a brief period at the beginning of 2016, Virginia’s legislature looked like it might have been gearing up to strap down and improve the solar market in the state. Such legislation is necessary, as Virginia ranks 32nd in the country with only 18MW of solar energy installed according to the ... Read More
State Solar Jobs Census: Takeaways from Major Markets
Earlier this month, The Solar Foundation (TSF) released its annual State Solar Jobs Census, a state-by-state breakdown of its national report on the solar industry. The 177-page Solar Jobs Compendium summarizes data through Q3 2015 for each state, including growth projections for 2016. We’ll ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, February 2016
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project ... Read More
A Tough Nut to Crack: Are Investors Still Rushing into Commercial & Industrial Solar?
In the years leading up to the assumed step-down of the solar investment tax credit (ITC), a flood of investors began looking at the commercial and industrial (C&I) solar market. Why? Relatively smaller projects would be easier to place in service by a December 31, 2016 deadline and ... Read More
Does Bonus Depreciation Matter? Yes and No.
The December 2015 omnibus bill extended 50% bonus depreciation through 2017, declining to 40% in 2018, and then 30% in 2019. As a result, some developers are expecting better pricing for their solar deals. But how much does bonus depreciation really impact an individual solar deal? ... Read More
How Does the ITC Extension Affect SREC Pricing?
On December 18, 2015, the solar industry scored a landmark victory by winning a multi-year extension of the solar investment tax credit (ITC). The three-year 30% ITC extension – plus the subsequent 2-year ramp down – will provide the solar industry with a strong, stable investment climate for Read More
Net Metering: The Class of 2015
The solar energy industry ended 2015 on a high note with the approval of the Clean Power Plan, the successful international climate agreement at COP 21, and the extension of the solar investment tax credit (ITC). However, alongside federal policy, state policies can make or break solar ... Read More
How Real is the MA SREC II Crunch?
You’ve all heard about the rush for allocations in the Massachusetts SREC-II market. The outstanding question is just how real the project queue is. We feel there are two categories of projects likely to churn out of the program, creating an initial source of massive churn in the next few ... Read More
Massachusetts SREC Program is Hitting its Cap…Again
In case you haven’t heard, the Massachusetts SREC-II program is a mere 22MW away from reaching its cap. You may be asking yourselves what happened. So were we… until we did some digging. Here’s how it happened: On Tuesday, January 5th, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources ... Read More
Employee Spotlight: Jessica Robbins
At Sol Systems, our team is our most valuable asset. Their dedication and passion for bringing creative financing solutions to the solar industry are essential to our company’s success. We are proud to employ some of the brightest talent in the renewable energy sector. This month, we sat down Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, January 2016
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
No Sleep ‘Til…? After ITC, State Battles Take Forefront
In case you have been living in a cave or took a long holiday vacation off-grid (even then, wouldn’t you have heard?), the solar industry landed another three years of ITC at 30%, then 26% in 2020, 22% in 2021, and a permanent 10% for commercial and utility thereafter. As we breathe a sigh ... Read More
3 Immediate Effects of the ITC Extension on the U.S. Solar Landscape
On December 18th, the U.S. House and Senate passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, which included a multi-year extension of the solar investment tax credit (ITC). Now that we have another 5 years of ITC, here are three basics effects the extension will have on the U.S. solar ... Read More
2016: Rush Hour is Over, But…
Q4 is always the most intense part of the year for the solar industry, as developers and EPCs rush to complete year-end deadlines. This Q4 was no different. In fact, it was even more so. Financiers all rushed to close 2015 deals. Developers rushed to lock in 2016 pipeline. MUSH hosts were ... Read More
The Heart of Sol: Holiday Giving
Not only is Washington, D.C. home to Sol Systems’ headquarters, and capital of one of the richest countries in the world , it is a city where 18.8% of its residents live below the national poverty line (USDA, 2013). The District also has our nation’s sixth highest rate for child food ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, December 2015
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
Our Most-Read Articles of 2015
Since 2012, SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, has been providing you with real-life trends in solar finance and development. All articles in SOURCE are written after close consultation with our origination and investment teams on what they are seeing in the market. Additionally, we ... Read More
New Utility-Scale Markets Are Opening. Will It Last?
We’re increasingly seeing larger and larger projects and portfolios coming in with extremely low PPA rates, sometimes as low as 4 – 5 cents/kWh. Why? Or better yet, how? As costs have come down – both on the soft costs and also hard with falling technology prices – more markets have opened ... Read More
Net Metering Round-up: Caps Hit in Key 2017 Markets
Net metering caps are being hit across the Northeast and California. The problem? In a post-ITC world, these [now uncertain] markets are expected to be the most robust for commercial and industrial (C&I) solar (visualize it at Raceto2017.com). In late November, the Massachusetts State ... Read More
Sol Systems COO Stephanie Smith Recognized with Female Executive Award
We know that Sol’s Stephanie Smith is great, but it’s still nice to get a plaque confirming it. The 2015 Stevie Awards for Women in Business were announced last month, and Sol Systems COO Stephanie Smith won a Gold Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year. The Stevie Awards for Women in ... Read More
Sol CEO Yuri Horwitz Elected to SEIA Board of Directors
Sol Systems CEO Yuri Horwitz has been elected to the Board of Directors for the national Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The election results were announced last week following a vote by SEIA’s membership at-large at its board meeting in Austin, TX. “Solar is now the ... Read More
Who Will Weather the Solar Finance Storm?
Semper Paratus ad Expensis It has been a stormy few weeks in the solar industry; stock market volatility has not been kind to some of the major sources of project finance. The beginnings of some uncertainty started at the end of October, and right now, we are hearing from individual ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, November 2015
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
2016: Get It Done
Year after year, we see similar trends in Q4 as developers and EPCs rush to complete deals to meet investors’ and various incentives’ end-of-year deadlines. Q4 is typically the biggest quarter of the year for installs, and 2016 may be the biggest surge of them all. This means that next year ... Read More
The Comeback Kids: New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Don’t call it a comeback; we’ve been here for years. Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the poster children for solar market volatility, are making a comeback. After dipping to a market low of $70/SREC in 2012, New Jersey solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) hit $285/SREC for three-year contracts; Read More
Southeast Solar is Cooking. Will it Matter in 2017?
Do you smell what the Southeast is cooking? Things are heating up in Florida after the State Supreme Court ruled in favor of an amendment that would allow rooftop solar PPAs for projects 2MW and under. Pro-solar advocacy group Floridians for Solar Choice (not to be confused with the ... Read More
RunWithSOLar5k Proceeds Run Directly to GRID Alternatives and The Solar Foundation
Thanks to all of the dedicated members of the industry that braved the storm (literally) to kick-off Solar Power International (SPI) 2015 with the first-ever RunWithSOLar5k. Even with the rain, the event sold-out. The best part (besides rain in dry Southern California)? 100 percent of ... Read More
New York PSC Raises Net Metering Caps until Solar’s Value Can Be Determined
On Thursday, October 15, the New York Public Service Commission (NY PSC) ruled to temporarily lift caps on the amount of net-metered solar energy that can be permitted on a utility system. New York does not find itself in as dire of a situation as Massachusetts, where net metering caps have ... Read More
What does the American Energy Innovation Act Mean for the Solar Investment Tax Credit?
If you’re wondering what might happen to America’s solar industry if the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is allowed to expire at the end of next year, you’re not alone. With pressure coming from an industry of 174,000 (more than Facebook, Apple, and Google combined) and both ends of the ... Read More
Please Join Sol Systems in the Race to 2017
This week, Sol Systems launched a microsite to provide the latest ITC research and news, plus an interactive mapping tool to see which states will win and which will lose after the step down. The firm also announced its official position on the ITC. “We believe the ITC should step-down ... Read More
Why We Support the ITC Extension and You Should Too
The solar industry has its roots in America. American inventors Charles Fritt, Edward Weston, Nikola Tesla, and Albert Einstein (who won the Nobel Prize in 1922 for his paper on the photoelectric effect) led the innovation of the technology. American scientists at Bell Labs and Western Electric Read More
Hungry, Hungry Yieldcos Hit a Snag
Unless you are living under a rock, you may have seen the news that YieldCos, the most hyped financing vehicle of the past several years, have run into a few snags. Cost of capital has increased for many, and their already tight standards for projects have in some cases gotten even ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, October 2015
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
Word to the Wise: Choose Your RFPs Carefully
Increasingly, we are seeing more RFPs for MUSH projects. As developers out there certainly know, RFPs can be tough and highly competitive. On the one hand, a developer may bid too high and lose. On the other hand, RFPs are often a race to the bottom. A developer may bid in low, win, but never Read More
Baker Testifies on Massachusetts Net Metering Caps as Industry Awaits Action
At the end of September, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker testified in front of a Statehouse in support of two pieces of proposed energy legislation, S 1965, authorizing long-term hydro contracts, and H 3724, legislation which would slightly increase net metering caps. Baker’s support of ... Read More
Round Two is No Déjà Vu. What You Need to Know About the IL Supplemental Procurement.
Now is the time to act for the second of three procurements in Illinois. After the successful June 2015 procurement , the Illinois solar industry is racing toward the second round of the three-part SREC Procurement. Driving growth of new, distributed solar generation remains the goal, but ... Read More
Massachusetts: A Solar Champion
Lately, Massachusetts has gotten used to winning, and the Massachusetts solar market is no exception. With over 300 MW of installed solar capacity and nearly 10,000 solar jobs, Massachusetts comes in at the 4th strongest solar market in the country. And thanks to last year’s unveiling of the ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, September 2015
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
It’s On: Project Pipeline and the Race to 2017
Over the years, we have been following the industry trend whereby an overabundance of interested capital has been chasing a shortage of bankable opportunities in the fragmented commercial and small utility-scale sector. While there are still a number of investors out there chasing the same ... Read More
Coming to You Soon: Equipment Delays?
As we rush to December 2016, the Solar Power International rumor mill was abuzz with gossip surrounding equipment shortages and whether manufacturers will be able to keep up with the demand for their products. For those of you who were around for the 1603 rush, you may be experiencing a ... Read More
Solar Shines Through The Rain At Solar Power International
Pouring rain could not stop most from waking up extra early to take on the streets of Anaheim with the impressive determination, good humor, and speed that are hallmarks of the solar energy industry. Thank you to everyone who had a part in making the #RunWithSOLar5K a fun and healthy way to ... Read More
When to Go Local in Lending
In structured finance or cash deals, regional or local lenders may have more competitive offerings than a national bank or debt provider. Often their rates are cheaper by a point or more compared to the traditional debt players in the industry. Some local or regional players may also be more ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, August 2015
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
Module Shortage Rumors Fly…Again
Last month, Intersolar North America was buzzing with word that tier 1 module suppliers were completely booked through the end of the year for 300 Watt plus modules. Is there any truth to this? There could be. Big solar deals abroad are eating panel supplies of tier 1 suppliers. ... Read More
Investors: Mitigate EPC Risk to Grow Your Commercial Portfolio
When investing in solar assets, utilities and infrastructure owners typically rely on a select list of preferred Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) partners to deliver the project to their standards and avoid major issues. We understand why. Working with only a select few ... Read More
Massachusetts: To Tip Your Cap or Remove it Altogether?
Etiquette dictates that a man tips his cap by raising it slightly above his head to signify recognition, greetings or a simple salutation. However, once a man enters a building to settle down for work, he removes his cap. The greetings and formalities in the solar industry are finished, and ... Read More
Everything You Need to Know About Storage – A Primer
Batteries have been blowing up lately. No, I’m not talking about EV battery fires. I’m talking about the immense hype around storage. With increased interest in storage coming from Utilities, Governments, and Companies, we thought it was time to discuss in more detail the storage opportunity ... Read More
Why Asset Management is Critical to the Solar Industry: Part One
As a solar company grows, it often seems like a no-brainer to build out the business development and origination teams. With more team members working on deals, there is more opportunity for new business; the value of new revenue is well understood, and the return on investment is seen as a ... Read More
Split Decision: Massachusetts Net Metering Task Force Draws Lines in the Sand
An amendment to a climate change action bill (S 1973), sponsored by State Senator Ben Downing, has passed in the Massachusetts Senate in favor of raising the state’s net metering caps. Lifting the net metering caps is critical for the Massachusetts solar industry, which now employs over 9,400 Read More
What Can Community Supported Agriculture Teach the Solar Industry?
In 1965, amidst destruction of arable land and the growing use of pesticides in food production, a group of Japanese women invented “tei kei,” a system where consumers supported local farmers on an annual basis in exchange for a share of their crop. In the 1980s and 90s, this idea spread to ... Read More
Employee Spotlight: Jason Cimpl, Director of Trading
Over the past seven years, Sol Systems has grown from two college friends with a bright idea to an industry leader in solar project finance with offices in San Francisco, D.C., and Philadelphia and nearly 50 full-time employees. We’ve brought some of the industry’s most talented professionals Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, July 2015
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
Cheap-o Solar: How Low Can You Really Go?
Austin Energy made waves after announcing 1.295GW of bids from its most recent RFP came in under 4 cents/kWh, even lower than their landmark deal last year with Recurrent Energy at <5 cents/kWh for 150MW. The industry cheered – who needs the ITC when solar pricing has hit rock bottom? If ... Read More
Why Are There So Few Bankable Inverter Manufacturers?
This post was co-authored by Senior Director, Investment Analysis Joe Song. And another one gone, another one gone…We called it. It’s a new ball game for the inverter business. Advanced Energy (AE), the #3 inverter manufacturer in the U.S., recently announced its intention to “wind down” its Read More
Illinois’ Inaugural SREC Procurement: Survey Says?
This past month, Sol Systems participated in the most highly anticipated event of the summer. If you’re thinking, “Jurassic World 3-D,” then you haven’t been following recent developments out of Illinois’ SREC procurement process. The June auction marked the first of three auctions intended to ... Read More
“Commence Construction” Conjecture for the Solar Investment Tax Credit
No one can predict the future of the solar industry after 2016 – but don’t let that stop you from trying. If a full extension or gradual step-down of the thirty percent investment tax credit (ITC) is out of reach, the next best compromise may be an extension for those projects that are under ... Read More
Approaching the Tax Credit Horizon: Where Will Commercial Solar Succeed in 2017?
This post was co-authored by Sol Systems Portfolio Analyst Eric Scheier and originally published by Greentech Media. Last year, solar installations in the U.S. commercial sector fell by 6 percent. The market is expected to bounce back in 2015, but there are still many challenges in ... Read More
PJM Capacity Performance: Hochi Juhotchi, or Kagamoosha?
This post was co-written by Senior Director, Project Finance Colin Murchie. From New Jersey to Northeastern North Carolina, a growing number of generators in the PJM region are connecting to the wholesale side of the grid instead of behind the meter. For a sufficiently savvy solar developer, ... Read More
Is DC’s Sustainable Energy Utility Sustainable?
The District of Columbia City Council is a tried and true champion of renewable energy development. Over the past decade, it has extended and expanded the District’s Renewable Portfolio Standard and solar carve-out, cultivating the strongest SREC market in the country. In 2008, the Council ... Read More
Sol Systems’ Summer Intern Spotlight
Here at Sol Systems, we make investments of all kinds. Our number one investment? Young people inspired to embark on a career in the renewable energy industry. This summer, we welcome our interns Olivia Chen, Andrew Dewey, Joseph Kraut, Will Patterson, Jeffrey Popkin, Jacob Sandry, and Louis ... Read More
Can We Handle the Truth? What Can an A/B Split Tell Us about North Carolina’s House Bill 332?
