Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced  S. 3159 (available at: www.heinrich.senate.gov/download/energystoragetaxincentiveanddeploymentact2016) to make energy storage eligible for an investment tax credit (ITC) under section 48.  The bill introduced last month would make energy storage systems with a capacity of at least five kilowatt hours, regardless of whether it was supplied by a renewable resource, investment tax credit eligible.  For instance, a stand-alone storage project that drew power from the grid would be ITC eligible under this bill.

The bill would also allow individuals to own a storage system with a capacity of at least three kilowatt hours used at their homes and to claim a residential energy efficient property tax credit under section 25D.  Like the proposed ITC rules for storage, an individual could qualify for the credit even if the storage system was unrelated to a solar system.

Importantly, the bill has a Republican co-sponsor: Senator Dean Heller (NV). To emphasize, the bipartisan support of the bill, Senator Heller issued a press release (available at http://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E2A22E55-5453-4CD6-B6B7-49AF0D22F0F6).  Five other Democrats co-sponsored it: Franken (MN), Merkley (OR), Reed (RI) and Hirono (HI); further, Senator King (I-ME) co-sponsored it.
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