Originally posted on pv Magazine USA.

Yesterday, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released its 9.0 update to the Federal Tax Guide for Solar Energy. This matters because mastering it means you can find partners to fund up to 46% of a project’s cost. And now that you know how important tax expertise is, (and you’ve got your site control, ISA and PPA) the next step is to find that partner…

kWh Analytics has launched its Solar Lendscape for Tax Equity – a list of finance groups who will partner with your solar project as a tax equity investor. Filters allow for segmentation via key point such as market segment, check size, deal structure, and a few other items.

The tool complements kWh Analytics’ June release of the Solar Lendscape for Lenders. Users can toggle between the two lists via a button at the top of the segmentation filters.

It is sort of a one stop shop for sourcing project money: construction capital from the tax equity partner, and finishing money from a lender.

The table also notes whether companies have tacitly approved accounting for kWh Analytics’ Solar Put – a tool to guarantee output of up to 95% of a solar power projects projected production.

All kWh Analytics has to do is find early stage development investors, and backend it with institutional lenders who will own the projects over the long game, then we’ll have the whole finance ecosystem within a few clicks.

A few data points that kWh released, first on the tax equity partners:

• Most organizations are using partnerships as a preferred structure

• Nearly a dozen investors are investing in community solar

• There was an influx of new tax equity providers in 2017, following the extension of the investment tax credit in 2016

And second on the lenders:

• Over 40% of the most active lenders now value kWh Analytics’ Solar Revenue Put as a credit enhancement

• There are now 14 lenders that have either originated or hold more than $1b of solar term debt

• ~20% of the lenders are now willing to lend to community solar projects

• ~20% of the lenders are now willing to take risk on the merchant tail