CAUTION: If you adhere to the adage, “Don’t ask a question you don’t know the answer to,” read on at your own risk. Our state and local governments are challenged every day with the demands of delivering public services efficiently while making public investments necessary for long-term, ... Read More
Working at Sol Systems: the Team Shapes the Culture
Corporate culture is too important to leave to chance. At the same time, it must be authentic. At Sol Systems, the team shapes our culture through shared purpose and values. That’s why rather than explain our corporate culture, how it makes Sol successful and a great place to work, we let the ... Read More
Sol Systems to Sponsor Intersolar Women In Solar Energy Breakfast
Sol Systems will sponsor the Women in Solar Energy (WISE) Intersolar Breakfast, which will take place on Tuesday, July 14 at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco. WISE is the solar industry’s only 501(c)3 non-profit membership association dedicated to the advancement of women in the ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, June 2015
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
Always Be Closing…Efficiently
Standardization and efficiency are the “it” topics in commercial and small utility-scale solar, where high transaction costs for one-off, relatively smaller deals has stifled the market’s potential. We’ve previously covered ways to achieve standardization through legal documents, but what ... Read More
Ripe and Riddled: Is Commercial Really “the next big, emerging, growing sector” in Solar?
Commercial-scale solar is the new media darling these days. Industry and mainstream news media have reported projections of a sector “ready to rebound” and “cleared for take-off.” Some outlets have quoted industry executives saying things like “our next big growth area” and “this investment ... Read More
The Almost There Markets: Just Give ‘Em Some Time
Earlier this year, we reported on the recent legalization of third-party financing in several states. However, PPA authorization does not guarantee that a market will be suitable for third party financed commercial deals. Enter what we are calling the Almost There Markets. In these Almost ... Read More
Sink or Swim in Rhode Island: Another Year of Renewable Procurement in the Ocean State
Starting on June 15th, 2015, National Grid will once again be accepting applications for the latest version of the RE Growth Program in Rhode Island. National Grid initially launched the RE Growth program in June 2011, with a goal of reaching 40MW of renewable energy procurement in Rhode Island Read More
![Meet Us at the [Literal] Starting Line at SPI](https://www.solsystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/RunWithSOL-Square.png)
Meet Us at the [Literal] Starting Line at SPI
Going to Solar Power International? Pack your sneakers. This year, Sol Systems will host Run With SOLar 5k, the first race ever at the largest solar trade show in North America. Here’s why we run, and why we invite you to join us at the starting line. Keep solar strong Run With SOLar 5k ... Read More
Up to Bat – Why More Solar Companies Are Thinking Seriously About Asset Management
Given the growth of the solar industry in the U.S., with 2014 year-end operating capacity reaching 18.3 GWdc of solar PV and 2.2 GWac of concentrating solar power (CSP), many companies and investors are turning their attention to managing this huge fleet of solar projects. Asset management ... Read More
The Northeast Solar Market’s Goldilocks Dilemma: Is Your State’s Porridge Too Hot, Too Cold or Just Right?
Most everyone is familiar with the children’s story, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and the lessons it taught us about a) why not to trespass and, more importantly, b) how to figure out what is best for you when presented with a variety of options. Solar developers and financiers in the ... Read More
Maryland’s SREC Market: Nothing to be Crabby About
This blog first appeared in The Energy Collective Despite consistently ranking in the top 15 state solar markets, Maryland has long flown under the radar for most developers. Due to moderate electricity prices and thin margins, the Maryland market does not command the same level of attention ... Read More
This Post is Powered by Wind
Sol Systems’ Washington, D.C. office now runs on 100% clean energy. Through our Clean Energy Partnership with Arcadia Power, the energy used at the company headquarters is offset through the purchase of wind renewable energy credits (RECs). Arcadia Power is the first nationwide Clean Energy ... Read More
The Top 3: Reflecting on PFJ Trends of Years Past
In honor of our seven-year anniversary, we thought it would be fun to look back at Project Finance Journals of years past and reflect on our most popular content. Here are the findings: 1) Massachusetts Rides the Solar Coaster The Commonwealth sure knows how to keep it interesting, taking ... Read More
SOURCE: The Sol Project Finance Journal, May 2015
SOURCE is a monthly solar project finance journal that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with our solar project finance Read More
Not Asking for Much: Why Pricing Trends Downward for the sub-500kW Space
Since our first Project Finance Journals in 2012 (check out this throwback from October 2012), we have been gathering statistics on PPA rates in each state market, feed-in tariff programs, and all-in asking prices in three different project size tiers: <500kW, 500kW – 2MW, and >2MW. Why Read More
The 7-Year Sol-iversary
One evening at a party in 2008, Yuri Horwitz and his college track teammate, George Ashton, became immersed in a deep conversation about the inefficiencies in environmental and carbon markets. Several follow-on conversations turned to action as the two began working nights and weekends to ... Read More
Giving That Matters: Prime Time with Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Last week, Sol Systems West volunteered with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (GGNPC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the stewardship and conservation of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Sol West team, along with CEO Yuri Horwitz, spent the morning in Crissy ... Read More
SunFarmer: Powering Nepal’s Recovery
On April 25, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal. Most rural health clinics were completely destroyed, and emergency teams are currently working out of makeshift structures without electricity; there is no power available to charge cell phones, let alone to treat patients. In the aftermath, Read More
Connecticut Utilities Announce Year Four ZREC Program
…And may the odds be ever in your favor. Today, Eversource (formerly Connecticut Light & Power) and United Illuminating (UI) announced the joint issuance of the fourth year of the Low Emission and Zero Renewable Energy Credit (LREC and ZREC) program. 2015 Program Summary The ... Read More
North Carolina Opts for Delayed Sunset of the State Tax Credit
Hold onto your hats, y’all – it’s going to be a wild year for North Carolina solar. Last week, the North Carolina legislature passed a bill offering a soft landing to the official end date for the state’s 35% state tax credit. While the tax credit cliff is scheduled for December 31, 2015, ... Read More
Zooming Out to Brighten the Future: Creative Day at Sol
If your work days are full with responding to emails, crunching numbers, following up on punch lists, and a portfolio of meeting and phone calls, then you’ll appreciate the importance of taking a time out challenge the status quo. Well, it’s not as much a time out as it is a zoom out. One of Read More
Announcing the 2015 Delaware SREC Procurement
This year’s Delaware Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) Procurement Program solicitation bid window opened on Monday, April 13th, 2015, and will remain open until Friday, April 24th at 5:00 pm. The Procurement Program gives new and existing Delaware-sited solar systems an opportunity to bid Read More
Maryland Passes Community Solar Bill
It’s official: the Maryland state legislature has passed HB 1087, titled “Electricity – Community Solar Energy Generating System Program,” bringing MD one step closer to community solar. If you’re not familiar with community solar, check out our write-up on the Maryland community solar ... Read More
Legalize It: Behind the Movement to Make PPAs Legal
The PPA dominoes are beginning to fall: Iowa, South Carolina, and Georgia have opened up their markets to third party financing. North Carolina is among the states that may be next. How will that impact the commercial and small-utility scale markets in these states? We ran our models to test ... Read More
April 2015 Solar Project Finance Journal
Sol Systems’ Solar Project Finance Journal is a monthly email newsletter that our team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly interviews with ... Read More
Prepaid PPAs: Nice, but “Nichey”
For commercial and small utility-scale solar, the prepaid PPA is a great idea… in theory. By prepaying for expected generation over the contract term, the long term price that the offtaker pays for electricity can be much lower. Assuming the offtaker can find the cash to handle the large ... Read More
Keep the Ship Sailing Smoothly in a Lumpy Solar Development Seascape
Nobody likes to sleep on a lumpy mattress, or to eat lumpy mashed potatoes, cream of wheat, or grits. Solar developers and investors don’t like lumpy solar markets either, but that is the reality of the industry today. Many solar markets have become “lumpy,” meaning it is difficult to find ... Read More
Illinois SREC Market Heats Up
It’s game time. Well, almost. The Illinois solar renewable energy credit (SREC) market is poised to take off, and the Illinois Power Agency’s (IPA) first Supplemental Photovoltaic Procurement event is right around the corner. And, with recent uncertainty surrounding the Department of Commerce ... Read More
Stall on Takeoff: NYSERDA Program Re-Emerges, Still Without Upstate Rooftop Opportunities
When NYSERDA announced on March 26 that they were withdrawing their >200kW Megawatt Block program from launch for significant revision, we confess that we were optimistic. Reportedly, April 7 would reveal a radically revised program. Perhaps they read our blog! Maybe they would listen ... Read More
Making Residual Value Real: Where is Solar’s Emilio Estevez?
It is no secret that costs of capital must decrease to make distributed generation a massively scaling resource. And, as costs of capital steadily decrease, the “residual value” – what happens to the asset once the PPA has run out – becomes more and more important. With that in mind, it ... Read More
A Comeback for Commercial Solar in the Golden State? We Think So.
The commercial and small utility solar market in California reminds us of 1848, just a year before the gold rush: lucrative, and largely untapped. While the state boasts the largest commercial solar market in the union, it remains relatively small. The latest Solar Energy Industries ... Read More
Is Community Solar Coming to Maryland?
What is Community Solar? Although renters or homeowners with shaded roofs may be ineligible to “go solar” themselves, they can subscribe to a share of a community solar project so that a portion of their electric bill still comes from clean, solar energy. In the last several years, ... Read More
Why Option R is a Big Deal for Southern California’s Commercial Solar Market
Rate structure changes in favor of demand charges in both the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE) utility territories have discouraged the development of commercial and industrial (C&I) solar projects in the Golden State. Luckily, we expect this to ... Read More
Plan to Scale Commercial Solar Market Revealed: Sol Systems and Sungevity Team up to Pave the Way
There’s a lot of talk and speculation about the future of the commercial solar space. Today, Sol Systems and Sungevity gave ‘em something to talk about by announcing a partnership to cultivate the elusive commercial sector. Estimates for the size of the commercial solar market range between ... Read More
March 2015 Solar Project Finance Journal Statistics
Sol Systems’ Solar Project Finance Journal is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar projects, trends, and observations gained through monthly ... Read More
Will 2015 Be the Year of Commercial Solar?
The numbers are out. Greentech Media and SEIA’s latest Solar Market Insight Report showed that commercial-scale solar’s growth has been less than impressive. In fact, their research shows that 2014 commercial-scale installs were down 6% from 2013, and 3% from 2012. We’ve discussed on ... Read More
Are Company Acquisitions the Best Way for Utilities to Acquire Solar Pipeline?
In an attempt to get in on the solar game, there has been a trend whereby utilities are acquiring commercial solar companies. Most recently, Duke announced that it had acquired a major stake in REC Solar, and AES acquired Main Street Power. We can certainly understand why utilities see ... Read More
Why QFs Should Qualify for Your Attention
The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) was implemented to encourage, among other things, the development of renewable energy sources. Under PURPA, electric utilities are required to purchase power from certain small renewable energy generators such as solar, generally ... Read More
Giving That Matters: 5,000 Pounds Packed at the Capital Area Food Bank
Last week, the Sol Systems team volunteered at the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB), an organization dedicated to providing food to the hungry in the Washington metro area. In just a three-hour period, the team sorted over 5,000 pounds of food into 2,200 bags to feed families in need. The ... Read More
D.C. Announces New Low-Income Solar Program
While the cost of solar has come down, the initial cost of installation is often too much for low-income residents. In order to ensure that low-income residents benefit from low cost energy, the District Department of Environment (DDOE) released their Solar Advantage Plus program. This ... Read More
Fight for Solar Underway in Indiana
Indiana has surfaced as the most recent political battleground aimed at distributed generation (DG) and net metering. House Bill (HB) 1320, despite substantial opposition by environmental groups and industry, will move to the Indiana House of Representatives after clearing the House Utilities, Read More
Sol Systems Participates in National Women in Solar Energy Event on February 24
Sol Systems will sponsor Women in Solar Energy’s #NationWISE, a multi-city round table that aims to elevate the discussion on women in the clean energy workforce. Sol Systems will sponsor both the D.C. and San Francisco events, and Deputy General Counsel Leslie Barkemeyer will speak on the ... Read More
February 2015 Solar Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ February 2015 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
Will Commercial Offtakers Ever Accept Form Legal Documents?
“We can unlock the potential of the commercial and industrial (C&I) solar market if we only had form legal documents!” says everyone, all the time. If only it were that simple. Rule number one: commercial solar is not residential. The residential sector often utilizes boilerplate offtake Read More
Early Stage Pipeline? Yes, Please.
Traditionally, investors preferred to see a deal after it had reached certain milestones, such as executed site control and/or an electricity offtake agreement. Now, however, financiers such as Sol Systems are more interested in seeing a deal earlier on in the development process, even after ... Read More
VIDEO: What Will It Take to Get Commercial-scale Solar off the Ground?
The residential solar market is booming, and utility-scale is going strong in the face of a decline in the Investment Tax Credit (ITC). At the same time, much of the commercial-scale solar market has seen relatively flat growth year-over-year. GTM Research expects that 2014 will be the first ... Read More
Employee Spotlight: Jason Corum, Junior Web Developer
At Sol Systems, our team is our number one asset, and we are proud to employ some of the brightest talent in the renewable energy industry. This month’s employee spotlight falls on Jason Corum, Junior Web Developer. Jason’s journey to his web development position is a rather unique one. ... Read More
Maryland SREC Market Marches Closer to Equilibrium in 2014
As we wait for the final 2014 Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) to mint for the state of Maryland, chances are high that the market will be the closest to equilibrium that it has been in 3 years. Uncertainty around this news centers on how many SRECs the state supported Mt. St. Mary's ... Read More
Solar Industry Shines in New Solar Jobs Census
The solar industry had a landmark year in 2014, according to the Solar Foundation’s 5th annual National Solar Jobs Census, increasing employment by over 20%. This growth represents the largest one-year increase in the survey’s history. Not only did the solar industry add 26,000 new jobs, it ... Read More
SRECs Accelerate Payback Period through Sol Combo Contract
If 62% of Americans responded to a survey agreeing that they would like to use solar in their homes, why do only about .35% of households in the U.S. have a solar installation? For one, many people understand that a solar installation produces cost savings over time, but the upfront costs of ... Read More
Sol Systems Takes Aim at Commercial-Scale, Will Deploy $200+ Million in 2015
Sol Systems today announced its plan to deploy over $200 million into the solar asset class, to finance at least 150MW of projects. The year has started with a bang for the firm, which is now deploying over $100 million in capital to finance over 100MW of commercial-scale and small utility ... Read More
January 2015 Solar Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ January 2015 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
Are Floating PPAs an Idea Worth Floating to Solar Investors?
