Impact investing is a rapidly growing investment strategy and is forcing REITs and private equity firms to increase their efforts on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) programs. Broadly speaking, impact investing focuses on investing in companies whose services or products generate measurable, positive social or environmental impact along with financial return.
Topics: Energy Efficiency, Energy Managed Services, Rebates, Energy Cost, Water Conservation, Energy Benchmarking, Hospitality, Renewable Energy
Facing ever-fluctuating energy prices, aging electrical grids and increasing concern for the environment, more businesses and facilities are turning to distributed generation as a key component of a successful overall energy strategy.
Topics: Energy Efficiency, Energy Managed Services, EVs, Measurement and Verification, Combined Heat & Power, Power Purchase Agreement, Energy Cost, Renewable Energy
As Boston faces its fourth major snow storm in a month many New Englanders have sunk deep into the “dark months” blues. And each day as I stare at Groom Energy’s snow-covered solar array I can’t dismiss some level of guilt for our environmental faux pas.
Topics: Solar PV, snow covered solar, Renewable Energy, Harvard solar PV
With last night’s tax bill passage by the House, the renewable energy industry has been given a wonderful holiday gift. But this toy’s battery only lasts one year and you might not be able to replace it.
Topics: Solar PV, Federal Grants, renewable grants, Section 1603, Renewable Energy
Labor Day typically marks the time when our year-end project installation schedule becomes more clear. Our corporate customers, often operating on a fiscal-calendar year for budgeting, also exhibit end-of-year psychology and “get it done by year end” becomes a priority. Normal product lead times, procurement contracts, permits, and even potential interruptions from winter weather means by Labor Day our construction year is pretty much set.
This year many cleantech project developers have even more tension leading up to their 2011 New Year’s party planning. With Section 1603, the US Federal program for renewable Grants in Lieu of an Investment Tax Credit (ITC), set to expire at the end of 2010, projects which are not at least 5% underway by year end will miss the proverbial party.
Topics: Grant in Lieu of Investment Tax Credit, Solar PV, Power Purchase Agreement, Clean Energy grants, Section 1603, Renewable Energy
When considering a new roof-mounted commercial solar project our engineers need to quickly address key financial questions such as “in which state is your facility? (ie. is there a strong state rebate) and “will you be buying or financing it?” (ie. solar PV still sits outside normal corporate ROI hurdles). If both these answers are affirmative the next question we focus on is the age and type of the existing roof.
Topics: Solar PV, solyndra, commercial solar pv, commercial solar thermal, Investment Tax Credit, Solar Thermal DHW, Renewable Energy
