The Georgia BRIGHT team has been hard at work mapping out the path forward. While we haven’t given up on Solar for All, we cannot afford to lose momentum. The need for lower energy bills and more resilient power supplies is too urgent. With that in mind, we’re excited to introduce Safe Harbor as a Service. While it cannot provide everything that Solar for All would, the approach we’re pursuing could, with the right partnerships, deliver significant impact.
As many of you know, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act set the residential solar tax credit to expire at the end of this year and commercial solar tax credits to expire at the end of 2027, with the additional caveat that commercial credits must satisfy “foreign entity of concern” (FEOC) requirements beginning next year. Some of you may also know that the Treasury recently released guidance for “safe harboring” the tax credits under current rules. If we can purchase equipment equal to at least 5% of a project’s cost by the end of this year, we can lock in tax credit eligibility for that project through 2029 without triggering FEOC restrictions.
To this end, Capital Good Fund is moving quickly on a safe harbor strategy for any community that wants to preserve access to solar tax credits for the next four years. To guide this effort, we are releasing three requests for information.
The first is for solar lenders. CDFIs, green banks, community banks, credit unions, or other institutions offering or seeking to offer solar financing. We’re looking to understand project pipelines and capital availability for purchasing equipment.
Learn more and submit your information.
The second is for philanthropic funders and impact investors. While market-rate capital is pursuing safe harbor, underserved communities will only benefit if mission-aligned partners step up to ensure this option is made available for low to moderate-income families (LMI) and community-based organizations.
Learn more and submit your information.
The final is for EPCs, developers, project hosts, local governments, and community partners – We’re gathering pipeline information and are particularly interested in projects positioned to place deposits. Every dollar that can be committed from a market-rate project as a deposit makes it easier to raise capital to cover projects for LMI families and community organizations.
Learn more and submit your information.
The path forward won’t be easy, but it gives us a chance to build a glidepath into a post-ITC world—one that delivers real benefits for underserved communities. If we hope to see federal support for clean energy again, we must prove that it works for everyday people, clearly and without delay.