We are seeing more and more developers structuring deals with floating, instead of fixed, power purchase agreements (PPAs) meaning that the value of the PPA is tied to electricity rates. Developers like to pitch floating PPAs to host customers because they guarantee a certain percentage ... Read More
In the Quest to Finance Smaller Commercial Deals, Pipeline is King
Is the solar industry starting to pay more attention to the commercial solar market? From our vantage point, it seems that way, even if just slightly. We are increasingly being approached by developers looking for ways to finance portfolios of smaller projects, as well as standalone sub-1MW ... Read More
The Solar Trade Case: A Matter of Cents or Certainty
The Department of Commerce announced that the 31% tariff on some Chinese module manufacturers may be slashed in half. Though the debate continues as to how these fluctuations will affect the growth of solar PV, there has been some near-term uncertainty on price. Some EPCs are holding off on ... Read More
Why Oil’s Fall Means Little for Solar’s Rise: Part II
In part I of this blog, I discussed the primary drivers of the decline in oil prices. Today, I'll cover what effect, if any, this may have on solar. PART II: DO THESE CHANGES IMPACT SOLAR? A. How Relevant Is Oil To the Electricity Markets Going Forward? If oil prices had fallen thirty Read More
4.4MW Solar Farm Shines as Largest 2014 Managed Growth Project in Massachusetts
4.4MW of solar energy is now operational in Charlton, Massachusetts. The 14,000 panel solar farm is the largest project developed and constructed under the SREC-II program’s 2014 Managed Growth allocation. The farm will produce 5,760,000 kilowatt hours annually, enough electricity to power ... Read More
Why Oil’s Fall Means Little for Solar’s Rise: Part I
One of the most important stories of the last year was the massive collapse in global oil prices that began in June of 2014, and continues in 2015. It is a topic that comes up over a few PBRs with friends, usually framed as “isn’t this whole thing really bad for solar?” It is a fair question, Read More
What Happened to New York’s Megawatt Block Program?
A few months ago, we wrote extensively about New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) promising solar incentive program and its excellent, lessons learned, proven design. That was before they finalized the incentive amounts. Now we are not so ... Read More
Team Spirit at Work for Our Community
Nothing like a little workplace competition to raise the bar for giving: This month, the competitive spirit at Sol Systems translated into 414 pounds of food donated to the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB). CAFB is dedicated to feeding those who suffer from hunger in the Washington metro area ... Read More
Illinois Solar Gets Closer to Game Time
The Illinois solar market is marching ahead to an eventful 2015. Recent action on the Supplemental Procurement Plan means solar energy system owners should look for the Illinois SREC market to come to fruition very soon. Earlier this month, the Illinois Commerce Commission released a ... Read More
Sol Systems Offers New SREC Contract. Meet Sol Combo
Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) are a confusing, yet critical, piece of solar finance for solar energy system owners and installers alike. To solve for this, Sol Systems offers four SREC monetization options: Sol Upfront, Sol Brokerage, Sol Annuity, and now, Sol Combo. For many ... Read More
December 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ December 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar Read More
As the Weather Turns Frightful, Keep Placed in Service Deadlines Delightful
The biggest story around this time of year is the rush to meet end-of-year placed in service deadlines for 2014 pipeline. In 2013, Greentech Media and SEIA reported that 44% of installs occurred in Q4. We expect the numbers will show a similar trend for Q4 2014. Placed in service ... Read More
A Look Back at 2014: What Does a Shortage of Bankable Projects Mean for C&I Solar?
Solar project development is cyclical: more capital chases projects, oversupply of capital brings down yields, capital exits the space, more projects chase the money; rinse, lather, and repeat. As we reflect on 2014, we will remember it as a year when an abundance of sponsor equity was ... Read More
Sol Systems Turns Up the Voltage in Its Structured Finance Practice with Jerry Stalun
Jerry Stalun has joined Sol Systems, a Washington, D.C. - based solar energy finance and investment firm, as its Senior Director of Investments. In this role, Mr. Stalun will lead Sol Systems’ Investment and Structured Finance Teams in capital development for the firm’s solar energy ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes Matt Jennings, the Newest Member of our SREC Customer Care Team
Sol Systems is pleased to introduce its newest team member of our SREC Customer Care team, Matt Jennings. Along with Bridget Callahan and Victoria Ngare, Matt manages accounts for Sol Systems’ customer base of over 4,200+ solar energy system owners and installers in thirteen states who ... Read More
If C&I Solar Projects Were Thanksgiving Dinner
A well-executed solar project can be almost as satisfying as Thanksgiving dinner; the only difference is that you are still left hungry for more. With a little bit of digging (and an active imagination), we found plenty of parallels between a commercial and industrial (C&I) solar ... Read More
What Game Theory Can Tell Us about Middle Market, C&I Solar
The decisions made along the path of solar project finance and development have major implications for the growth –or stagnation—of the commercial and industrial solar market. How does a developer choose the right financier for their project, or an investor decide to interact during contract ... Read More
Heart and Sol: Giving That Matters
Talk with anyone on the Sol Systems team, and you’ll get a glimpse into how our genuine culture and values shape how we work and give. From day one, co-founders Yuri Horwitz and George Ashton built Sol Systems on the belief that success is defined by how we add value to society. Yuri and ... Read More
November 2014 Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ November 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar Read More
Extra Credit for Getting C&I Credit Right
Unlike residential, which has standardized credit scores, or utility-scale, which generally has utility off-takers, commercial and industrial (C&I) credit is incredibly complex – and can often be a deal breaker in middle market deals (which we generally categorize as 200kW – 5MW). Why is Read More
Just Say No: When to Walk Away from a Solar Deal
Solar developers and investors alike often ask us the same question: what is the secret to making middle market solar projects work? Often, the key is knowing when to walk away before the transaction costs become too much to bear. In other words, a project can seldom overcome serious ... Read More
The Road to Interconnection May Be Rocky
Uncertainty in interconnection timelines is nothing new, but it nonetheless remains an issue in a number of solar markets. When looking to complete projects within an investor’s target commercial operation date (COD), often the biggest unknown is how long it will take the utility to enable a ... Read More
Sol Systems Speaks at Minnesota Solar Conference
Several members of the Sol Systems project finance team attended the Midwest Gateway to Solar conference, hosted by the Minnesota chapter of SEIA, on November 4th and 5th. On Tuesday, Sol Director of Project Finance, Ben Margolis spoke among other subject matter experts on Developing Solar ... Read More
Solar Powered Brew Pocket Reference – New Solar Diligence Resources in Your Pocket
As the industry moves to increasing standardization of solar as an asset class, one trend is clear: streamlined due diligence is a necessity at every stage in a project's development. Automating the due diligence process is probably impossible, and for the foreseeable future, real ... Read More
Employee Spotlight: Chris LaClair, Senior Developer
At Sol Systems, our team is our number one asset. Their dedication and passion for bringing creative financing solutions to the solar industry are essential to our company’s success. Our company has experienced a lot of recent growth, and we are proud to employ some of the brightest talent in Read More
Hiring Surge at Sol Systems Starts with Michael Woods, General Counsel
New Hire Marks +30% Expansion for the D.C. – Based Solar Energy Finance and Investment Firm Sol Systems announced that Michael Woods has joined the organization as General Counsel. In this role, Mr. Woods will lead Sol Systems’ legal efforts to achieve even greater efficiency in structuring Read More
Go Ahead, Wake the Sleeping Giant: Why C&I Solar is Poised for Growth
While residential solar installers battle for market share and YieldCos gobble up utility scale projects, the commercial and industrial (C&I) solar space has been relatively quiet. Broadly defined as behind-the-meter projects between 50kW and 5MW, the middle market remains untapped due to ... Read More
Sol Systems’ Sara Rafalson and Stephanie Smith Roll up their Sleeves with GRID Alternatives
This fall, Sol Systems’ Sara Rafalson and Stephanie Smith both participated in the GRID Alternatives Women’s Build, putting their skills to the test in constructing a solar array (and learning a lot along the way from very patient GRID teachers). Smith and Rafalson both participated in Women ... Read More
Come on & Feel the Illi-Noise: Why 2015 Will be a Big Year for Illinois Solar
Prepared in collaboration with Sol Systems Intern Mark Noll On September 29, the Illinois Power Agency released its draft 2015 Procurement Plan regarding renewable portfolio standard (RPS) compliance for the state’s two regulated utilities, ComEd and Ameren – and then, on the very same ... Read More
Ohio Opposition to Renewables & Solar Energy Mounts
Sacrificing renewables promised reduced prices for customers; but now could end up raising the bill for Ohioans. Ohio’s electrical market structure has long been based on market forces such as varying supply and demand, rather than by political regulation. But recently, moving away from ... Read More
13.7MW of Solar Energy Added across Eight California Counties
Earlier this year Sol Systems and Hannon Armstrong agreed to jointly originate, structure and fund up to $100 million of construction and term debt financing for developers and owners of distributed solar projects benefitting commercial, industrial, municipal, and utility customers ... Read More
A Look at Virginia: Can Regulated Utilities Drive the Solar Industry Forward?
Dominion Virginia Power recently announced the selection of Capital One’s Chester facility to host the first ground-mounted solar energy system in Central Virginia. Plans to install 2,500 solar panels will generate up to 500 kilowatts of electricity at peak production. This project, in ... Read More
October 2014 Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ October 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
It’s Time to Ask the Wallflower Solar Markets to the Dance
The following is an excerpt from our Solar Project Finance Journal, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the solar industry’s latest trends based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To view the full Journal or subscribe, please e-mail pr@solsystemscompany.com. If ... Read More
Can Financing Partnerships Make the Middle Market Work?
The following is an excerpt from our Solar Project Finance Journal, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the solar industry’s latest trends based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To view the full Journal or subscribe, please e-mail pr@solsystemscompany.com. With ... Read More
Is Your Solar Investor the Real Deal? How To Be Sure.
The following is an excerpt from our Solar Project Finance Journal, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the solar industry’s latest trends based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To view the full Journal or subscribe, please e-mail pr@solsystemscompany.com. As we ... Read More
The Megawatt Block Program: Setting New York Solar Up for Success
Research support provided by Eric Lustgarten. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is getting closer to solidifying the next iteration of its solar incentive program with the creation of the Megawatt Block. Perhaps befitting what may be one of the last ... Read More
2MW of Solar Energy Admitted into Cornell University
Today, Sol Systems announced it has successfully financed Cornell University’s Snyder Road Solar Farm, consisting of a 2MW array on eleven acres of Cornell property in the Town of Lansing. The capital sources for the transaction included development capital from Distributed Sun, sponsor ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak on Women in Solar Energy Webinar
Sol Systems Senior Associate, Sara Rafalson, will speak on a webinar on Women in Solar Energy, a newly formed non-profit resource and membership organization for women in the solar industry. Rafalson is a vice president of the non-profit organization, where she leads communications and ... Read More
D.C. Releases Proposed Community Solar Regulations
On October 1st 2013, the D.C. legislature passed the Community Solar Renewables Energy Act (B20-007), making D.C. the tenth state to pass community solar legislation. However, the waiting game was only just beginning as D.C. solar stakeholders awaited instructions from the D.C. Public ... Read More
Sol Systems Finances 944kW California Church Solar Project
Sol Systems announced today that it successfully financed a 944 kilowatt solar project in partnership with its investor client, Washington Gas Energy Systems (WGES), a subsidiary of WGL (NYSE: WGL). The operational solar energy system is located at Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, ... Read More
Massachusetts Updates 2016 Managed Growth Allocation, Developers Still on Edge
Massachusetts solar developers breathed a sigh of relief after last week’s announcement. After the initial August 26th announcement that the 2016 Managed Growth Capacity Block would be 0MW, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) opened a public comment period. As ... Read More
Solar Projects Aren’t the Only Thing We Bring to the Finish Line
Sol Systems Tops 360 Teams to Win 200 Mile Relay Race On September 12-13, nine members of the Sol Systems team ran a 200 mile relay race stretching from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC. Winding through hills and valleys, day and night, the team steadily made its way to the finish line, ... Read More
September 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ September 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life ... Read More
Get in Line and Get Creative: How to Deal with Module Price Changes
The following is an excerpt from our Solar Project Finance Journal, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the solar industry’s latest trends based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To view the full Journal or subscribe, please e-mail pr@solsystemscompany.com. The solar Read More
Hungry, Hungry YieldCos: Will They Find Project Pipeline to Satisfy their Appetites?
The following is an excerpt from our Solar Project Finance Journal, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the solar industry's latest trends based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To view the full Journal or subscribe, please e-mail pr@solsystemscompany.com. YieldCos ... Read More
Solving the Sub-1 MW Solar Financing Gap
The following is an excerpt from our Solar Project Finance Journal, a monthly electronic newsletter analyzing the solar industry’s latest trends based on our unique position in the solar financing space. To view the full Journal or subscribe, please e-mail pr@solsystemscompany.com. The ... Read More
Trapped in the Down Elevator? A New Perspective on the Net Metering Debate
Given the endless blog articles rehashing the same old net metering arguments, perhaps it can be helpful to examine the experience of another industry. Specifically, what is probably, after solar, the renewable energy and smart grid storage device with by far the highest market ... Read More
Interested in Developing a 650kW+ Solar Project in Massachusetts? Think Again (Or Be Very Patient)
Yesterday’s announcement from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) may have taken some Massachusetts solar developers by surprise. Immediately following the announcement of the allocations for the 2014 and 2015 Managed Growth capacity, commercial and utility scale solar ... Read More
Meet the Sol Systems SREC Customer Service Team
Meet the Sol Systems Customer Service (CS) Team: Sara Rafalson, Alex Mas, Victoria Ngare, and Bridget Callahan. Together, they manage accounts for Sol Systems’ customer base of over 4,200+ solar energy system owners in thirteen states who rely on Sol Systems to sell their solar renewable ... Read More
How SREC Markets Streamline Solar Financing & Stimulate Market Growth
Solar renewable energy credit (SREC) markets are a highly efficient tool for financing solar projects. This market-based mechanism saves a lot of headache for policymakers and stakeholders alike while stimulating the growth of solar on much of the East Coast. (more…) Read More
Sol Systems COO & General Counsel Stephanie Smith Named C3E Award Finalist
The Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Initiative Ambassadors has named Sol Systems General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, Stephanie Smith, as a finalist for its annual awards program for mid-career women’s leadership and achievement in clean energy. The C3E Initiative was ... Read More
Sol Systems Closes First Half of $100 Million Q3 Investment in North Carolina Solar
Three new North Carolina utility-scale solar farms have begun producing power, racking up another 18.2 MW, equal to taking about 2,400 passenger vehicles off the road for the year. A significant portion of the investment responsible for the projects was managed by Washington, D.C.–based ... Read More
Sol Systems CFO Installs Solar Array on Maryland Home
This summer, Sol Systems’ very own CFO, George Ashton, had a 9.78 kW solar array installed on the roof of his Maryland home. Pictures of the system can be seen below. (more…) Read More
Employee Spotlight: Anna Noucas
At Sol Systems, our team is our number one asset. Their dedication and passion for bringing creative financing solutions to the solar industry are essential to our company’s success. Our company has experienced a lot of recent growth, and we are proud to employ some of the brightest talent in Read More
August 2014 Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ August 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
Washington, D.C. – Based Sol Systems Ranks High on Inc. 500 List for Second Consecutive Year
Inc. Magazine once again named Washington, D.C. – based Sol Systems on its annual Inc. 500 list of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. This year, the solar finance firm ranked No. 6 in the nation’s top solar companies, No. 6 in fasting growing companies in D.C., No. 17 in energy, ... Read More
Insurance Companies Present Opportunity, Not Threat, to Solar Industry
A whitepaper from Zurich Risk Engineering cautioning against the installation of photovoltaic rooftop systems received some buzz this past month, with some solar industry insiders even calling the insurance industry solar’s next big threat. This does not concern us at Sol Systems. On the ... Read More
How Local and Regional Developers Can Compete with Solar Giants
Local and regional developers often seek our project finance team’s advice on bidding into requests for proposals (RFP’s), and how they can win against larger players. Truthfully, RFP’s continue to be a race to the bottom for solar developers where the lowest bid wins, often assisted by ... Read More
Disruptive Innovation Alert: Regulated Utilities Vie for a Piece of the DG Solar Pie
After gaining a reputation for being one of solar’s most outspoken naysayers, Arizona Public Service (APS) shocked the industry by announcing its intent to get into the residential solar market. This is not the first time a regulated utility has attempted to catch up to a disruptive ... Read More
We’re Hiring! Sol Systems Seeks Communications Intern for Fall 2014
Position: Communications Internship Opportunity: The Communications Intern will gain familiarity with the inner workings of one of the fastest growing companies in the nation by supporting the Marketing and Communications team. The internship will provide a fantastic launching pad for ... Read More
The Massachusetts Solar Carve-Out: High Drama at the State House
Change has come to the Massachusetts solar market, but not in the way many were expecting. Amid the controversy of this summer’s proposed changes to the Massachusetts solar market, a significantly scaled-back bill was presented and eventually enacted as an amendment to Senate Bill 2214. On ... Read More
Chill from Ohio RPS Freeze Extends to Neighboring Solar Markets
On June 13, Ohio made history by becoming the first state to “freeze” its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). The passage of SB310 was a major setback for the renewable industry in Ohio, but who knew what happened in the Buckeye State could affect solar in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and even ... Read More
We’re Hiring! Sol Systems Seeks Fall 2014 Interns
Position: Solar Analyst Intern (position beginning in August/September 2014) targeted towards undergraduates and recent graduates Description: The Solar Analyst Intern will assist with registration processes, administrative duties, and research tasks, and will be expected to provide clearly ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes Charity Sack as Senior Director of Marketing, Olga Zelenova as Controller, and Eric Stam as Renewables Trader
Sol Systems is pleased to welcome three new members to our team: Charity Sack as Senior Director of Marketing, Olga Zelenova as Controller, and Eric Stam as Renewables Trader. Charity Sack, Senior Director of Marketing Charity Sack joins Sol Systems after serving as Director of ... Read More
3 Reasons Why a Managed SREC Solution Outperforms an Auction
Our team strongly believes that a managed SREC solution, one in which a third party such as Sol Systems executes trades in the best interest of the SREC owner, provides the customer with the highest sale price. Here’s why the managed approach works so well. 1. Aggregation Aggregation is ... Read More
South Carolina Solar is Rising
After two years of negotiations, the South Carolina House of Representatives voted unanimously on new legislation to promote solar inthe Palmetto State. As a result of the South Carolina Distributed Energy Resource Act (S.B. 1189), Sol Systems expects the South Carolina solar market to expand Read More
Massachusetts SREC-I Auction Throws a Curveball to the Markets: Here’s how this will impact SREC-II projects.
