The Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation in the U. : Allocates trillions of dollars for state and municipal smart grid and energy storage projects, providing grants and low-interest loans to stimulate private sector investments.
The rapid growth in the energy storage market is similarly driving demand for project financing. The general principles of project finance that apply to the financing of solar and wind projects also apply to energy storage projects.
Can you finance a solar energy storage project?
Since the majority of solar projects currently under construction include a storage system, lenders in the project finance markets are willing to finance the construction and cashflows of an energy storage project. However, there are certain additional considerations in structuring a project finance transaction for an energy storage project.
However, with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, tax credits are now available for standalone energy storage systems, and thus lenders may be willing to provide bridge capital that is underwritten based on the receipt of proceeds from an anticipated tax equity investment, similar to renewable energy projects.
What is a battery energy storage system?
Battery energy storage system. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) can help address the challenge of intermittent renewable energy. Large scale deployment of this technology is hampered by perceived financial risks and lack of secured financial models.
Are solar and wind projects a good investment?
These projects will have long-term predictable revenue streams. In addition, lenders may be willing to finance merchant cashflows, but with less leverage and subject to detailed market studies and cash sweeps. These trends for solar and wind projects also apply to energy storage projects.
How big will energy storage capacity be in 2022?
An estimated 387 gigawatts (GW) (or 1,143 gigawatt hours (GWh)) of new energy storage capacity is expected to be added globally from 2022 to 2030, which would result in the size of global energy storage capacity increasing by 15 times compared to the end of 2021.