Renewable Energy

  • July 08, 2020

NY Appellate Court Enforces 60-Day Deadline for Local Governments to Require PILOT Agreements from Solar Developers

Renewable Energy, Solar Power, Tax
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Decision binding on all local state taxing authorities

The Appellate Division of the New York courts has affirmed that a local governmental taxing authority must notify a solar project developer within 60 days from when the developer first notifies the authority of its plans to construct a solar facility that the authority intends to require the developer to enter into a Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT Agreement, or the taxing authority foregoes its right to require a PILOT Agreement from the project developer. Matter of Laertes Solar, LLC v Assessor of the Town of Harford (2020 NY Slip Op 02302).

Most cities, counties, school districts, and other local government authorities in New York have authority to tax real property.  Local governments often use their taxing power to assess solar energy facilities being developed in their jurisdictions as “improvements” to the property.

As part of New York’s concerted effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the

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  • November 28, 2018

Massachusetts SMART Solar Program Opens

Renewable Energy, Solar Power
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On November 26, 2018 the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program opened for applications.

SMART is a new renewable incentive program established to support development of 1600 MW of new solar projects in Massachusetts. The program provides renewable energy project owners with a tariff based incentive that is paid directly by the utility company to the project owner, plus additional location- and customer-based incentives.

To qualify for the program you must file an application with the State Solar Program Administrator. Eligible projects will need to be interconnected to one of the three investor owned utility companies in Massachusetts: Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil. Each utility has established capacity blocks that decline in incentives with each block. The blocks are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The initial application period opened on November 26 and will continue through November 30, 2018. All applications received before midnight November 30, 2018 will be

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  • June 26, 2018

IRS Issues Investment Tax Credit Guidance for Solar Projects

Development Incentives, Renewable Energy, Solar Power, Tax Credits
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On Friday, June 22, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance clarifying when construction commences for purposes of qualifying for the investment tax credit (“ITC”) for solar photovoltaic facilities. The ITC is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in federal income tax due by the taxpayer equal to a specified percentage of the eligible basis (generally the cost) of an energy project originally placed in service by the taxpayer.  The percentage of the ITC depends on when construction begins on the eligible project, and hence the guidance received by the IRS is critical.

As a result of the PATH Act, the ITC percentage for solar facilities, which traditionally has been 30 percent of the eligible basis, phases out as follows:

  • 30% for projects that begin construction by the end of 2019
  • 26% for projects that begin construction in 2020
  • 22% for projects that begin construction in 2021
  • 10% for projects that begin construction in 2022 or after

The

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  • March 09, 2018

A New Incentive for Energy Infrastructure?

Development Incentives, Financing, Renewable Energy, Tax, Tax Credits
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The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (better known as the tax reform bill) created a significant—and little-discussed—economic development program that encourages long-term investments in so-called “Opportunity Zones” by offering temporary tax deferral for capital gains re-invested in the Opportunity Zone and a permanent exclusion for gains from the Opportunity Zone investment.  This program has the potential to be one of the most significant economic development programs in the country and has broad applicability to a variety of industries.  Any person or business seeking to invest capital, raise capital, or that will recognize significant capital gains in the next few years should be aware of the benefits of this program.

What are Opportunity Zones?  Opportunity Zones are low-income areas (determined on a census tract basis), which are designated by the governor of each state as Opportunity Zones.  Each governor must designate his or her state’s Opportunity Zones from the pool of eligible low-income census tracts and certain contiguous tracts.[1] 

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  • February 23, 2018

Welcome to the Energy Infrastructure Blog!

Acquisition, Biogas, Biomass, Construction, Development Incentives, Energy Storage, Financing, Hydropower, Offshore Power, Permitting, Regulatory, Renewable Energy, Siting, Solar Power, Tax, Tax Credits, Tidal Power, Wind Power
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Welcome to the Energy Infrastructure Blog – EI Blog, for short – Pierce Atwood’s new blog that will provide information and analysis on the key policy and legal issues relevant to energy infrastructure policy, development, and finance in New England and beyond.  Pierce Atwood has assembled a team of legal practitioners from diverse practice areas who focus on all aspects of developing, buying, and selling energy infrastructure projects, and who also recognize that understanding both the fundamentals and trends in this ever-changing area is essential for developers, investors, policymakers, and interested members of the public.  We look forward to sharing our insights with you. 

Why an energy infrastructure blog – and why now?

We may not always think about it, but the mixed generation fleets, as well as the electricity transmission and distribution network that “keep the lights on” throughout New England are integral parts of everyone’s everyday lives.  Policymakers, lawyers, and

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