Access to affordable capital is critical for any organization in pursuit of an energy improvement project. Many incentives are available to help Maryland businesses, nonprofit organizations, local governments, and others offset the costs of these projects. These include the grants and low-cost loans available from the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), incentives from utility EmPOWER programs, and Federal tax incentives. There is also another low-risk financing mechanism that is becoming more readily available across the United States: Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing.
C-PACE is a method of energy capital financing that is enabled by state and/or local legislation and facilitated by public organizations that leverage public and private dollars. Organizations that are located within jurisdictions that have authorized C-PACE financing can access low-risk loans at attractive interest rates that improve project economics and enhance the value proposition to senior decision-makers and other third-party financers.
Click on the sections below to learn more about C-PACE, and how your organization can leverage this resource in its energy capital planning.