Solar Thermal Electric

Sales and Use Taxes for Items Used in Renewable Energy Industries

Connecticut enacted legislation in May 2010 (H.B. 5435) that established a sales and use tax exemption for equipment, machinery and fuels used to manufacture solar thermal (active or passive) systems, solar electric systems, wind-power electric systems, or geothermal resource systems.

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N. Mariana Islands - Renewables Portfolio Standard

Requirements 

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands enacted its Renewables Portfolio Standard in September 2007, in which a certain percentage of its net electricity sales must come from renewable energy. The law was amended in 2014 to a lower target, as previous targets were not met. Under the law, the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation (CUC), the Islands' only and semi-autonomous public utility provider, must establish a renewable portfolio standard of:

  • 20% of net electricity sales on or before December 31, 2016

Compliance 
There are stipulations within the law that allow for non-compliance if there is no "cost-effective" way to meet the

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Fix-Up Loan

The Minnesota Housing Finance Agency's (MHFA) Fix-up Loan provides low-interest financing for energy conservation and other basic improvements to residential properties.  Loans are available for up to $75,000. To be eligible for the loan, the home must be occupied by the property owner. 

Another key feature of the MHFA home improvement loan program is the opportunity for homeowners to contract with approved lenders directly. Find a participating lender at this link.

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USDA - High Energy Cost Grant Program

NOTE: The most recent solicitation for this program closed February 28, 2025. Please check the program website for information on future solicitations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers an ongoing grant program for the improvement of energy generation, transmission, and distribution facilities in rural communities. This program began in 2000. Eligibility is limited to projects in communities that have average home energy costs at least 275% above the national average. Retail power suppliers serving rural areas are eligible to apply for grant funding, including non-profits (cooperatives and limited dividend or mutual associations), commercial entities, state and local governments entities

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Qualified Energy Property Tax Exemption for Projects over 250 kW (Payment in Lieu)

The Qualified Energy Project Tax Exemption

This program provides owners (or lessees) of renewable energy projects with an exemption from the public utility tangible personal property tax. A person may apply to the director of development for certification of an energy project as a qualified energy project on or before December 31, 2028, for an energy project using renewable energy resources

For Whom
In order to qualify, the owner or lessee subject to sale leaseback transaction must apply to the Ohio Department of Development on or before December 31, 2028 for renewable energy projects.

Large projects (above 20 mega-watts) require
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Interconnection Standards

In 2006, West Virginia stakeholders came together to consider net metering, interconnection as required by the Federal Energy Policy Act (2005) and agreed upon a "Statement of Consensus Among Parties," which was presented to and accepted by the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) in December 2006. The consensus agreement did include interconnection guidelines for the state, however, the PSC did not initiate a formal rule-making or incorporate the guidelines into agency rules. Rather, the interconnection guidelines were incorporated into utility net metering tariffs (which are proposed by the utilities). In 2010, the PSC opened a docket to reconsider net
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Mississippi Clean Energy Initiative

In April 2010, the Mississippi Legislature enacted HB 1701, establishing the Mississippi Clean Energy Initiative. This program provides an incentive for companies that manufacture systems or components used to generate renewable energy, including biomass, solar, wind, and hydro generation. Alternative energy manufacturers, including manufacturers of components used in nuclear power plants, are also eligible for this incentive. This program allows the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) to certify these manufacturers for a tax exemption.


Eligible manufacturers are offered a 10-year exemption from state income and franchise taxes as well as a sales and use tax exemption to establish a plant

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Qualified Energy Property Tax Exemption for Projects 250 kW or Less

Note: According to the Ohio Development Services Agency website, the owner or lessee subject to the sale-leaseback transaction must apply to Development Services Agency on or before December 31, 2028, to qualify for this tax credit.

Ohio's Renewable and Advanced Energy Project Property Tax Exemption, enacted with the passage of Ohio S.B. 232 in the summer of 2010, exempts qualified energy projects in Ohio from public utility tangible personal property taxes and real property taxes.

Per Ohio Revision Code 5709.53, qualified energy systems of 250 kilowatts (kW) or less will not be subject to payment in lieu of property tax

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Renewable Energy Goal

In May 2010, the Oklahoma Legislature enacted the Oklahoma Energy Security Act (see H.B. 3028), establishing a renewable energy goal for electric utilities operating in the state. The goal calls for 15% of the total installed generation capacity in Oklahoma to be derived from renewable sources by 2015. There are no interim targets, and the goal does not extend past 2015. 

The Oklahoma Energy Security Act also established a natural gas energy standard to declare natural gas as the preferred choice for any new fossil fuel generating facilities and added capacity to existing fossil fuel generating facilities beginning January 1

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Renewable Energy System Exemption

In March 2010, South Dakota established a new property tax incentive that replaced two existing property tax incentives for renewable energy. Facilities that generate electricity using wind, solar, hydro, hydrogen generated by another eligible resource, or biomass resources are eligible for this incentive, as are facilities that generate other forms of energy using solar or geothermal resources.

For eligible facilities less than 5 megawatts (MW) in capacity, all real property used or constructed for the purpose of producing electricity is assessed in the same manner as other real property. However, the first $50,000 or 70% of the assessed value of

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