Walking the halls of the Utah State Capitol during the Legislative Session, it is clear that Utah policymakers have embraced modern technologies. From smart phones and tablets, to tweets and blogs, Utah policymakers understand the importance of staying up-to-date in the 21st century.  In the case of clean energy policies considered during Utah’s 2013 Legislative Session, their votes are starting to reflect that same understanding. This year, Utah joined nearly 30 states in adopting a policy that enables Commercial PACE financing in the Beehive State.

Utah’s commercial buildings currently consume one-fifth of Utah’s total energy and close to 40% of Utah’s electricity, the majority of which is generated by burning coal. Enabling Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing provides Utah businesses with a needed financing mechanism to cut energy costs through energy efficiency retrofits and on-site renewable energy. Despite the interest in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects among Utah businesses, a major barrier for many commercial property owners is the upfront costs and difficulty accessing low-cost, long-term financing for such projects. C-PACE overcomes this obstacle and makes it easy for building owners to transfer repayment obligations to a new owner upon sale.

PACE HISTORY IN UTAH
In 2010, Utah Clean Energy worked with interested parties to develop legislation (Senate Bill 194) that would have enabled PACE financing for both residential and commercial properties. While the bill received strong support from local government and industry, concern from the Utah Bankers Association about subordination of residential mortgages and opposition to PACE on the national level from Federal Housing Financing Agency prevented SB194 from moving forward.

Beginning mid-year 2012, Utah Clean Energy began working closely with interested local governments, property owners, to bring the commercial component of the bill back to life. In mid-February 2013, Senate Bill (SB) 221, Assessment Area Act Amendments, sponsored by Senator Kevin Van Tassel, was introduced to the Utah Legislature. This enabling legislation allows municipalities in Utah to offer C-PACE financing to commercial building owners in Utah.

HOW’D WE GET HERE?
Utah Clean Energy played a major role in developing and securing passage of SB 221. Central to our success in 2013 was the fact that SB 221 is limited to non-residential properties and language was added that requires lenders to provide consent before an existing mortgage can be subordinated by the C-PACE assessment. In addition to these critical changes addressing concerns from the 2010 legislation, we worked strategically to involve key stakeholders and built support among industry and decision-makers. Our success can be attributed to the following strategic efforts leading up to the bill’s passage:

• Hosting a webinar (in partnership with PACENow) to educate parties interested in C-PACE in Utah. The webinar introduced participants to C-PACE concept, along with proposed legislative language that addressed previous concerns.
• Meeting regularly with the Utah Bankers Association, Zions Bank Public Finance, and individual lenders to understand and address their previous concerns. We kept bankers and lenders involved throughout the process to make sure their interests were represented.
• Coordinating with PACENow throughout the process, tapping into their PACE expertise and available resources. PACENow generously hosted an on-line petition, which we circulated during the session to demonstrate the broad support for the legislation.
• Meeting with Utah utilities to make them aware of the legislation and ensure they were comfortable with the language; ultimately, none of Utah’s utilities had issue with the bill, and some of the municipal utilities expressed support for the concept.
• Requesting industry feedback on draft legislation ahead of the legislative session and incorporating necessary changes into the draft bill language. We requested feedback from local governments, local businesses and business associations, and commercial real estate groups; this process was critical to garner broad support.
• Recruiting a coalition of supporters, including members of Utah Clean Energy’sClean Energy Business Coalition, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City, BOMA Utah, Utah League of Cities and Towns, Utah Association of Counties, Utah Association of Energy Users, and the Vest Pocket Business Coalition, a coalition of small businesses in Utah.
• In partnership with our allies, reaching out to respected legislative sponsors knowledgeable about financing and commercial real estate.Developing simplified factsheets and letters of support to share with lawmakers to help them understand the benefits of this legislation.

SUCCESS AND NEXT STEPS
Senate Bill 221 passed with near unanimity and was signed by Governor Gary Herbert. In the coming months, Utah Clean Energy will continue working with the coalition of supporters, local municipalities, local businesses, lenders, and commercial real estate groups to help interested jurisdictions develop C-PACE program guidelines and launch C-PACE programs in Utah.

By enacting this modern energy policy and enabling the clean energy market, Utah policymakers have given Utah’s cities and counties, lenders, and commercial property owners a state-of-the-art financing tool to reduce energy waste and drive renewable energy, thereby addressing the energy challenges of today and tomorrow.

Extra!

The Arkansas legislature passed its own PACE act on April 8.

