Clean Energy Finance Forum

Our partners at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University turn up more evidence that American voters demand forward motion on carbon reduction. Their new voter survey finds two-thirds of respondents convinced that legislators should prioritize investment in fossil-free energy.

Shocks can spark interest in secure sources of energy. For that reason, some insiders argue that distributed power can gain a surge of customers- even amid harsh financial conditions for solar and wind projects.

The Rwanda Catalytic Green investment bank will boost the financing of climate projects that the country undertakes.

"As part of Europe’s promise to become the first 'climate-neutral' continent by 2050, the region is emerging as a leader in creating standards for green investments. But the push to get its banks to back sustainable assets needs careful scrutiny."

The draft legislation would extend a host of renewable energy tax breaks, including the production tax credit and the investment tax credit. It also would expand the electric vehicle tax credit and create new tax credits for buyers of used electric cars and manufacturers of zero-emission commercial vehicles and buses.

Utilities like Duke Energy and Xcel Energy have issued billions in green bonds to fund renewables development. Green banks in New York, Connecticut and other states are backing investments in distributed resources and energy efficiency. It appears much more institutional money wants in on the green opportunity.

Opportunity zones, part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, allow investors to place their capital gains in legally established funds for projects in economically distressed areas defined by the federal government. A secondary attribute, appealing to clean energy developers, is that opportunity zone funds can be used for solar, microgrids, electric vehicle charging stations and energy storage.

More than 200 mayors across the U.S. have sent a letter urging Congress to pass a five-year extension of the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) with a particular focus on creating jobs and drawing investment. The bipartisan group of 231 mayors from 39 states and representing cities both large and small want Congress to pass the Renewable Energy Extension Act, which would result in the ITC extension.