On December 31, 2020, the US Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) issued Notice 2021-05 (the “Notice”), which provides relief for offshore renewable energy projects and renewable projects constructed on federal land. Specifically, the Notice allows the Continuity Safe Harbor to be satisfied for projects constructed offshore or on federal land if
Solar and Wind Tax Credits Extended, Again
On Monday, December 21, 2020, the United States Congress passed a second large stimulus bill[1] (the “Relief Bill”) aimed at curtailing the economic disruptions caused by COVID-19. The Relief Bill, among other things, extends renewable energy tax credits for wind projects, solar projects and carbon capture and sequestration and contains specific provisions addressing offshore wind farms. These extensions include a one-year extension for wind projects, a two-year extension for solar projects and a two-year extension for carbon capture and sequestration projects. President Trump is expected to sign the Relief Bill and has until December 28, 2020 to do so, when the current stopgap funding measure expires.
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Covid-19 Relief Legislation to Have Extenders for Renewables
Last night, Congressional leaders announced an agreement on a $900 billion COVID relief bill. While the text of the bill has not been released as of this writing, people familiar with the negotiations have indicated that the deal will extend renewable energy tax credits for wind and solar projects and the Section 45Q carbon capture
The GREEN Act: Proposed Pandemic Relief for Renewable Energy Industry
Read out latest client alert: The GREEN Act: Proposed Pandemic Relief for Renewable Energy Industry
IRS Provides Start-of-Construction Relief for Renewables in Light of COVID-19
On May 27, 2020, the US Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) released Notice 2020-41 (the “Notice”), updating the IRS guidance on the start-of-construction rules for the production tax credit (“PTC”) and energy investment tax credit (“ITC”) by extending the continuity safe harbor for projects that began construction in either calendar year 2016 or 2017.1 Additionally, the Notice provides relief under the so-called 3 ½ month rule where payments were made on or after September 16, 2019, but the services or property were not expected to be provided until 2020, as long as they are actually received by October 15, 2020.
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IRS Releases 2020 Section 45 Production Tax Credit Amounts
On May 12, 2020, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a notice providing the inflation-adjustment factors and reference prices for the calculation of renewable electricity production tax credits (PTCs) under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 45 for 2020.
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Treasury to Extend Continuity Safe Harbor
The U.S. Department of Treasury plans to modify the rules regarding the continuity safe harbor for the start-of-construction rules under Treasury guidance for the production tax credit (PTC) and energy investment tax credit (ITC). This plan was announced today, May 7, 2020, in a letter from Frederick W. Vaughan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of
COVID-19: CARES Act Fails to Address Renewable Energy Industry’s Concerns But Path Forward with the IRS Remains
Please click here to read our latest client alert, which discusses some of the tax-related concerns that the renewable energy is facing due the COVID-19.
IRS Releases 2019 Section 45 Production Tax Credit Amounts
On June 6, 2019, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published a notice providing the inflation-adjustment factors and reference prices for the calculation of renewable electricity production tax credits (PTCs) under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 45 for 2019.
The notice provides that the PTC for electricity produced from wind, as well as closed-loop biomass and geothermal energy, increased from 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 2.5 cents per kWh for 2019. The notice also includes the PTC amounts for electricity produced from other qualified energy resources. Specifically, the PTC for electricity produced from open-loop biomass, landfill gas, trash, qualified hydropower, and marine and hydrokinetic resources remains at 1.2 cents per kWh for 2019. The PTC for refined coal also increased from $7.03 per ton to $7.173 for 2019.
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Infocast’s Wind Finance & Investment Summit Soundbites
Below are soundbites from panelists who spoke at Infocast’s Wind Finance & Investment Summit on February 6 and 7 in Carlsbad, CA. The attendance at the event appeared strong, and the mood was generally optimistic.
Despite the title of the conference being wind, many of the panelists touched on solar and storage, so readers who do not work in the wind industry may nonetheless find some points of interest below.
The soundbites are edited for clarity and are organized by topic, rather than in chronological order. They were prepared without the benefit of a transcript or recording.
Topics covered below include the tax equity market, the 2020 soft deadline for the full production tax credit (“PTC”), the impact of the PTC phase out, PG&E’s bankruptcy, storage and more.
State of the Tax Equity Market
“There was $12 billion of combined wind and solar tax equity investment in 2018. This up from $10 billion of tax equity investment in 2017; however, the actual new volume was down in 2018 as $3 billion of the $12 billion in 2018 was secondary market transactions” (i.e., one tax equity investor selling down to another tax equity investor). Managing Director, Money Center Bank
“Tax equity has done well in terms of how it has worked out for the banks that invested in it.” Tax Equity Head, Corporate Investor
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