Boulder, CO, April 3, 2013 –  Solar thermal technology is simple, reliable and highly efficient, but it remains the less glamorous stepchild of the solar industry, losing out to more attractive incentives for investing in solar electric systems. In developing countries, solar thermal technology is widespread, often providing the only option for hot-water heating, but the U.S. lags far behind. In some states, Renewable Energy Standards – also known as Renewable Portfolio Standards – don’t even include solar thermal. According to Mike Healy, Chair of the US Solar Heating and Cooling Alliance, there is an urgent need for new mechanisms to finance solar thermal that would provide predictable and stable incentives. Permitting regulations also need to be streamlined.

Compared to photovoltaic systems, which rarely reach more than 17% efficiency, solar thermal systems, which use the sun’s heat directly, can reach efficiencies of up to 80%. They can be used for hot water heating, space heating and cooling, pool and spa heating, and industrial process heating. In a typical residence, solar thermal can handle the hot water and space heating, which can make up roughly 50% of the building’s energy requirements. But, Sandra Lee of Skyline Innovations, a company specializing in solar thermal financing and project development, says metering of solar hot water systems is key to their ability to generate renewable energy credits and to measure the amount of utility energy offset by a solar thermal system.

While natural gas prices are just beginning to rise from an all-time low, it’s hard for residential system owners to see rapid paybacks from their solar thermal systems. That’s why, says Healy, the solar industry can benefit now by selling to businesses that now use large amounts of hot water from central boilers, such as laundries, hotels, hospitals, housing developments, food processing plants and microbreweries. Agricultural systems, including poultry farms and greenhouses, would also help scale the industry more rapidly than a policy focus on residential systems. Customers who heat using electricity, propane, or fuel oil also stand to benefit greatly from solar thermal systems.

Several panels will address solar thermal policy issues at SOLAR 2013. One panel will discuss the synergies between solar PV and solar thermal in several utility portfolios, and present a study that has measured effects on peak-load pricing and solar thermal impact on PV integration. Healy’s panel – Friday, April 19 at 3:15pm – will examine market development for solar thermal, and explore proven policy options and the practical implications of those policies given today’s political environment.

About the American Solar Energy Society:

Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation’s leading association of solar professionals and advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. ASES leads national efforts to increase the use of solar energy and other sustainable technologies through the publication of the award-winning SOLAR TODAY magazine, the ASES National Solar Tour – the largest grassroots solar event in the world, and the the ASES National Solar Conference. For more information about ASES and the SOLAR 2013 conference please visit http://www.ases.org/solar2013.

A nationwide misinformation campaign is underway to dismantle state-level policies critical to the growth of wind and solar. Panelists at the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) National Solar Conference, taking place in Baltimore April 16-20, will unveil the misinformation at the heart of these efforts, and address ways to counter the opposition.

Boulder, CO, March 21, 2013 — Special interest groups opposed to renewable energy and funded by fossil fuel interests, including the billionaire Koch brothers, are stepping up their misinformation campaign to repeal or weaken bipartisan Renewable Electricity Standards (RES) – also known as Renewable Portfolio Standards – in states across the US this year.

The nationwide effort to prevent adoption of renewable energy technologies is spearheaded by the Washington, DC-based American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a source of policy templates crafted by special interest groups and corporations and distributed to ALEC members in state legislatures nationwide. Sample legislation proffered by ALEC – such as the “Electricity Freedom Act” – has resulted in copycat bills to repeal or weaken existing renewable electricity standards sponsored by ALEC members in states like Kansas, North Carolina and Ohio this year.

The language found in ALEC’s legislative template makes no mention of the external costs imposed by fossil fuels, such as volatile fuel prices, air pollution, climate change and environmental degradation. Additionally, the legislation does not account for the benefits of job creation and risk mitigation.

Renewable electricity standards now in place in 29 states and the District of Columbia, require utilities to generate a certain percentage of their electricity using renewable energy 
technologies. While the standards vary from state to state, they have contributed to a doubling of the electricity generated by non-hydro renewable energy in the last five years. And that rate of growth is increasing, adding tens of thousands of jobs and creating the fastest-growing sector of the US economy in the process.