Round II of the Massachusetts SREC-I clearinghouse auction failed to clear yesterday, July 30. A third round will be held on Friday, August 1st, 2014. As we described earlier in an explanation of the Massachusetts SREC-I auction, This annual auction, which is based on the volume demanded, ... Read More
What’s Better for a Homeowner: A Fixed Price Contract or a Brokerage Solution?
Since the birth of the first solar renewable energy credit (SREC) market, Sol Systems has distinguished itself from other SREC solution providers by offering customers the ability to lock into fixed price SREC contracts for a set amount of years. This provides customers with a guaranteed ... Read More
Massachusetts DOER SREC Clearinghouse Auction is Underway, Here’s What You Need to Know.
The Massachusetts solar renewable energy credit (SREC) market is undoubtedly the most complex incentive program among its peers. Among its complexities is the annual clearinghouse auction mechanism, which allows SREC sellers the opportunity to auction their SRECs at the end of each summer for a Read More
A Sixth YieldCo Goes Public as the Asset Class Has its First Anniversary
Today TerraForm Power Inc. (TERP), a spinoff from SunEdison (SUNE), had its IPO making it the sixth yield corporation or “yieldco” to go public since NRG Yield (NYLD) became the first yieldco one year ago. High dividend yields and rising stock prices have encouraged a wealth of investment in ... Read More
Who Pays for Countervailing Tariffs on Chinese Solar Panels?
On June 2, 2014, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) made the decision to start implementing countervailing duties (“countervails”) on Chinese solar panels that will raise prices of commercial-scale and distributed solar projects. In 2013, 31% of all solar panels installed in the U.S. ... Read More
What Happens to Solar Panel Pricing after the WTO Ruling? Three Clarifications on the Dispute and its Implications
On Monday July 14, the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) issued a panel report to its members on a dispute between China and the United States involving solar panels and sixteen other products. Recent articles have declared the U.S. countervailing duties ... Read More
Will the Eagle Point Solar Decision Open Up the Midwest Solar Market?
On July 11, 2014, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in favor of Eagle Point Solar (EPS), a Dubuque, IA based solar installer, affirming that the company was not acting as a utility when it arranged a third-party power purchase agreement (PPA) with the city of Dubuque. The ruling caps a two year ... Read More
July 2014 Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ July 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
Solar Property Tax Uncertainty & 3 Mitigation Strategies
Apart from California, which extended its property tax exemption for solar power systems to 2025, the ambiguity around solar and property taxes looks like it may get worse before it gets better. Our team is financing projects in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, and New York which ... Read More
Rhode Island’s Second Solar Feed-in Tariff is Open for Enrollment. Here’s How to Apply
The second round of the 2014 enrollment in Rhode Island’s feed-in tariff program has been announced by National Grid, Rhode Island’s electric utility. The feed-in tariff is part of the state’s Distributed Generation Standard Contracts program, established in June 2011. The program awards ... Read More
3 Noteworthy Solar Implications in New National Electrical Code
The 2014 National Electrical Code (NEC) has come out, and this version holds a bit of solar intrigue even for those who are not involved with engineering or construction. In response to safety concerns for first responders, like firefighters, the 2014 NEC now requires solar energy systems to Read More
Employee Spotlight: Ben Margolis
At Sol Systems, our team is our number one asset. Their dedication and passion for bringing creative financing solutions to the solar industry are essential to our company’s success. Our company has experienced a lot of recent growth, and we are proud to employ some of the brightest talent in Read More
Beyond the Meter: Remote Solar on the Horizon?
A Less-Than-Totally-Addressable Market Commercial solar can be an extremely difficult, uphill sell. Not only must a salesperson overcome traditional customer barriers of ignorance, indifference, or fear, with a product that can seem formidably technical, but they have to do so in what is to ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak at Intersolar North America in San Francisco
Several members of the Sol Systems team will attend the Intersolar North America conference in San Francisco next week from July 7-9. Sol Systems’ CFO, George Ashton will share Sol Systems’ experiences financing commercial solar projects on the panel entitled The DG Future – the ITC, ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes Summer Interns
At Sol Systems, our number one asset is our team. We are proud of our internship program which provides young people with an opportunity to launch a career in renewable energy. This summer, we are excited to welcome Rachel Charow, Julia Heckmann, Thomas Kinrade, Erica Nangeroni, and Aaditya Read More
Washington Gas Energy Systems, Sol Systems, and Partners Unveil 1.23 MW Maryland Solar Project
Presbyterian Senior Living unveiled its 1,230-kilowatt (kW) solar array at Glen Meadows Retirement Community in Glen Arm, Md. in a ribbon cutting ceremony with representatives from Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc., ABM, Building Energy, Sol Systems, and Clark EcoEnergy. The ground-mounted ... Read More
2014 Delaware Procurement Program Solicitation Results in Surprisingly Higher Pricing than 2013
On May 28, 2014, the results for the 2014 SRECDelaware Procurement Program were announced. This is the second year that the newly structured program has been in place; the Delaware Public Service Commission approved the new structure of the program in 2013, which implemented a competitive bid ... Read More
Evolution at Work: Utility Dinosaurs, Solar, & New York’s REV
In the last decade or so, many utilities have demonstrated a “fight vs. flight” response toward solar energy and distributed generation. Some utilities have lobbied against solar and created regulatory roadblocks, while a greater majority of utilities ignored the solar industry – because it ... Read More
Sol Systems CEO Yuri Horwitz Named Regional EY Entrepreneur of The Year™ 2014 Award Winner
EY today announced that Yuri Horwitz, CEO of D.C. based solar finance firm, Sol Systems, received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2014 Award in the emerging technologies category in Greater Washington. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak at PV America Conference in Boston
The Sol Systems team will attend the PV America 2014 Conference in Boston, MA next week from June 23-25. Sol Systems’ CEO, Yuri Horwitz is the conference’s finance chair this year and will speak on a panel entitled The Future of Solar Financing & Challenges Ahead at 1:30 PM in room 153. ... Read More
Summary of the Clean Power Plan & Positive Impacts on the Solar Industry
At the direction of President Obama, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the Clean Power Plan, also known as 111(d) on June 2. It is the first time the U.S. government has sought to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants. In summary, by 2030, the EPA’s proposed steps ... Read More
New York Looks to Become a Shared Energy State
On June 3 the New York Assembly Energy Committee approved the Shared Clean Energy Bill A9931/S7727, continuing the momentum that New York has built up in the solar industry. In late April, Governor Andrew Cuomo committed $1 billion in funding to continue the NY-Sun solar program, which aims ... Read More
Ohio Becomes the First State to Freeze its Renewable Portfolio Standard
With the signing of Senate Bill 310 (SB 310), Ohio has become the first state to “freeze” its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). Ohio Governor John Kasich signed the bill into law on June 13th, effectively halting the state’s mandates for efficiency and renewables until 2017. Come 2017, ... Read More
2014 U.S. Solar Projects Face Greatest Hardships in the Chinese Trade Case
In the first week of June, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) announced its decision to levy tariffs ranging from 18.5-35% against Chinese solar manufacturers such as ReneSola, Suntech, Trina Solar, and Yingli as countervailing measures against Chinese subsidies for solar products. The DoC Read More
Massachusetts Proposes New Solar Policy…Again
Less than two months after Massachusetts unveiled the SREC-II solar incentive program, big utilities and developers are back at the table to push for a new deal. Stakeholders congregated at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston on Wednesday, June 11th, to broker a stable and sustainable ... Read More
June 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ June 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes Joe Song as Senior Director of Investment Analysis
Sol Systems today announced the appointment of Joe Song as Senior Director of Investment Analysis. At Sol Systems, Joe Song oversees technical diligence for Sol Systems' solar project investments, supporting the tax equity, take-out and debt financing products that Sol Systems provides ... Read More
Will Ohio be the First State to Freeze its Renewable Portfolio Standard?
In the past two years, Ohio legislators have twice introduced legislation to repeal the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). After many unsuccessful attempts, the anti-renewables lobby is finally making progress with new legislation to “freeze” the state’s RPS. If successful, Senate ... Read More
Solar Storage: From Geeky Pipe Dream to Reality
Among solar geeks, solar storage has long been an interesting topic of discussion, and one with (at least) a three-pronged value proposition. First, solar energy systems with energy storage can provide electricity back-up to the host in the event of a grid-outage. Second, storage may provide ... Read More
When Solar Property Taxes Get Personal
On the long and winding road of solar project development, property taxes are frequently an afterthought. Yet, the presence, or lack, of a property tax on a solar energy system has significant implications for a project’s profitability. According to SEIA, 38 states in the U.S. have property ... Read More
Will the Panel Price Bump be a Q3 Solar Deal Breaker?
Panel prices are trending up. Depending on module make, model, and the order size, the increase looks to be somewhere to the tune of 6-8 cents per watt, or a cost of 70-75 cents per watt for projects that will be built in Q3 of 2014. The price bump may be attributed to the U.S.-China trade ... Read More
May 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ May 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
New York Launches New Incentive Round for Large Solar Projects
New York is in a solar state of mind. On the heels of the recent announcement to commit an additional $1B to New York solar incentives over the next decade, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) unveiled the next anticipated funding program for large solar ... Read More
How Third Party Financing Can Be a Growth Strategy for Commercial Solar Developers
The solar industry has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. In the early 2000s, the industry was composed of a few specialized players. With the growth of federal and state level incentive programs as well as innovations in financing, more players entered the space. Programs Read More
Cashing in on Solar’s Hidden Value
The solar value proposition remains very attractive to homeowners and facility managers across the United States. However, the industry sells itself with one arm tied behind its back… From a consumer’s perspective, there are two key pieces of energy demand—capacity and cumulative usage. Many Read More
Sol Systems’ CEO Yuri Horwitz Named Finalist for Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year
Sol Systems is pleased to announce that CEO Yuri Horwitz has been named a finalist for Ernst and Young's 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year award. The Entrepreneur of the Year award is recognized as one of the nation's most prestigious honors for the country's most innovative business ... Read More
Sol Systems Speaks at 2nd Annual Sunshine Backed Bonds Conference in New York
Sol Systems’ CFO, George Ashton, and Director of Tax Equity, Daniel Yonkin, are speaking at the 2nd Annual Sunshine Backed Bonds conference in New York today. Mr. Ashton will participate in a panel discussion on options and considerations for lowering the cost of capital for renewable ... Read More
New York Commits Another $1 Billion to Solar. Here’s What You Need to Know.
Will New York join Massachusetts and California as an enduring solar state? Last Thursday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an additional $1 billion in funding for the NY-Sun initiative, making good on his promise to extend the program through 2023. The funding announcement includes ... Read More
Sol Systems to Sponsor, Speak at Novogradac Financing Renewable Energy Conference in San Francisco
Several members of the Sol Systems team are in San Francisco for Novogradac's Financing Renewable Energy Conference. While in San Francisco, Sol Systems' CEO, Yuri Horwitz, will speak on a panel detailing the tax equity outlook for renewable energy assets. Yuri and the panelists will provide ... Read More
Sol Systems Bundles & Secures Financing for 2.8 MW Rhode Island Solar Portfolio
Sol Systems is pleased to announce the successful financing of a 2.8 megawatt (MW) solar portfolio in Rhode Island. Megawatt Energy Solutions developed the four project opportunities, which are located in Cumberland and Providence. The systems reached operational status in April. Sol Systems ... Read More
3 Financing Lessons Residential Solar Can Teach C&I
As new and old solar investors seek investment opportunities in distributed generation (DG) solar, there are a number of parallels that can be drawn between the residential and commercial sectors. While residential solar developers have had significant success in obtaining financing for their Read More
Solar Cost of Capital Is Becoming Less Costly
As many have hoped and predicted, it appears that competition among financiers is driving down required solar project return hurdles for many investors. Market clearing prices for projects indicate that investor hurdle rates for financeable large commercial and small utility projects have ... Read More
Sol Systems Completes the Massachusetts Solar Market’s First SREC II Transaction
Sol Systems is pleased to be the first to close a transaction in solar renewable energy credit (SREC) II, the newest iteration of the Massachusetts solar market. Under this agreement, Sol Systems will provide solar project financing via a prepaid SREC contract to EthoSolar, an Ontario-based ... Read More
VOSTs: Solar’s Newest Friend or Foe?
