Solar Now! Commercial Options

The Solar Now! campaign is produced by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability in collaboration with Energy Trust of Oregon, Oregon Department of Energy and Solar Oregon.

The commercial and industrial sectors use 67 percent of all electricity and natural gas in Portland, and 80 percent of Portland’s electricity and natural gas is provided by fossil fuels.

Portlanders are pioneers — with a track record of forward-thinking investment in green building, hybrid cars, biofuels — and they recognize that decreasing their dependency on fossil fuels is the right thing to do for the community’s economic health.

Energy from the sun is one of our state’s most abundant and least utilized renewable resources. The next step on the road to energy independence is to increase the number of solar energy systems on Portland homes and businesses to encourage widespread use in our community.

Your Solar Investment

Solar power is an investment in your business that will increase in value as energy costs rise. Your investment in a solar hot water unit or a solar electric unit on your leased or owned building may have a payback of as little as five years, with Energy Trust incentives, Oregon Business Energy Tax Credits (BETC) and federal tax credits.

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability can walk you through the installation of your solar energy system. Your business’ commitment to renewable energy will be publicized to inspire others.

Third Party Ownership Models

Third party ownership models are being used more than every as the Oregon solar industry matures. A third party ownership is a financial model where the solar photovoltaic or thermal system is owned by a separate business or investor than the building host or owner where it is installed. The arrangement allows the investor owner to utilize the tax credits and benefits available for the solar system (e.g. federal investment tax credit, Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System, Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit) and sells the power produced by the system to the host entity.

This model has become attractive to governments, schools, and nonprofits who often have roof space and interest in solar power, but lack sufficient funding and tax credits to purchase solar systems outright. Investors have capital available for investment and the ability and desire to use tax credits, but lack roof space. Third party ownership arrangements allow these two parties to work together to achieve their own energy or financial objectives.

For more information on third party Ownership Models go to: Third Party Ownership

Please see below for additional online resources:

For more information on Energy Trust of Oregon cash incentives and programs, visit:
www.energytrust.org

For more information on the Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit, visit:
www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/RENEW/Solar/Support-BETC.shtml

For more information on the Federal Tax Credit, visit:

www.irs.gov/ or
www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits#4

Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) guidelines for solar installations on Residential Dwellings

last updated September, 2009