The panel discussion of political attacks on renewable energy includes:

• Jeffery Wolfe (Moderator), Founder and Chairman, groSolar
• Emily Duncan, Director of Government Affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
• Lisa Graves, Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy
• Gabe Elsner, Director of the Checks & Balances Project
• David Anderson, Outreach Coordinator for Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists

About the American Solar Energy Society

Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation’s leading association of solar professionals and advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. ASES leads national efforts to increase the use of solar energy and other sustainable technologies through the publication of the award-winning SOLAR TODAY magazine, the ASES National Solar Tour – the largest grassroots solar event in the world, and the the ASES National Solar Conference. For more information about ASES and the SOLAR 2013 conference please visit http://www.ases.org/solar2013.
# # #

Contact:
Seth Masia
smasia@ases.org
303.443.3130 x109

Lili Francklyn
lfrancklyn@ases.org
303-443-3130 x 107

Theme: The Renewable Energy Landscape in 2013

Day and Time: Wednesday, April 17th: 10:30 am-12:00 pm

Come Join us for Wednesday’s plenary session at SOLAR2013 and have the honor of listening to distinguished speakers Kevin Knobloch, Eric Martinot, and John Byrne!

Economics & Politics of Clean Energy & Climate Science
Kevin Knobloch: President, Union of Concerned Scientists

Kevin will be speaking from 10:30-12:30 pm. He is knowledgable about a range of environmental and national security issues and brings 32 years of experience in public policy, government, advocacy, and media to his job as president of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

The Road Forward: The REN21 Global Futures Report
Eric Martinot: Report Author, The REN21 Global Futures Report

Eric will be speaking from 10:30-12:30 pm. Dr. Martinot has worked in renewable energy for 25 years and is an internationally recognized scholar, writer, and teacher on the subject. He is report author of the pioneering REN21 Renewables Global Futures Report, and was lead author from 2005-2010 of the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report, an annual synthesis of markets and policies.

New Energy For a New Climate: Risks & Progress
John Byrne: Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Deleware

John will be speaking from 10:30-12:30 pm. Dr.Byrne is the distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Policy and Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy (CEEP) at the University of Delaware. He is also Chairman and CEO of the Foundation for Renewable Energy & Environment (FREE).

Boulder, CO, March 14, 2013 — The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) welcomes Jochen Flasbarth, President, German Federal Environment Agency, and David Wedepohl, Markets & Communications Director of German Solar Industry Association at its annual National Solar Conference, SOLAR 2013, in Baltimore, April 16-20. ASES will explore the German policies and financial incentives that have led to rapid growth in the country’s renewable energy installations, exceeding the expectations of policy analysts and investors around the world.

On Thursday, April 18, Jochen Flasbarth will join Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, in a plenary session on Climate & Resiliency. Other speakers include Alice LeBlanc, former head of the Office of Environment and Climate Change at American International Group (AIG) and Patricia Hoffman of the Department of Energy, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. Behind Germany’s rapid development of renewable energy is a goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2020. That goal is linked to producing 35% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and 80% by 2050. German goals also include reduction in fossil fuel imports and sustainable economic growth.

David Wedepohl will speak on “Building the Solar Industry” on Friday, April 19, along with Rhone Resch, head of the Solar Energy Industries Association; Tony Clifford,  CEO of Standard Solar; and Laura Jones, a partner at Hunton & Williams and an expert on tax incentives for renewable energy. Wedepohl will also participate in a panel session that explores which German policies might be appropriate in the United States.

The key driver behind the rapid expansion of renewable energy in Germany has been the Feed-In-Tariff (FIT), a long-term contract guaranteeing revenue for solar producers over a twenty-year time-period. The FIT, which pays more than the retail cost of electricity, has encouraged hundreds of thousands of German farmers and homeowners to earn income by owning grid-tied solar. Germany encourages the development of distributed energy, as opposed to central power production, a policy which has boosted economic development in rural areas and made them into net energy exporters. Because the country has focused on eliminating red tape and cumbersome permitting requirements, the cost of a PV system in Germany is half what it is in the United States. Germany’s solar industry now employs upwards of 300,000 people, more than its auto industry.

About the American Solar Energy Society:

Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation’s leading association of solar professionals and advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. ASES leads national efforts to increase the use of solar energy and other sustainable technologies through the publication of the award-winning SOLAR TODAY magazine, the ASES National Solar Tour – the largest grassroots solar event in the world, and the the ASES National Solar Conference. For more information about ASES and the SOLAR 2013 conference please visit http://www.ases.org/solar2013.

Learn more about the German speakers here.

Contact:
Seth Masia
smasia@ases.org
303.443.3130 x109

Lili Francklyn
lfrancklyn@ases.org
303-443-3130 x 107

SOLAR2013

State budgets are strained and federal government support for solar programs is dwindling; the ASES conference will explore ways that solar can continue to be financed without subjecting the industry to roller coaster market conditions. Other themes include the impact of net metering policies, the challenges of grid integration, the burgeoning movement to develop community solar projects, and efforts to bring solar to a more diverse economic population. Here are the highlights:

Finance

Policy