Toolbox for Renewable Energy Project Development
The Green Power Partnership continues to identify economic and administrative barriers in the deployment of on-site renewable energy projects. This Toolbox examines six key issues that have important implications for developing on-site solar projects.
Explore our full directory of project development resources >>
Each topic area below offers a brief summary of the issue, identifies key resources, and addresses major questions and hurdles key sustainability experts have identified as information gaps or obstacles in their development of new on-site solar projects.
Policies & Regulations
There is a patchwork of federal, state, and local policies and regulations pertaining to renewable energy systems that impact your project development. It is important to understand the policy landscape early in your development process.
- State Solar Renewable Energy Certificate Markets - Learn about which states have solar renewable energy certificate (SREC) markets and how they may influence your project.
- Solar Interconnection Standards & Policies - Systems that connect to the electric grid are often affected by state and local interconnection standards.
- Understanding Electricity Market Frameworks & Policies - Understand market structures and how they may impact your project development.
Project Economics & Evaluation
Prior to moving forward with a project, it is crucial to evaluate the project’s feasibility and economics.
Requests for Proposals & Contracts
A working understanding of contract development best practices and access to standardized solar contract templates and request for proposals (RFPs) will help reduce the time and cost associated with this process.
Project Financing
There are a variety of financing options and strategies that organizations can pursue to facilitate their renewable energy project’s deployment. It is necessary to understand and evaluate the different financing structures that are available to determine the most appropriate strategy.
- Understanding Third-Party Ownership Financing Structures for Renewable Energy
- Renewable Energy Certificate Monetization
Project Development Process
Most renewable energy projects follow similar trajectories from a project's conception to its completion. Therefore, it is beneficial to learn how other projects have successfully come to fruition.
Making Environmental Claims
The types of renewable energy use and carbon footprint reduction claims you can legitimately make are dependent upon ownership of the RECs associated with your renewable energy project’s electricity output.