Why do energy storage projects need project financing?

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.

Are energy storage projects different than power industry project finance?

Most groups involved with project development usually agree that energy storage projects are not necessarily different than a typical power industry project finance transaction, especially with regards to risk allocation.

What is the capital cost of an energy storage system?

Capital Costs The capital cost of an energy storage system is the total value of all of the initial equipment purchased for the project. This is derived from adding the cost of all of the subassemblies and components needed to construct the final version of the product, many times described internally as a Bill of Material (BOM).

Are energy storage systems a good investment?

This is understandable as energy storage technologies possess a number of inter-related cost, performance, and operating characteristics that and impart feed-back to impacts to the other project aspects. However, this complexity is the heart of the value potential for energy storage systems.

Will a tax credit be available for energy storage projects?

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.