Berkeley Lab and the Clean Energy States Alliance CASE STUDIES OF STATE SUPPORT FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY Property Tax Assessments as a Finance Vehicle for Residential PV Installations: Opportunities and Potential Limitations Mark Bolinger, Berkeley Lab reduced appeal in a low-interest-rate Introduction CONTENTS environment, and (4) a tendency for early PV adopters to be wealthy, Readily accessible credit has often and not in need of financing. Introduction ................... 1 been cited as a necessary ingredient to open up the market for residential Berkeley’s Proposed PV Although some of these barriers photovoltaic (PV) systems. Though have begun to fade – most notably, Program ......................... 2 financing does not reduce the high homeowner interest in PV has up-front cost of PV, by spreading grown in some states, particularly Subsidized Energy that cost over some portion of the those that offer solar rebates – the Financing? ..................... 4 system’s life, financing can passage of the Energy Policy Act of certainly make PV systems more 2005 (EPAct 2005) introduced one Modeling Analysis......... 5 affordable. additional roadblock to the success of low-interest PV loan programs: a Discussion and As a result, a number of states have, residential solar investment tax Recommendations .........