Commercial solar dries up along with BETC


With state tax incentives for installing solar energy systems mostly gone, commercial solar companies are being forced to shift their strategies for the Oregon market.

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With state tax incentives for installing solar energy systems mostly gone, commercial solar companies are being forced to shift their strategies for the Oregon market.

“My pipeline is drying up pretty quickly,” said Brent Gunderson, president of Portland-based solar installer Gen-Con Inc. “It’s getting worrisome.”

Oregon’s commercial solar business took off after state Legislators in 2007 increased the value of the state’s Business Energy Tax Credit from up to 35 percent of the cost of a renewable energy project to 50 percent.

But faced with a crippling deficit, Legislators this year were forced to cut from non revenue-generating programs.

The commercial solar market — which accounted for 4 megawatts of the 7 megawatts of new solar energy capacity installed in Oregon last year — is widely viewed as the biggest casualty.

Read more at Sustainable Business Oregon.

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