Last month, a Value of Solar Tariff (VOST) emerged in Minnesota, and it was accompanied by extensive commentary from the solar industry. What is a VOST and why is it interesting? VOSTs are utility rate tariffs. They are similar to Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) because the utility pays the system ... Read More
April 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ April 2014 Solar Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
Sol Systems and Hannon Armstrong Collaborate to Deploy Up to $100 Million of Debt Financing for Distributed Solar Project Developers in 2014
Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc., (“Hannon Armstrong,” NYSE: HASI), a capital provider for sustainable infrastructure assets, along with Sol Systems, LLC (“Sol Systems”), a renewable energy investment firm, today announced plans to originate, structure and fund ... Read More
Sol Systems’ Debt Finance Director to Attend Greentech Media’s Solar Summit this week
Sol Systems’ Senior Director, Mike Midden, will speak at Greentech Media’s Solar Summit this week in Phoenix. Mr. Midden presented today, April 14, on how to drive down interest rates for solar project debt financing. Mr. Midden has over 17 years of experience in the energy and ... Read More
Massachusetts Finalizes SREC-II Program: Here’s What You Can Expect
On April 11th, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced that they have officially filed the final revisions for the SREC-II program with the Secretary of State’s office. These final revisions will go into effect on April 25, 2014 once the rules have been ... Read More
Webinar Invitation – Everything You Need to Know about the Massachusetts SREC II Program
The Massachusetts solar renewable energy credit (SREC) program has been critical for driving the massive solar growth in the state. However, regulatory uncertainty has loomed since the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced last spring that the first iteration of the ... Read More
Rhode Island Solar Feed-in Tariff Now Accepting Applications for 2014
National Grid, Rhode Island’s electric utility, recently announced a new round of enrollment in the state’s feed-in tariff program in the spring of 2014. The allocation is part of the Distributed Generation Standard Contracts program, which was created by legislation in June of 2011. The ... Read More
Sol Systems to Travel to San Francisco, Las Vegas, and New York for Upcoming Solar Project Finance Conferences
The Sol Systems team will attend the 2014 SEIA Tax and Finance Seminar this week in San Francisco at the W San Francisco Hotel. George Ashton, Sol Systems’ CFO, will be participating in a panel discussion on securitization and its role in the solar space. The discussion will focus on how ... Read More
Sol Systems Announces SREC II Pricing for Massachusetts Solar
Sol Systems is pleased to announce the industry’s first official 3 and 5-year fixed price contracts for Massachusetts SREC II solar projects. Since the closing of the SREC I program, there has been a significant amount of uncertainty regarding the value of SRECS in the SREC II program, and ... Read More
March 2014 Project Finance Journal
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ March 2014 Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
Massachusetts Makes Progress towards Finalizing SREC-II Regulation
Solar stakeholders in Massachusetts are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. On Monday, March 17th, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced that they have initiated the last review necessary before finalizing the Solar Carve-Out II program. The ... Read More
Sol Systems’ Tax Equity Deal with SunEdison & Nationwide Mutual Featured in Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Earlier this week, Sol Systems was featured in a Bloomberg New Energy Finance article detailing Sol Systems’ recent tax equity deal with Nationwide Mutual and SunEdison. In this transaction, Sol Systems advised Nationwide Mutual Insurance on the acquisition of the equity. This is part of Sol ... Read More
SunEdison, Nationwide Mutual, Sol Systems and National Bank of Arizona Announce Financing for 13.4 MW Solar Electricity Portfolio
SunEdison (NYSE: SUNE), a leading solar technology manufacturer and solar energy services provider along with Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, National Bank of Arizona (NB|AZ), and Sol Systems today announced a $50 million fund to build a 13.4 megawatt (MW) solar portfolio for the State ... Read More
Virginia Makes Progress Toward More Favorable Solar Market
It is no secret that Virginia lags far behind in its track record on solar energy, especially compared to neighboring states such as D.C., North Carolina, and Maryland. Thanks largely to the development of robust solar renewable energy credit (SREC) markets, Maryland ranks fourteenth in the ... Read More
Sol Systems Speaks at Solar Power Finance and Investment Summit in San Diego
Sol Systems’ CEO Yuri Horwitz, CFO George Ashton, and other members of the team traveled to the Solar Power Finance and Investment Summit in San Diego, California this week. As experts in solar project finance, both of Sol Systems’ co-founders spoke at this conference: George spoke on a panel ... Read More
Sol Systems Announces New Round of Financing for Distributed Generation Solar, Issues a Call for Projects to Fill the Fund
Today, Sol Systems announced allocations from several investor clients to be devoted to financing distributed generation solar assets. This latest fund is representative of Sol Systems’ efforts to expand the pool of capital available for commercial and industrial (C&I) solar, a typically ... Read More
Sol Systems Closes Financing for 940 kW Solar Project in New Mexico, Launches Financing Partnership with Affordable Solar
Sol Systems is pleased to announce the financial closing of a 940 kilowatt (kW) solar energy system in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The project was the second deal that Sol Systems financed on behalf of New Mexico-based developer, Affordable Solar. Sol Systems also closed an 806 kW Affordable Read More
Will Commence Construction Language Add More Certainty to the U.S. Solar Market?
Solar project development is a process with varying timetables and degrees of difficulty: from finding a host site, to entering into power purchase agreements, the process can take several years. Any bump along the road can lead to uncertainty in the completion date for an investor or ... Read More
Sol Systems Continues to Hire! Currently Seeking Project Manager
Sol Systems continues to expand in order to facilitate the deployment of solar projects. Now, we're looking for a talented project manager to work with our developer and EPC partners to deliver solar assets on behalf of our investor clients. Please see the posting below for more information on ... Read More
Jump-starting the Solar Undead & Improving Returns…With Debt
Debt can be one of the most challenging pieces to secure in the capital stack, and especially for solar projects under 1 MW. This is because renewable commercial banks see these deals as too small, regional banks have investment size and tenor limits that make financing difficult if not ... Read More
February 2014 Project Finance Statistics
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ February 2014 Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
Sol Systems Launches $100 Million Fund, Seeks Solar Projects in Need of Construction and Term Debt Financing
Sol Systems recently launched a $100 million debt fund and is currently conducting diligence on projects to fill the fund. Solar developers with projects in need of construction and term debt financing should contact the Sol Systems project finance team immediately. Ideal projects range in ... Read More
Sol Systems’ Rafalson Joins Leadership Team of Women in Solar Energy
Sol Systems’ Sara Rafalson has joined the leadership team of the Women in Solar Energy Group as their Vice President of Membership Engagement and Communications. The mission of the group is to promote the involvement of women in the advancement of all aspects of the solar energy industry. Sol ... Read More
Infographic: What Solar Investors Want
The shortage of project finance is a limitation to the non-residential, commercial and industrial (C&I) sector of the solar market. Especially compared with other sectors of the market, C&I distributed generation solar is plagued with high transaction costs and a lack of ... Read More
Is the Pennsylvania Solar Market on the Rebound?
Pennsylvania has long been a model of a solar renewable energy credit (SREC) market gone wrong. The market was (and still is) four times oversupplied, and SREC prices fell to $20 in 2013 from $300 in 2010. However, prices have surged to $70, which has many people asking, what is going on in ... Read More
Sol Systems is Hiring! Internships Summer 2014
Sol Systems is expanding rapidly to accommodate business growth and to maintain its excellent level of customer service. In addition to new postings for a Senior Director of Tax Equity and a Tax Equity Associate, we are also looking for Summer 2014 Interns to join our team. See the posting ... Read More
Why the New Jersey Solar Market Just Got Hot Again
New Jersey has long been a cautionary tale of the boom and bust cycles of solar renewable energy credit (SREC) programs. In 2009, New Jersey’s SREC values were close to $700 per megawatt hour. Then, in fall 2012, prices dipped to the $70 mark, demonstrating the true volatility of SREC ... Read More
New Jersey’s PSE&G’s Second Solar Loan III Solicitation is Coming. Here’s What You Need to Know.
The Public Service Electric and Gas Company of New Jersey (PSE&G) will begin accepting applications in less than a month, on February 25, for its Solar Loan program. While no major changes have occurred since the first solicitation late last year, data is now available on pricing from the ... Read More
We’re Hiring! Sol Systems Seeks Project Finance Associate
Sol Systems continues to expand its team of solar project finance professionals. In addition to new postings for a Senior Director of Tax Equity and a Tax Equity Associate, we are also looking to hire a Project Finance Associate. See the posting below for the Project Finance Associate position, Read More
Sol Systems’ Senior Associate Andrew Gilligan Speaks at “Careers in Energy” Panel at Georgetown University
Last week, Andrew Gilligan, Sol Systems’ Senior Associate, visited Georgetown University to speak in an energy career panel hosted by the International Business Diplomacy Program and the Center for German and European Studies. Andrew spoke alongside Tom Cunningham, Energy and Diplomacy ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes Maria Thompson, Controller
Sol Systems is continuing to expand to accommodate its rapid business growth. At Sol Systems, our biggest asset is our team, and we will continue to hire sharp, passionate team members. We are currently hiring for a Tax Equity Associate, Senior Director of Tax Equity, and Solar Analyst ... Read More
Sun Still Rising on Residential Solar
There is much evidence pointing to a rosy future for residential solar. High retail utility rates provide a compelling reason for homeowners to go solar while residential installation costs continue to drop. Many of our partners claim that residential system development is more profitable ... Read More
January 2014 Project Finance Statistics
Below, we have included excerpts from Sol Systems’ January 2014 Project Finance Journal, which is a monthly email newsletter that our project finance team distributes to our network of clients and solar stakeholders. Our newsletter contains solar statistics from current real-life solar ... Read More
Sol Systems’ CEO to speak on Tax Equity at Projects and Money 2014 Conference
Sol Systems CEO, Yuri Horwitz, will travel to New Orleans this week to participate in Infocast’s Projects and Money 2014 conference. Yuri is part of a panel that will discuss the optimization of capital structures, and will be joined by John M. Eber, Managing Director of Energy Investments at Read More
Sol Systems Expands Financing for Commercial Solar, Facilitates Financing for 627 kW
Sol Systems recently announced the successful financing of a 627 kW distributed generation solar energy project in Goshen, Indiana. Solscient Energy, a solar integrator, developer, and independent power producer developed the rooftop solar project. An Indiana utility will purchase the energy Read More
Formal Rulemaking Process Begins for Massachusetts SREC-II Program
On January 3, 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced that they filed revisions to the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Class I regulation, thus beginning the formal rulemaking process for establishing a framework for the SREC-II program. The official ... Read More
Everything You Need to Know about the Most Recent Updates to Massachusetts SREC II
Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Commissioner Mark Sylvia recently shared the DOER’s most recent developments regarding its SREC II program with a packed house at the recent Electricity Restructuring Roundtable on Solar in New England and California. The official draft has Read More
Want to Invest in Solar? Join the Club.
Sponsor equity is in abundance. There are a number of bankers, real estate professionals, and others interested in deploying capital into projects. This is tremendous for solar developers, but the overall supply of sponsor equity is large enough that it has started driving yields downward for Read More
December 2013 Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the Sol Systems Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships ... Read More
Sol Systems Discusses SRECs in Solar Industry Magazine
Sol Systems was featured in a recent Solar Industry Magazine article “Experts Warn, Know The Game Before Betting On SRECs”. The article, which details the vital role solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) play in solar project finance, features key insight from Sol Systems’ Director of ... Read More
Project Pitfalls: Four Red Flags that Kill Solar Deals
If you are a solar developer wondering why any of your projects has had difficulty securing third party financing, have no fear; our developer advisory services team has put together a list of four common project pitfalls that may kill your solar deal, as well as strategies to overcome them. By Read More
Sol Systems’ Most Viewed Solar Project Finance Articles of 2013
As we reflect on the year, our team took a moment to examine the articles that sparked the most interest from our network. Topics range from new incentive programs in traditional solar states like California, emerging markets such as Rhode Island and New York, and the possible impacts of ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak at GTM’s U.S. Solar Market Insight in San Diego
Sol Systems CEO Yuri Horwitz will be in San Diego next week on December 10 and 11 to speak at GTM Research's U.S. Solar Market Insight conference. Yuri will speak on solar securitization and standardization alongside Richard Mull of KPMG and Nicholas W. Lazares, Chairman of the Board and CEO ... Read More
Sol Systems Seeks Renewable Energy Intern
Position: Solar Analyst Intern (position beginning in January 2014) targeted towards undergraduates Description: The Solar Analyst Intern will assist with registration processes, administrative duties, and research tasks, and will be expected to provide clearly defined deliverables. The ... Read More
Ohio’s Renewable Portfolio Standard under Attack… Again
As the Ohio General Assembly approaches the final few months of its 2013 legislative session, attention has been brought to the Senate Bill introduced to repeal the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. Ohio State Senator Kris Jordan introduced Senate Bill 34 (SB 34) which, if passed, would ... Read More
November 2013 Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the Sol Systems Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships ... Read More
Sol Systems Attends Ribbon Cutting for Second Largest Solar Installation in D.C.
