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Partner: Independent Power Systems

Group Members: Andy Bingle, Caroline Cox, Raquel Soat, Dan Kristofzski

As the price of solar energy continues to decrease, a growing number of building developers are considering solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays as a way to reduce their electricity bills. Commercial and

industrial (C&I) buildings are a prime target for solar installations due to a unique financing option: Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE). CPACE financing enables C&I building owners and operators to finance their solar PV through a long-term property tax so that there is no upfront cost for the system. Independent Power Systems (IPS), a company that designs and installs solar PV arrays for C&I clients, has found that the CPACE financing option is not highly utilized by its clients despite the financial benefits. 

The IPS capstone team will gain insights into CPACE financing and adoption barriers through field research and C&I stakeholder interviews. The team will also research alternative solar financing options and develop proposal documents for potential IPS clients. After collecting the qualitative and quantitative research, the team will develop an analysis to help IPS deliver a turnkey solution leading to more business from C&I developers. The findings will be summarized in a report and disseminated to appropriate stakeholders which include IPS, the CPACE program staff, developers, building owners, and tenants.