Enabling Municipal Financing for Renewables and Efficiency
As of July 2009, 10 states have passed municipal energy financing enabling legislation and more than a dozen cities have established or are about to create municipal energy financing programs.
The creation of state enabling legislation has largely consisted of updating existing state laws and codes to amend the authority some or all of the state’s municipalities have to establish special assessment districts. The key components of the enabling legislation are as follows:
- Permit municipalities to create sustainable energy financing districts
- Define the permitted types of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects eligible in the districts,
- Create an opt-in element that allows the districts to consist of non-contiguous, self-selected property owners
- Grant the authority to municipalities to issue and sell bonds needed to provide homeowners the initial capital
Click on a blue-shaded state or municipal/county place marker to get details. Shaded states have passed legislation to enable municipal financing.
More Information:
- Municipal Property Tax Assessment Financing: Removing key barriers to residential solar [pdf] – by Claudia Eyzaguiree and Annie Carmichael, Vote Solar Initiative, October 2008
- Vote Solar's web site on Municipal Property Tax Financing
- Track Cities Developing Municipal Property Tax Financing Programs - from 1Bog
- UC Berkeley's Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory
- Innovative Energy Efficiency Financing Approaches [pdf] - DOE Presentation, June 2009
- Financial Incentives - Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency
Rules
"Rules" are laws, ordinances, and regulations that can strengthen your community.
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