Perhaps the most impactful aspect of the recent tax reform law is the change to the treatment of governmental grants. Many cooperatives qualify for governmental grants in furtherance of their community benefits, such as electric, telephone, and broadband service and …
Renewable Energy Funding
N-2018-15: New Clean Renewable Energy Bonds
Notice 2018-15 provides that the IRS shall not process applications for, or issue allocations of, the remaining unused authority to issue new clean renewable energy bonds under § 54C of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) under Notice 2015-12, 2015-10 …
Reciprocating engines see new life from utilities, commercial installments
The versatile reciprocating engine is increasingly being selected to meet the challenges faced not only by commercial users but also by investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities and rural cooperatives. From one small engine to a bank of larger engines, these designs …
Op-ed: Should public utility commissions regulate cooperatives?
Dan Nemes of MN350 (an organization addressing the global climate crisis), offers this op-ed in the 6 February issue of Rochester, Minnesota’s Post-Bulletin, opposing the Minnesota Legislature’s recently proposed legislation that he believes will negatively impact the state’s renewable energy …
New CREBs Aid Kansas G&T’s Prairie Sky Solar Farm
This article is reprinted from CFC Solutions News Bulletin (23 January 2017).
The 19 member distribution cooperatives of Kansas Electric Power Cooperative (KEPCo), a generation and transmission cooperative (G&T) based in Topeka, Kansas, will receive more green power—thanks in part …
Electric Utility Win Against Unjust Railway Rates Could Benefit Other Industries
It took over ten years, but the dispute over coal transportation costs between Berkshire Hathaway-owned BNSF Railway and the regional utilities associated with the Laramie River Station (LRS) in Wyoming, including Lincoln Electric System (LES), has finally been settled. Now …
Renewable Portfolio Standards gaining steam across the U.S. but what does that mean for a federal program?
A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is a regulation that requires the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal. RPS-type mechanisms have been adopted in several countries, including Britain, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, …
Private sector partnerships help DoD meet goals for energy efficiency and renewable energy production
For the last two decades, federal agencies like the Department of Defense (DoD) have set mandates to reduce energy intensity, lower greenhouse gases and increase use of alternative energy sources. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) requires …
IRS Ruling Address Power Generation by REITs
Developers are constantly looking for ways to find capital for their energy development projects. They have solicited all sorts of capital, including banks, angel investors, private equity investors, private development bonds, and other sources. One other potential source of capital …
Guest Post: Co-ops Receive $3.6M in Solar Funds
This guest post was obtained from CFC’s Solutions News Bulletin, Vol. 15, No. 40 (Oct. 28, 2013).
Co-ops Receive $3.6 Million in Solar Funds
Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative awarded $60 million to support solar energy …