Connecticut Solar Lease Program

State Solar Spotlight:  October 2009

Connecticut Solar Lease Program

The groundbreaking introduction of a state-sponsored solar leasing program has drawn national attention and an onslaught of additional leasing programs and financing options have developed as a result. The Connecticut Solar Lease Program is a Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) initiative that was begun in 2008 and designed to eliminate the high upfront capital cost associated with solar photovoltaic (PV) system installations.  One of the  first of its kind in the nation, CT Solar Lease Program uses a combination of rebates and tax credits to help moderate and low income residents in the state gain access to clean, renewable solar energy.

The Connecticut Solar Lease Program addresses affordability issues for homeowners interested in installing residential solar energy systems. Eligible Connecticut homeowners—those residents whose household income is 200% or less of their area’s median income and meet the credit qualifications of the program—have the opportunity to install a cutting-edge solar system on their home with no down payment required and a low fixed monthly payment.  

While electricity prices are projected to continue to rise, the monthly CT Solar Lease payment will remain constant. In addition, homeowners enrolled in the program will benefit from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) Solar Rebate Program. Because CT Solar Leasing owns the solar PV system, it can take advantage of business tax incentives, further reducing the cost of the system on the homeowner. To procure a system, homeowners work with an eligible solar installer of their choice; over twenty installers have been pre-approved by the CCEF and CT Solar Leasing. Lessees also receive Solar Dividends, allowing them to share in the sale of the panel’s generation of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) where 1 REC is earned for every megawatt (MW) of electricity generated by the system. The money from the earned RECs goes into an account that lessees can use towards paying for a new inverter or towards the cost of system removal. Homeowners receive full use of the system for fifteen years at a fixed cost, with the option to buy. At the end of the fifteen year lessees have the option to buy the system from CT Solar Leasing at its current value, extend the lease for an additional five years at a reduced monthly rate, or have the system removed at their own expense with no future obligation. For more information on The Connecticut Solar Lease Program click here. 

Table 1 – CT Solar Leasing – Estimated Costs Table (click here for source)

 

The uniqueness of the CT Solar Lease Program encompasses several factors. To start, it is the first time that a ratepayer funded organization such as CCEF has partnered with financial institutions to leverage federal business tax credits in order to make renewable energy more affordable.  Secondly, the CT Solar Lease Program’s financial model is especially innovative because it was designed to allow valuable benefits to the customer such as low fixed payments and zero down payments.  Thirdly, the financial model also allows funding to come back to the program leveraging CCEF’s investments and benefitting Connecticut ratepayers.

(The PV Peer Network featured the CT Solar Lease Program as the focus of one of its webinars on Sept. 19, 2008. The webinar materials and audio file from the event are located on the PV Peer Network page of this website at http://www.statesadvancingsolar.org/state-activities/pv-peer-network.)

Electric utility companies have recognized the increasing importance homeowners and businesses are placing on clean, accessible, and affordable renewable energy.  Since the introduction of Connecticut’s program, many private companies have unveiled leasing programs for both residential and commercial markets.

SolarCity Lease provides affordable solar leasing options for businesses and homeowners in California, Arizona, and Oregon. Similar to CT Solar Lease, SolarCity offers leasing options for no money down and low monthly payments. The flagship company partnered with U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation to ensure the financing of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for a wide range of potential lessees. The company supplies financing, design, installation, monitoring, and maintenance for all of its solar leasing clients. Utilizing cutting edge proprietary software, SolarCity is capable of analyzing potential solar production, financials and environmental impacts for each client, managing thousands of concurrent projects, and automating key processes to further cut costs. The company is able to finance small commercial spaces as small as 20 kilowatts, to systems that generate upwards of 1,000 kilowatts or more. As of July, 2009 SolarCity had struck leasing agreements with over 3,500 homeowners, businesses, and schools.

SunRun PPA has a similar model to that of SolarCity and operates within California, Massachusetts, and Arizona. SunRun is the first company to strike an agreement with a local utility company, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), which has resulted in even lower cost leasing options for SunRun customers within the Los Angeles area.

FreEner-g, a newcomer to the scene, is a Minnesota leasing company starting a program out of the Twin Cities area. FreEner-g has marketed itself as an eco-venture with a triple-p approach: people, planet, and profit. The pilot project is being partially funded through customers of Xcel Energy through a $1.5M grant from the Xcel Energy Renewable Development Fund. The Solar Assessment phase of the project began in August of 2008; currently, frEner-g is in the midst of the Solar Installation phase. By installing approximately fifty solar systems on homes and small businesses, freEner-g plans to deliver 280 kilowatts of installed solar capacity throughout the Twin Cities.  

Urban Electric Company recently announced their plans to create a Solar Equipment Lease program in the Philadelphia area. Like all companies whose state law requires net metering, Urban Electric Company solar system meters track the net difference between energy flowing in and out of the home and utility companies compensate for excess power fed back into the system.

While the above sampling of companies providing solar leasing programs vary in specific financing options and lease lengths, all the providers have been attracting customers with projected savings on monthly energy bills, solar system maintenance agreements, and guaranteeing high system performance. As more and more individuals and companies realize the financial and environmental advantages of solar leasing programs, expect to see more options available to consumers countrywide.

 http://www.ctsolarlease.com/documents/NRELSolarLeasePaperMarch2009.pdf 

 http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/44853.pdf

This program summary and other State Solar Spotlight Program case studies can be found on this website under State Activities.

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