Sol Systems attended the grand opening of the new solar energy facility located at KIPP DC’s Douglass Campus in Washington, D.C. The ribbon cutting ceremony took place today, November 14, with Dot Harris from the Department of Energy serving as the keynote speaker. The 227 kW solar Read More
Sol Systems to Speak at Distributed Solar Summit 2013
Another week, another conference. Next week, Sol Systems will speak at the Distributed Solar Summit in San Diego, California. Sol Systems CFO, George Ashton, and Senior Associate, Andrew Gilligan, will both be featured on Monday, November 18 during the U.S Distributed Solar Markets: Outlook ... Read More
California’s Big Three Utilities Reject Battery-Backed Solar
It is no secret that utilities across the country are resisting the growth of distributed solar. This time around, Southern California Edison (SCE), Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), California’s three largest utilities, are grappling with ... Read More
Sol Systems Finances SunPower Residential Solar Portfolio with New Tax Equity
Sol Systems announced today that it has successfully financed a residential solar portfolio for SunPower Corp. The investment will fund over a thousand solar energy systems for homeowners across the northeastern and southwestern United States. The tax structured investment is part of Sol Read More
First Round of PSE&G’s Solar Loan III Program Begins Accepting Applications
After two successful prior rounds, PSE&G launched their third Solar Loan program and began accepting applications for PV projects on October 31st. The first round of competitive solicitations will close on Tuesday, November 12th. Projects in PSE&G service territory that are eligible ... Read More
Minnesota Utility Seeks to Double State’s Solar Power in Coming Years
As the solar industry continues to expand and grow, states across the country are recognizing the importance of going solar and taking aggressive action to do so. Minnesota is one such state that has recently taken the initiative to expand their solar presence. Minnesota’s H.F. 729 energy ... Read More
Reaching Beyond the Roof: Three Strategies for Corporate Investments in Solar
The Compelling Solar Asset Class There are many options available to corporations interested in investing in solar projects. The market for investing in solar projects is an expanding financial sector that provides corporate investors with an opportunity to diversify their investment ... Read More
Top 5 Do’s and Don’ts of SPI (and All Solar Conferences)
Solar Power International is generally a good time, but this year’s conference in Chicago seemed better than some of the conferences in recent memory. After reflecting on the week, and why this year felt so much better than some other years, here are Sol Systems’ top 5 SPI conference best ... Read More
1.2 MW for Maryland Nonprofit Benefits Senior Living Community
Sol Systems has successfully financed a 1.2 MW solar project in partnership with its investor client, Washington Gas Energy Systems, a subsidiary of WGL Holdings (NYSE: WGL), which will own and operate the system. Located at Presbyterian Senior Living Services, a non-profit located in Glen ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes Bridget Callahan
Sol Systems is continuing to expand to accommodate its rapid business growth. This week, Sol Systems is proud to announce the arrival of our new SREC Operations Analyst, Bridget. Welcome to the team, Bridget. Bridget Callahan joins Sol Systems after graduating from the University of ... Read More
October 2013 Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the Sol Systems Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships ... Read More
Sol Systems Finances 227 kW Washington D.C. Solar Project at KIPP School through Partnership with Washington Gas Energy Systems
Sol Systems is proud to announce that it has facilitated financing for a 227 kW solar energy system at the KIPP Charter School, a non-profit in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Volt Energy developed the project and Sol Systems structured the transaction and financed the project ... Read More
Fall 2013 Incentives Roundup
The Long Island Power Authority announced that the Clean Solar Initiative would start its second round of applications on October 7th. This program seeks to bring an additional 100 megawatts (MW) of solar energy to the island, and it is expected to have the same success as CSI-I. Projects to Read More
Employee Spotlight: Andrew Gilligan
At Sol Systems, we realize that our work is a reflection of who we are as individuals, and our success is a direct result of all the different personalities, passions, and talents that your employees bring to the table. Our team has expanded significantly in the last few years, and we are proud Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes Jason Cimpl
Sol Systems is continuing to expand to accommodate its rapid business growth. This week, Sol Systems is proud to announce the arrival of our new SREC Portfolio Manager, Jason Cimpl. Welcome to the team, Jason. Jason Cimpl joins Sol Systems with over eight years of finance ... Read More
Palo Alto Feed-in Tariff Stalled by Lucrative Rebate Program
The City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) has established various programs in the last few years to encourage solar development in the city. Despite space constraints that limit most projects to roof mounts and carports, the administration promotes two distinct initiatives designed to meet the ... Read More
Washington, D.C. Unanimously Passes Community Solar Legislation, Becomes 10th State to Establish Virtual Net Metering
The D.C. Council unanimously voted today, October 1st, to pass the Community Renewables Energy Act of 2013 (B20-0057). With this favorable vote, D.C. becomes the tenth state in the nation to enact community solar legislation. Other states of note that have passed similar legislation ... Read More
Sol Systems CFO George Ashton is Finalist for Platts Global Energy Award
Sol Systems CFO, George Ashton, is a finalist for Platts Global Energy's Rising Star Award. The Global Energy Awards were created 15 years ago to recognize those who have transcended the status quo in the name of excellence in leadership, innovation, and performance in the energy ... Read More
Sol Systems Joins MDV-SEIA as a Platinum Sponsor for Solar Focus 2013
Sol Systems, a longtime supporter of MDV-SEIA’s efforts and an active solar stakeholder in the Mid-Atlantic, is proud to be a Platinum Sponsor for the 7th annual Solar Focus Conference. Read our recent interview with the MDV-SEIA conference staff. MDV-SEIA: Tell us a little bit about Sol ... Read More
Sol Systems’ Financing Partnership with Washington Gas Featured in Washington Business Journal
The Washington Business Journal recently featured our financing partnership with Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc. on three new solar projects in Hawaii, Maryland, and Sol Systems’ hometown, Washington, D.C. Sol Systems served as an investment advisor to Washington Gas Energy Systems ... Read More
Meet with Sol Systems at Solar Power International 2013
The Sol Systems team will be in Chicago for Solar Power International 2013 from October 21st to October 24th. Sol Systems CEO and co-founder, Yuri Horwitz, will be speaking in the Business Growth, Development, and Finance Track on a panel entitled “Commercial, Industrial, Municipal and Small ... Read More
California’s AB 327 Proposes Changes to Current Rate Structures, Protects Net Energy Metering (NEM)
After being passed by the California Senate, the controversial net energy metering (NEM) and rate structure bill AB 327 was passed by the California Assembly earlier this month. The bill now awaits Governor Jerry Brown’s signature before it becomes law. In its current form, AB 327 aims to ... Read More
Webinar Invitation – Project Finance and Development in SREC States: Washington, DC, Massachusetts, and Maryland
As thought leaders in solar finance, Sol Systems hosts quarterly SREC webinars at no charge for the solar community. Sol Systems is the largest Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) aggregator and financier in the United States. With thousands of customers and SRECs traded annually, we ... Read More
Washington Gas Energy Systems to Build, Own and Operate Three New Solar Projects Across the Nation through Financing Partnership with Sol Systems
Solar Arrays Will Power Turtle Bay Resort in Hawaii, the KIPP School in Washington, D.C., and Presbyterian Senior Living Services in Maryland. McLean, Va. – Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc. has announced that it has contracted to build, own and operate three new ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak in New York, Hawaii, and DC Week of 9/23
As thought leaders in solar energy financing, the Sol Systems team is invited to speak at several national and regional events and conferences. This week, various members of the Sol Systems team will speak in D.C., Hawaii, and New York. Today, September 23, Sol Systems CFO, George Ashton, ... Read More
MDV-SEIA Announces Dates & Agenda for Solar Focus 2013
MDV-SEIA is proud to announce that the dates for Solar Focus 2013 have been set. This year’s event, which marks the 7th anniversary of the conference, will be held on November 11th and 12th in Washington, D.C. Sol Systems will be a platinum sponsor. The theme of Solar Focus ... Read More
Sol Systems to Attend MDV-SEIA’s D.C. Solar Industry Leadership Roundtable
D.C. is arguably one of the strongest solar markets in the country, thanks largely to a robust renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and strong citizen and industry support. On Monday, September 23, the Maryland-D.C.-Virginia Solar Energy Industries Association (MDV-SEIA) will host a D.C. ... Read More
Sol Systems to Host Women in Solar Happy Hour at Solar Power International 2013
Wouldn’t it be fun to have drinks with other women in the solar industry? The women of Sol Systems think so, and we decided to organize a happy hour for women in solar at Solar Power International 2013 in Chicago on Wednesday, October 23. We invite all women in the solar industry to join us for Read More
September 2013 Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the Sol Systems Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships ... Read More
Sol Systems Offers the Fast Road for Financing Commercial Solar, Moves Quickly to Secure Investor Funds for 806 kW in New Mexico
Sol Systems has facilitated financing for an 806 kW solar portfolio in Deming, New Mexico, consisting of three separate solar arrays sized 84 kW, 151 kW, and 571 kW. The recent portfolio closing enhances Sol Systems’ track record of financing mid-sized distributed generation solar projects. ... Read More
California Solar Incentive Alert: Re-MAT Feed-in Tariff Program
Pursuant to Senate Bill 32 of 2009, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) implemented the Renewable Market Adjusting Tariff (Re-MAT) program on July 24, 2013. The Re-MAT program is a Feed-in Tariff (FiT) through which customers can sell electricity produced by qualifying ... Read More
Sol Systems Seeks SREC Operations Analyst in Continued Expansion
Interested in joining one of the fastest growing companies in the country? Sol Systems is hiring a full-time accountant, SREC portfolio manager, and now, an SREC Operations Analyst. This is an entry level position and a great opportunity for launching a career in renewable ... Read More
Massachusetts SREC-II Market Outlook – The New Market Equilibrium?
Sol Systems has put together a prospective view of the supply and demand dynamics of the SREC II market in Massachusetts, based on the DOER’s recent presentation of proposed policies for the program. The principle takeaway for solar developers in the MA market is that the SREC Factor they Read More
Sol Systems’ Growth Highlighted in Greentech Media
Sol Systems was recently featured in Greentech Media article A List of America's Fastest-Growing Clean Energy Companies. In this article, Senior Editor, Stephen Lacey, writes: The editors at Inc. magazine have released their rankings of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in America. The ... Read More
Sol Systems to Travel to Hawaii, Host Project Finance Workshop on September 26
Sol Systems is expanding its presence in the promising Hawaii solar market and will travel to the Aloha State from September 24-30 to meet with developer clients and discuss their solar financing needs. This trip follows the momentum that the Sol Systems team gained this summer after ... Read More
Sol Systems Expedites Financing for Commercial Solar, Successfully Closes 500 kW Deal
Sol Systems continues its success in financing mid-market commercial solar projects, and recently secured an investor for a 500 kW North Carolina project in a matter of weeks. The system, located in Clayton, North Carolina was funded through a larger multi-megawatt portfolio. Heath ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes Chris LaClair
Sol Systems is expanding rapidly to accommodate the growth of its solar financial services business. Sol Systems was recently ranked #91 in fastest growing companies in the U.S. on the prestigious Inc. 500 list, and this summer alone, the company has brought on five new team members, including ... Read More
DOER Releases Updated SREC-II Proposal: What Does It Mean for the MA Solar Market?
After two months of diligently reviewing comments submitted following the June 7th Solar Stakeholder meeting, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) released its most recent version of the proposed program design for the next phase of the solar carve-out program (SREC-II) at ... Read More
Sol Systems Named #91 in Fastest Growing Companies in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine
Sol Systems is proud to announce that Inc. listed the solar finance firm as number 91 on its annual Inc. 500|5000 list, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. Sol Systems was ranked No. 2 for Washington, D.C., and No. 8 in the nation’s top energy ... Read More
Employee Spotlight: Matt Chou
The Sol Systems team is smart, driven, and dedicated to our mission of promoting growth in the solar industry, an industry that we believe is critical to a sustainable future. At Sol Systems, our number one asset is our team, and we are proud to employ some of the brightest talent in the ... Read More
Sol Systems Offers SREC Solutions to Massachusetts SREC II Systems, Offers General Financing for SREC I Solar Projects
This summer, the solar industry has been abuzz with news from the Bay State since the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced in late May that it had reached its cap for its existing “SREC I” program. However, as they later announced, all projects over 100 kW that have Read More
August 2013 Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the Sol Systems Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships ... Read More
Sol Systems’ Growth Highlighted in the Washington Business Journal
The Washington Business Journal recently highlighted the growth of our staff and the recent success of Sol Systems' project finance business. (more…) Read More
Rhode Island Amends FiT to Require Bids for Small Solar Projects
On August 7th, National Grid changed the rules for small solar systems in the bidding process for Rhode Island's feed-in tariff program. The changes came in response to the Rhode Island legislature’s amendment to the Standard Contracts Act, which established the state’s feed-in tariff ... Read More
Sol Systems Expands Solar Project Financing Efforts, Welcomes New Additions
Sol Systems is expanding rapidly to accommodate business growth and to maintain its excellent level of customer service. This summer, the company has brought on five new team members. Sol Systems is proud to announce the addition of Ben Margolis as Director of Project Finance. Mr. ... Read More
Massachusetts SREC Auction: SREC Bailout or Future Price Stability?
The Massachusetts SREC market is undoubtedly the most complicated solar incentive regime in the country. There are hundreds of financial models that have attempted to predict the value of SRECs on behalf of developers and investors based on expected future market dynamics. Read More
Connecticut Utilities Announce Winners of 2013 ZREC Program, Passes Law to Exempt Commercial Solar from Property Tax
Over the last two months, the state of Connecticut has made a number of headways in its state solar program. First, two Connecticut utilities released the second solicitation of its Medium and Large ZREC Program. Second, the state’s Governor signed into law a bill that would exempt commercial ... Read More
Sol Systems to Sponsor Washington Gas’s Annual Light the Night Golf Tournament
Sol System' co-founders George Ashton and Yuri Horwitz will be teeing off to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LSS) at Washington Gas's annual "Light The Night" Golf Tournament on August 26. All proceeds from this event benefit the LLS and in 2012 alone, funds exceeded ... Read More
Renewable Energy Internship with Sol Systems
Position: Solar Analyst Intern (position beginning in August or September 2013), targeted towards undergraduates Description: The Solar Analyst Intern will assist with registration processes, administrative duties, and research tasks, and will be expected to provide clearly defined ... Read More
Sol Systems Seeks Full-time Portfolio Manager
Position: Portfolio Manager Sol Systems is seeking a full-time Portfolio Manager to lead its Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) business. The right candidate lives in, or would relocate to, the Washington DC area to join our growing team of solar finance professionals. This is a mid-level ... Read More
New York’s LIPA Announces New Feed-In Tariff Program to Procure an Additional 100 MW
New York’s Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) has announced a second iteration of its Clean Solar Initiative Feed-In Tariff program (FIT II) which will bring an additional 100 MW of solar energy online. Pending completion of a public review and comment period, LIPA estimates that the ... Read More
Sol Systems Breaks Down Financing Barriers for Commercial Solar, Grows Value of 1.7 MW Indiana Solar Portfolio
Sol Systems continues to expand its mid-market focus and successfully arranged financing for a 1.7 MW portfolio of solar projects located in Indiana. Solscient Energy built the four commercial projects, each with different landlords, ranging in size from 243 kW to 643 kW. Sol Systems’ project ... Read More
Community Renewables Energy Act Voted to D.C. Council
The DC Government Operations Committee voted the Community Renewables Energy Act of 2013 (B20-0057), a bill that has been making its way through D.C.’s council since January 2013, out of committee on July 3rd by a vote of 3-0. The bill then proceeded to the DC Council where it underwent ... Read More
Sol Systems’ George Ashton Named CFO of the Year
Sol Systems is proud to announce that CFO George Ashton has been named as Washington Business Journal’s Financial Services CFO of the year. The award honors the financial professionals in Greater Washington for outstanding performance in their roles as corporate financial stewards. Mr. ... Read More
The Unexpected Upside in the Solar v. Utilities Debate
Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric power utilities, recently published a startling report calling out distributed energy resources as disruptive technologies threatening the existence of today’s U.S. electric utility industry. While the EEI ... Read More
Sol Systems CFO George Ashton Delivers Keynote at Washington Jesuit Academy Career Day
This week, Sol Systems CFO, George Ashton, visited the Washington Jesuit Academy to deliver the keynote address at the Academy’s Career Day. Mr. Ashton previously served on the Board of the Washington Jesuit Academy, a middle school that provides a high quality education to boys from low ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak at SEIA Tax & Finance Seminar in New York
Several members from the Sol Systems team will be in New York for the SEIA Finance and Tax Seminar on July 25th and 26th. Sol Systems CEO, Yuri Horwitz, will speak at the conference about Sol Systems' experience in working with strategic investors, corporate investors, high net worth ... Read More
July 2013 Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the Sol Systems Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships ... Read More
New Jersey’s PSE&G Announces Solar Loan Program III
After finishing two rounds of its successful solar loan program, New Jersey’s Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) has received approval to offer a third round of loans to 97.5 MW worth of residential and non-residential solar projects and is expected to announce a start date ... Read More
New York Legislature Misses Opportunity to Sign NY Solar Bill into Law
The New York legislative session ended last week without the much anticipated enactment of the NY Sun Act of 2013. Governor Cuomo was unable to sign the NY Sun Act of 2013 (A.5060b/S.2522) into law following this year’s legislative session, as the House and Senate did not follow through with ... Read More
Massachusetts DOER Files Emergency Regulation, Revising Rules for Current Solar Carve-Out Program
In the June 7, 2013 Solar Stakeholder Meeting in Boston, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced that they would plan to file an Emergency Regulation by the end of June 2013, to revise the rules by which the current RPS Solar Carve-Out program will be regulated. The ... Read More
Updates to the Massachusetts 400-MW Solar Carve Out Program that You Didn’t Hear at the June Stakeholder Meeting
In the excitement of the recent stakeholder meeting that the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) held on June 7, which focused on the emergency regulation to address the over-subscription of the 400-MW solar carve-out program and the proposed policy for the post-400 MW program, ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes Summer Interns
Sol Systems is proud to announce the arrival of this year’s summer interns. Welcome to the team, Sanjay, Eric, and Austen! Sanjay Gopinath joins Sol Systems as a SREC Portfolio Intern. Prior to joining Sol Systems, Mr. Gopinath worked as a quantitative analyst at an energy trading firm and ... Read More
MDV-SEIA is Hiring an Associate Director
Disclaimer: Please note that Sol Systems is posting this opportunity on behalf of MDV-SEIA. Interested applicants should contact info@mdv-seia.org for more information. The Maryland-DC-Virginia Solar Energy Industries Association (MDV-SEIA) Board of Directors is seeking an Associate ... Read More
June 2013 Solar Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the Sol Systems Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships ... Read More
Financing Projects with SRECs: Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC Webinar Recap
On June 13, the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) hosted a webinar featuring two Sol Systems team members: Vice President and CFO, George Ashton, and Renewables Trader Amber Rivera. George and Amber spoke alongside Scott Wiater of Standard Solar and Mike Judge from the Massachusetts ... Read More
Connecticut Utilities Expect Significant Number of Bids for Year Two of the LREC/ZREC Program
In late spring, the Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P) and the United Illuminating Company (UI) announced the joint issuance for the second year of the Low and Zero Emissions Renewable Energy Credit (LREC and ZREC) Program. The utilities issued the program in the form of a Request Read More
Sol Systems’ George Ashton Named as Finalist for CFO of the Year
The Washington Business Journal has named Sol Systems’ CFO George Ashton as a finalist for its CFO of the Year Award. The award honors the financial professionals in Greater Washington for outstanding performance in their roles as corporate financial stewards. The awards ceremony will take ... Read More
Massachusetts DOER Updates Solar Stakeholders on Emergency Regulation and Proposed Post-400 MW Policy
This morning was a big one for the Massachusetts solar market. After the surprising announcement that the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) had already received well over 400 MW of Statement of Qualification Applications (SQA) for the Solar Carve-Out Program, many developers, ... Read More
Sol Systems Featured in Environmental Entrepreneurs’ Clean Energy Jobs Roundup
Sol Systems was featured in the Environmental Entrepreneurs' (E2) First Quarter 2013 Clean Energy Jobs Roundup. In these quarterly reports, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) tracks and compiles domestic clean energy and clean transportation job announcements from media reports, official ... Read More
Sol Systems to Host Project Finance Workshop Thursday, June 20
Sol Systems will host and sponsor an interactive solar project finance workshop and networking event on Thursday, June 20 in partnership with the Maryland D.C. Virginia Solar Energy Industry Association (MDV-SEIA). During the hands-on workshop, Sol Systems' CEO, Yuri Horwitz, and Senior Vice ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak on Tax Equity at Regional Conference
Sol Systems CEO Yuri Horwitz will be attending the upcoming Distributed Solar East Conference in Washington, D.C. The event will be held June 4-6th and will include dozens of expert speakers and hundreds of renewable finance professionals. Yuri Horwitz, Sol Systems' CEO and co-founder, will ... Read More
Sol Systems to Attend DOER’s Massachusetts Solar Stakeholders Meeting on June 7th
Massachusetts’ Department of Energy Resources (DOER) will be holding a public Solar Stakeholder Meeting this Friday, June 7, 2013 from 10:00am to noon in the Gardner Auditorium of the State House in Boston, where they will present a draft policy proposal for the next solar program. The DOER ... Read More
Minnesota Embraces Aggressive Solar Standard
Last week the state of Minnesota officially enacted a solar carve-out of 1.5% by 2020, totaling 450MW of capacity, above and beyond the existing renewable energy standard (RES) of 25% renewable energy by 2025. The carve-out applies to investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and affects about ... Read More
Massachusetts DOER Receives Over 400 MW of Administratively Complete Applications
On May 29, 2013, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) released an important announcement on the status of the Massachusetts Solar Carve-out Program. In recent months, the growth of development in Massachusetts has accelerated and the DOER has received a tremendous volume of ... Read More
SRECDelaware Spot Market Auction Produces Low SREC Prices
As part of the 2013 Delaware Procurement Program, SRECDelaware held a Spot Auction through the SRECDelaware platform for owners of existing SRECs generated from June 2009 until today to bid to sell their SRECs. The auction was held between May 15th and May 22nd. Delmarva Power anticipated ... Read More
Webinar Invitation – Financing Projects with SRECs: Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC
SRECs have been critical to driving solar development on the East Coast. However, as market conditions become increasingly complex, what is the best strategy for financing solar projects in these SREC markets? Join Sol Systems, SEIA, Standard Solar, and the Massachusetts DOER on Thursday, ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes Alexandra Mas to the Team
In the past several months, Sol Systems has expanded and has hired sharp, passionate, and energetic team players to drive innovation and propel the solar industry forward. This week, Sol Systems is proud to announce the arrival of our latest new hire, Alexandra Mas. Alexandra S. ... Read More
New Law in Maryland will Add Approval and Financing Requirement for Solar PV Systems 2 MW and Up
Governor O’Malley of Maryland signed Senate Bill 0887 into law on Thursday, May 16th 2013, effectively adding a new approval process and financing requirement for certain large PV solar systems. The Bill will require systems that are 2 MW or larger to file for approval to construct from ... Read More
May 2013 Solar Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the Sol Systems Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships Read More
Sol Systems’ Advisory Services Strengthen Developer RFP Applications, Increase Financing Success Rate
More than a dozen states and municipalities across the Unites States have turned to competitive bidding programs or feed-in tariff (FiT) programs to scale solar investments. For example, Rhode Island and the LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) are both currently offering attractive ... Read More
Governor Patrick Challenges MA Solar Market with Increased Installed Capacity Goal by 2020
On May 1, 2013, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced that Massachusetts has surpassed his Administration’s original goal of installing 250 megawatts (MW) of solar energy by 2017 – four years early. The Administration used this opportunity to reveal a new goal of 1,600 MW of solar ... Read More
Renewable Portfolio Standards Face Stiff Opposition Across the Country
Renewable Portfolio Standards across the nation are under re-examination by state lawmakers, aiming to diminish or eliminate these programs. Despite benefits to local economies and environments, some politicians and lobbyists feel the programs are unimportant. To date, a number of proposals ... Read More
Delaware Procurement Program Results in Low SREC Prices for Successful Bidders
On May 1, 2013, the Delaware Procurement Program announced the final results for their 2013 program. The results show a significant decrease in the contracted price per SREC as compared to the 2012 Pilot Program’s pricing. This year, the Delaware Public Service Commission approved a new ... Read More
Sol Systems & Dow Solar Announce Strategic Alliance to Offer Financing Solutions to DOW POWERHOUSE™ Customers
Sol Systems and Dow Solar, a business unit within The Dow Chemical Company, today announced a strategic alliance to provide turnkey solar renewable energy credit (SREC) solutions for DOW POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles customers. Dow Solar’s customers can now monetize their SRECs through a ... Read More
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 Read More
Sol Systems Co-founders to Travel to New York as Solar Shines on Wall Street
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, Read More
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 ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak at Novogradac’s Financing Renewable Energy Conference in San Francisco
Sol Systems CEO Yuri Horwitz and Dan Yonkin, Director of Tax Equity, will be attending the upcoming Novogradac Financing Renewable Energy Conference in San Francisco. The event will be held April 24-25th and will include dozens of expert speakers and hundreds of renewable finance ... Read More
Ohio Senator Reintroduces Legislation to Repeal Renewable Portfolio Standard
In 2012, Ohio Senator Kris Jordan introduced a bill to repeal Ohio’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard. After the bill failed to advance in the 2012 session, Senator Jordan introduced a similar bill, Senate Bill (SB) 34, in February 2013. The bill has been referred to the Public Utilities ... Read More
Sol Systems Speaks at the American Solar Energy Society Conference in Baltimore
Sol Systems CFO and co-founder, George Ashton, will be attending SOLAR 2013, an annual conference held by the American Solar Energy Society. This is the 42nd installment of the event, and will be held April 16-20 at the Baltimore Convention Center. George will be participating in a 90-minute ... Read More
April Solar Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the Sol Systems Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships ... Read More
Legislation Introduced in 2013 to Increase the Pennsylvania Solar Carve-Out
On February 25, 2013, Representative Greg Vitali introduced House Bill (HB) 100 to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, legislation that would amend the Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards. HB 100 was later referred to the House Environmental Resources and Energy ... Read More
Sol Systems to Host Webinar: “Quarterly SREC Roundup: Financing Projects with SRECs”
As SREC prices continue to rise in Washington, DC, how can developers and investors gain access to this promising market? How will the DOER’s potential rule changes affect the Massachusetts SREC market? Will Delaware’s Procurement Program provide relief to their weakened SREC market? Join our ... Read More
Potential Changes to Hawaii’s 35% State Tax Credit
New temporary rules will place restrictions on the ability of developers in Hawaii to claim the 35% state tax credit. The new rules, issued by the Department of Taxation in November of 2012, will be in effect for no longer than 18 months, starting for systems installed on January 1st, 2013 and ... Read More
Future of Massachusetts Solar – After the 400 MW Program Cap
Investors, developers, SREC aggregators, and other stakeholders in the Massachusetts solar market gathered at the State House today for meetings relating to the state’s RPS Solar Carve-Out Program. The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) sought public comment for two pivotal changes to the ... Read More
2013 Solar Industry Trends: A Playbook for Tax Credit Investors
Sol Systems’ CEO, Yuri Horwitz, and Dan Yonkin, Director of Tax Equity, were published in the March 2013 issue of the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits. 2013 Solar Industry Trends: A Playbook for Tax Credit Investors By Dan Yonkin and Yuri Horwitz, Sol Systems The solar ... Read More
March Solar Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the Sol Systems Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships ... Read More
Massachusetts DOER Announces Solar Policy Stakeholder Meetings
On February 22, the DOER announced their intent to actively develop policy to maintain the growth of the solar PV market in Massachusetts, beyond the 400 MW cap of the current RPS Solar Carve-Out. The DOER released a statement Wednesday, March 13 providing further notice to all ... Read More
Sol Systems at Infocast Solar Power Finance and Investment Summit 2013
CEO Yuri Horwitz and CFO George Ashton will be attending the Solar Power Finance and Investment Summit in San Diego, California on March 18-21th. The event will be held in the Rancho Bernado Inn, and will consist of four days of networking and expertise sharing. Yuri will be conducting a ... Read More
Conference: Emerging Trends in Financing Tax Credit Projects
Sol System’s Director of Tax Equity Dan Yonkin will be attending the Emerging Trends in Financing Tax Credit Project in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 13-15 at the Four Seasons Hotel. The event is hosted by the Institute for Executive and Professional Development (IPED), Inc. and will be attended by ... Read More
Sol Systems’ Q4 2012 SREC Prices Available Online
At the end of each quarter, Sol Systems takes the weighted average sales of the SRECs from our 3,500+ customers to calculate our final clear prices. These SREC clear prices are then posted to Sol Brokerage page of our website. Sol Systems publishes our quarterly SREC clear prices in order to ... Read More
Oregon’s Volumetric Incentive Rate and Payment Program (VIR) Announces Next Capacity Release
On April 1st, 2013, Oregon will issue its seventh capacity release for its solar volumetric incentive rate (VIR) payment program, established in June of 2009. The last capacity release featured prices between $0.25/ kWh to $0.41/ kWh for residential and commercial systems, depending on ... Read More
Sol Systems is Hiring! Senior Software Engineer
Description: Sol Systems is seeking a full-time, software engineer to help lead development of our internal business applications. The ideal candidate would be comfortable working at all levels of the development stack, from server configuration to user interface development. This role will ... Read More
Sol Systems is Hiring! Director of Project Finance
Position: Director: Project Finance Requirements: Sol Systems is seeking a full-time director of project finance to help lead our efforts to source attractive solar projects from our expanding network of developer partners across the US and its territories. The role will require a combination Read More
Treasury Issues Statement Clarifying the Impact of Sequestration on Section 1603
Previously, Sol Systems has published on the potential impacts of sequestration on the solar industry. As of March 1st, those impacts have unfortunately become reality. On Monday the 4th, the Treasury released a “Message on Sequestration” clarifying its impact on Section 1603 of the American ... Read More
Webinar – Emerging Market Spotlight: New York
Over the last year, New York has emerged as a commercial solar hot spot. Several state and local incentive programs have been adopted or expanded, including the NY-Sun Competitive PV Program (NYSERDA PON 2589) and the Long Island Power Authority’s (LIPA) feed-in tariff. As these incentive ... Read More
Investor Preferences, and the Building of Financeable Projects
Bringing a solar project from conception to completion is a difficult task, and many solar projects are never built. With the expiration of the 1603 Grant Program, developers must rely more heavily on third party financing in order to fund successful project development. In light of this, it ... Read More
February Solar Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the SolMarket Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and SREC market information. We gather this information from our relationships and ... Read More
Delaware Procurement Program Could Lead to Better SREC Prices
The Delaware Public Service Commission (DE PSC) approved the Delaware Procurement Program's 2013 solicitation on January 22, 2013. The 2013 Program for Procurement of Solar Renewable Energy Credits was developed by the Renewable Energy Taskforce on behalf of Delmarva Power & Light Company. Read More
Sol Systems Launches Mid-Market Financing Solution: Call for Solar Projects 50 kW–2 MW
Sol Systems launches Mid-Market Solution to address financing challenges facing small commercial solar projects. We are actively seeking solar projects 50 kW-2 MW in size for immediate acquisition. This is a fast moving opportunity - our investors are looking to close deals by the ... Read More
New York Solar Market Shows Significant Promise for 2013
Over the last year, the New York market has emerged as a solar hot spot. Several state and local incentive programs have been adopted or expanded, and the state now ranks 12th in terms of solar installed capacity, according to the most recent U.S. Solar Market Insight Report. Positive ... Read More
Community Solar Bill Reintroduced to the DC Council
In January, Councilmembers Alexander, Cheh, Bonds, Grosso, Barry and Wells co-introduced the Community Renewables Energy Act of 2013 (B20-0057). The Community Renewables Energy Act of 2012 (B19-0715), the 2012 version of B20-0057, was originally circulated in early 2012. A hearing followed ... Read More
DC Exempts Solar Energy Systems from Personal Property Tax
The District of Columbia Council once again expressed its support for the solar industry by recognizing and eliminating one of the potential barriers to building solar in the District. On December 17, 2012, the DC Council approved and enacted legislation that would allow for solar energy ... Read More
SEIA Finance and Tax Seminar
Several members from the Sol Systems team will be attending the SEIA Finance and Tax Seminar on February 27 - 28 at the J.P. Morgan Conference Center in New York City. The Seminar is dedicated exclusively to finance and tax issues facing the solar industry today. Attendees will learn from ... Read More
Rhode Island Feed-in Tariff Schedule Announced for 2013
National Grid recently announced their 2013 enrollment schedule and pricing for Rhode Island’s feed-in tariff program, also known as Distributed Generation Standard Contracts. The program was created by an act of the same name in June 2011. In aggregate, it calls for a total of 40MW in new ... Read More
Sol Systems is Hiring! Part-time Accountant/Bookkeeper
Position: Part-Time Accountant/Bookkeeper Company: Sol Systems is a boutique financial services firm that offers investor clients direct access to the renewable energy asset class and provides developers with sophisticated project financing solutions. Founded in 2008, Sol Systems focuses on ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak at Solar POWER-GEN February 13-15
Sol Systems CEO Yuri Horwitz and CFO George Ashton will be speaking at Solar POWER-GEN, a multi-track conference program and concurrent exhibition that will take place at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA from February 13 to 15. Yuri will be speaking on the panel Who is Funding Read More
PUCO Releases New Generation Start Date Eligibility
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) recently ruled on changing the generation start date for all eligible renewable energy resource generating facilities submitted for approval to the PUCO in 2013. For all applications received after December 31, 2012, all facilities ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak at PV America East 2013
Several members from the Sol Systems team will travel to PV America East on February 5-7, and CEO Yuri Horwitz and CFO George Ashton will be speaking at the event, which takes place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA. Yuri will be speaking on a panel entitled ... Read More
MD DC VA Solar Energy Industry Association Internships
About MDV-SEIA: MD-DC-VA Solar Energy Industries Association (MDV-SEIA) represents the interests of photovoltaic and solar thermal equipment manufacturers, installers, distributors, and component suppliers. Solar has made tremendous strides in the Mid-Atlantic over the last few years and ... Read More
Is Merchant Solar the Future: When and How Could Utility-Scale PV Enter the Wholesale Energy Market?
by Josh Garrett for Sol Systems As the drop in the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) from 30 to 10 percent in 2016 approaches, solar financiers, solar installers, and other solar partners are wondering if the industry can overcome its current dependence on federal tax credits by entering ... Read More
All the Details You Missed on LADWP’s Feed-in Tariff Program
The recently approved feed-in tariff program in Los Angeles, voted on by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Board of Commissioners on January 11th, has sparked a good deal of coverage over both questions and concerns – mostly surrounding how well the program will perform. ... Read More
Connecticut Small ZREC Program Open and Accepting Applications
Connecticut Light & Power ("CL&P") and United Illuminating ("UI") officially opened the window for submitting applications into the Connecticut Small ZREC Program on January 8, 2013. This program will be accepting applications through January 22, 2013. The Small ZREC Program offers ... Read More
January 2013 Solar Project Finance Journal
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the SolMarket Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and information about SREC markets that we garner from our relationships and ... Read More
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 ... Read More
Sol Systems is Hiring! Junior Analyst
Position: Junior Analyst Company: Sol Systems is a solar energy finance firm and solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) aggregator founded with the intention of facilitating the development of the solar energy market. We currently have over 3,500 customers and 400 solar installer and ... Read More
Sol Systems is Hiring! Internships Summer 2013
Position: Solar Analyst Intern (multiple positions beginning in January, 2013) Company: 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 Read More
Caribbean Holds Great Potential for Solar Development, but Opportunities are Uneven
By Josh Garrett on Behalf of Sol Systems With year-round sunshine and exorbitantly high electricity prices, the island nations and territories of the Caribbean offer great potential for solar projects. High irradiance and high prices not withstanding, each island is home to a unique set of ... Read More
What Does the Fiscal Cliff Deal Mean for the U.S. Solar Industry?
Several weeks ago, we wrote on the potential implications of the “fiscal cliff” for the U.S. solar industry if Congress and the President failed to reach an agreement to prevent dramatic tax increases and spending cuts, which would have taken effect January 1, 2013. Sequestration would ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes New Hire
Sol Systems is proud to welcome to the team Renewables Trader, Amber Rivera. Amber Rivera - Renewables Trader: Amber Rivera leads daily trading activities for the Sol Systems SREC Portfolio, interacting with various participants in the SREC markets. Ms. Rivera also contributes to developing ... Read More
IRS Rescinds PLR: Changes Valuation Structure of Energy Facilities
In January of 2012 the IRS released a Private Letter Ruling (PLR) indicating that energy facilities with specific PPAs would be valued based on the pooled value of the physical asset as well as the value of the PPA. In essence, this means that two otherwise identical projects would be ... Read More
Sol Systems CEO Participates in Panel at POWER-GEN International Financial Forum
Last week, Sol Systems CEO, Yuri Horwitz, participated in a panel discussion on Financing Trends for Energy Projects at the POWER-GEN International Financial Forum in Orlando, Florida. In this discussion, panelists provided an overview on emerging trends in the renewable energy finance space ... Read More
December Solar Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the SolMarket Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and information about SREC markets that we garner from our relationships and ... Read More
Small ZREC Program in Connecticut Set to Launch before the Holidays
Following the 'Small ZREC Tariff Program: Applicants Informational Meeting' held on November 27, 2012, United Illuminating Company ("UI") and Connecticut Light & Power ("CL&P") initially announced that the small ZREC program was set to open on December 21, 2012. However, the ... Read More
Solar Incentive Roundup: CA, FL, HI, MT, VA
Virginia: The State Corporation Commission (SCC) has approved Dominion Virginia Power’s Solar Partnership Program, a demonstration project that will allow Dominion to generate electricity by placing solar panels on commercial, industrial and public government locations in Richmond. Dominion ... Read More
Sol Systems Participates in National Summit on Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS)
Sol Systems’ Chief Business Officer, Sudha Gollapudi, recently attended the National Summit on RPS in Washington, DC. This event provided a platform for members of the State-Federal RPS Collaborative to discuss ideas and exchange experiences and lessons learned from Renewable Portfolio Standard Read More
Solar Execs Abuzz With Post-Election Optimism
The solar industry’s top executives and most influential voices gathered in the nation’s Capital for Maryland-D.C.-Virginia Solar Energy Industry Association’s (MDV-SEIA) 6th Annual Solar Energy Focus conference last week. There was a palpable energy among the CEO-studded crowd of over 250 ... Read More
Sol Systems’ Q3 SREC Prices Available Online
At the end of each quarter, Sol Systems takes the weighted average sales of the SRECs from our 3,300+ customers to calculate our final clear prices. These SREC clear prices are then posted to Sol Brokerage page of our website. Sol Systems publishes our quarterly SREC clear prices in order to ... Read More
Georgia Power 210 MW Voluntary Procurement Program Approved
On Tuesday, November 20, 2012 the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) approved Georgia Power’s Advanced Solar Initiative (GPASI), a plan to add 210 MW to the utility’s solar portfolio over the next two years. Each year, the company will acquire 60 MW of projects between 1-20 MW through a Read More
November Solar Project Finance Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the SolMarket Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and information about SREC markets that we garner from our relationships and ... Read More
The Solar REIT to Soon Shift from Concept to Reality
Earlier this year, Sol Systems provided an overview of solar real-estate investment trusts or S-REITs. This post gives an update on the status of S-REITs as the IRS may soon issue a ruling that would allow the creation of a new asset class for solar photovoltaics (PVs) and open the floor for ... Read More
Mount St. Mary’s Solar Farm Will Not Affect MD SREC Market Stability According to Letter Issued by MEA
The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) issued a letter earlier today addressing the concerns surrounding the State’s approach to managing the SRECs related to the recently built Mount St. Mary’s (MSM) 17.4 MW solar farm. With 75 MW of installed capacity already in Maryland, and the ... Read More
Top Names in Solar Industry Tackle Tax Equity Investing, Distributed Generation, and Mainstreaming Solar Power
By Josh Garrett for Sol Systems Ahead of MDV SEIA’s conference “Solar Energy Focus 2012: Developing and Financing Solar on the East Coast,” Sol Systems asked a sampling of conference speakers for previews of their thoughts and remarks. Among other topics, speakers discussed tax equity ... Read More
Solar Industry Leaders to Speak on Solar Evangelism, Lower Costs, & Industry Consolidation
By Josh Garrett on behalf of Sol Systems Ahead of MDV SEIA’s conference “Solar Energy Focus 2012: Developing and Financing Solar on the East Coast,” Sol Systems asked a sampling of conference speakers for previews of their thoughts and remarks. Topics of discussion ranged from the state of ... Read More
President & CEO of Sol Systems Yuri Horwitz speaks at the Fourth Annual MIT Energy Finance Forum
This past Friday, November 16, President and CEO of Sol Systems, Yuri Horwitz participated in the Financing Solar Energy panel at the Fourth Annual MIT Energy Finance Forum. Other panelists included, Tim Dee (Managing Director, Bank of America), Nikhil Garg (Vice President, Coral Capital), ... Read More
Sol Systems’ CEO Yuri Horwitz speaks on Tax Equity Opportunities at the Novogradac Financing Renewable Energy Conference
Sol Systems co-sponsored and spoke at Novogradac’s Financing Renewable Energy Conference this week in Washington, DC. On Thursday, Sol Systems’ CEO Yuri Horwitz joined other renewable energy finance experts on the Tax Equity Opportunities panel. Moderated by Eli Katz (Chadbourne & Park ... Read More
Pennsylvania Senate Introduces Solar Bill to Affect Change in Declining SREC Market
In August 2012, Senator Dave Argall (R-29), of the Pennsylvania State Senate, introduced legislation to spur change to the state's declining solar renewable energy credit ("SREC") market. This bill has been introduced in response to the lack of movement on a similar House Solar Bill introduced ... Read More
Solar Gets Down to Business at Solar Energy Focus 2012
MDV-SEIA’s Solar Energy Focus 2012 Conference, Developing and Financing Solar on the East Coast, is returning to Washington, D.C. This year, like last, will bring together hundreds of business leaders, investors, developers, legal experts and key policy makers together in D.C. to discuss and ... Read More
Sol Systems Welcomes New Hires
Sol Systems is proud to welcome Senior Associate Matthew Chou and two new Solar Analysts interns, Sahiba Chopra and Victoria Ngare to the Sol Systems team. Matthew Chou – Senior Associate Matthew Chou joins Sol Systems with over five years of experience in the energy and finance sectors. Most Read More
LIPA Expands a Successful FIT Pilot Program
On October 25th, the Board of Trustees of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) voted to expand its current feed-in tariff program by 100 MW for a total of 150 MW, tripling its current size. LIPA will issue the procurement no later than July 1st of next year. An additional set pricing block of Read More
Sol Systems CEO Speaks on Tax Equity at Greentech Media Conference
Sol Systems CEO, Yuri Horwitz, traveled to San Francisco this week in order to participate in Greentech Media’s U.S. Solar Market Insight 2012 conference. At Solar Market Insight, Yuri spoke on a panel alongside Raj Agrawal, Head of Infrastructure Business, at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, as well Read More
Solar Tax Credit Investing and the Challenge of SREC Markets
Sol Systems’ CEO, Yuri Horwitz, and Dan Yonkin, Director of Regulatory Affairs, were published in the October 2012 issue of the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits. In the article, Solar Tax Credit Investing and the Challenge of SREC Markets, Horwitz and Yonkin analyze the risks to tax credit ... Read More
October SolMarket Solar Project Finance Trends & Statistics
Every month, Sol Systems distributes a newsletter, the SolMarket Project Finance Journal, to our community of solar developers and investors. The journal features solar finance statistics, trends, industry news, and information about SREC markets that we garner from our relationships and ... Read More
Sol Systems is Hiring an Executive/Administrative Assistant
Position: Executive/Administrative Assistant Company: Sol Systems is a solar energy finance firm and solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) aggregator founded with the intention of facilitating the development of the solar energy market. We currently have over 2,500 customers and 400 solar ... Read More
Sol Systems to Sponsor MDV-SEIA Conference November 27-28
The Maryland – DC – Virginia chapter of SEIA (MDV-SEIA) will be hosting their 6th annual conference on November 27-28, 2012 in Washington, DC. The topic of this year’s conference is “Developing & Financing Solar on the East Coast.” The conference offers participants the opportunity Read More
Connecticut ZREC Program Faces a Bump in the Road
In July 2011, Connecticut passed legislation to create two new classes of renewable energy credits ("RECs"). Through this legislation, Connecticut Light & Power ("CL&P") and The United Illuminating Company were then directed by the state to launch a 22 year program which will promote, ... Read More
Dominion Virginia Power Proposes New Solar Program during Protests over Virginia’s RPS
The State Corporation Commission of Virginia is currently debating two solar programs proposed by Dominion Virginia Power that would increase solar capacity within the state’s borders, something that critics say the state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) has so far failed to ... Read More
Sol Systems CEO to Speak at Cooley Clean Tech Conference
Sol Systems CEO, Yuri Horwitz will be speaking at the 5th Annual Cooley Clean Energy and Technologies Conference today, October 10. Yuri will be one of three participants in a panel discussion regarding techniques to promote scalable models to expand the renewable energy development, including ... Read More
1603 Treasury Grant Shakeup
A new Office of Management and Budget (OMB) report indicates that the full value of the 1603 Treasury grant may be in jeopardy, and solar developers expecting a 30% cash grant for their renewable energy projects may be in for a surprise come January 2nd. The report indicates that the 1603 ... Read More
Sol Systems’ Quarterly SREC Prices Now Available Online
At the end of each quarter, Sol Systems takes the weighted average sales of the SRECs from our 3,200+ customers to calculate our final clear prices. Moving forward, these quarterly SREC sale prices will be available online on the Sol Brokerage page of our website. Sol Systems is now ... Read More
Sol Systems’ NMTC Article Published in Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits
Sol Systems’ CEO, Yuri Horwitz, and Dan Yonkin, Director of Regulatory Affairs, were published in the September 2012 issue of the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits. In the article, New Markets: Tax Credit Equity and Solar Energy Development, Horwitz and Yonkin detail the tremendous investment ... Read More
Sol Systems Seeks a Renewable Energy Trader
Sol Systems is currently seeking a Renewable Energy Trader. Please read the job description below for further information. If you have any questions, please forward them to jobs@solsystemscompany.com Position We are looking for a full time Renewable Energy Trader who lives or would relocate Read More
Sol Systems’ CFO Speaks at Renewable Energy Markets Conference
On Monday, September 24th, Sol Systems' CFO George Ashton spoke at the Renewable Energy Markets conference in Washington DC regarding policy, pricing, and financing issues in Washington DC and the PJM region. As the oldest and largest SREC aggregator in the country, Sol Systems has been ... Read More
Sol Systems CFO to Moderate Session at MCEC Summit
George Ashton, Chief Financial Officer at Sol Systems, will moderate a session entitled "Financing with RECs" at the Maryland Clean Energy Center Summit. Financing with RECS S, O and T Recs have become an alphabet soup of incentives to drive project investment and bankability. Carve outs have Read More
DC Shows Support for Solar Through Legislation Introduced in 2012
Over a year following the passage of the Distributed Generation Amendment Act of 2011, solar advocates in DC remain persistent in their efforts to make solar more affordable for District residents. Since the beginning of 2012, two new pieces of legislation have been introduced that would ... Read More
Sol Systems to Speak at Solar Power International 2012
The Sol Systems team will be in Orlando, Florida, Monday through Thursday of next week for Solar Power International (SPI) 2012. SPI is the largest solar power and trade show in North America, and thousands of solar professionals from over 100 countries across the globe will be in ... Read More
Feed-in Tariff Success in Los Angeles Results in Full 150 MW Program Beginning 2013
Though the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) just began wrapping up its moderately successful pilot feed-in tariff, it has already decided to move forward with the full 150 MW FIT, well above the 75 MW requirement the utility faces by 2016. The decision, announced August 14th, ... Read More
Sol Systems to Host Q2 SREC Market by Market Roundup Webinar
On Wednesday, August 29 at 12:30 PM EST, Sol Systems' SREC Portfolio Management team, Christine Cauley and George Ashton will hold our Quarterly SREC Commentary webinar which will cover this past quarter’s pricing trends in each SREC state, market dynamics, and an overview on any solar ... Read More
New England Governors Plan Massive Renewable Energy Procurement for End of 2013
At the New England Governors’ Conference (NEGC) on July 30th, 2012, Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts presented and all six governors signed a resolution stating their intent to launch a coordinated regional procurement by the end of 2013. The resolution charges the New England States ... Read More
Sol Systems Seeks Solar Analyst Interns for the Fall Semester
Sol Systems is hiring a Solar Analyst Intern for the Fall 2012 Semester. Please see job description below and email jobs@solsystemscompany.com with any questions. Position: Solar Analyst Intern Company: Sol Systems is a solar finance firm and a leader in financial innovation in the renewable Read More