IN THIS ISSUE

Renewables Spread to the Near East

Countries in the Middle East and North Africa — the so-called MENA region — are moving to diversify the power generation base by moving away from natural gas and oil...

China Renewables Update

China has introduced a series of new regulatory and policy initiatives focused on the wind, solar photovoltaic and biomass industries that will be of interest to both Chinese and non-Chinese industry ...

Many Options For Solar Developers In California

Installed capacity of grid-connected solar projects in California has grown from 360 to 1,120 megawatts since 2002, and many more projects representing thousands of megawatts are waiting in the wi...

Potential Effects of US Financial Sector Reform

Five experts spoke a week after the United States enacted a massive financial sector reform bill in late July about the potential effects on the project finance market...

Under Construction in Time for a Treasury Cash Grant?

Britain Moving to Establish a Green Investment Bank

The new UK coalition government confirmed soon after taking office this summer that a green investment bank will be established...

The Chinese Have Arrived

Part of the discussion at an annual global energy conference that Chadbourne hosted this year was around Chinese efforts to break into the US wind and solar sectors...

Electricity Storage: What’s The Potential And When?

Five CEOs of electricity storage companies, each of which uses a different technology, participated in a panel discussion about the outlook for the storage market at the Chadbourne global energy c...

A Better Opportunity?

Many US wind companies are starting to look at developing solar projects in the United States at the same time that the more established US solar companies are more focused on opportunities outsid...

US Tightens Sanctions Against Iran; Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010

New tighter US sanctions against companies doing business with Iran took effect in July and apply not only to US citizens and companies, but also to many foreign companies...

What Happens If the US Ethanol Tariff Expires?

Brazil has temporarily reduced its import tariff on foreign ethanol to zero until the end of 2011 in a move aimed at provoking the United States into letting its ethanol import tariff expire as sc...

Brazil Will Need Massive Capital for Infrastructure

Brazilians go to the polls on October 3 to elect a new president...

Environtmental Update - September 2010

The federal government moved closer in August to regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions by regulation, without waiting for Congress to act.

IN OTHER NEWS

Equipment Leases

Equipment leases will have to be put on balance sheets under a proposal the two accounting standards boards released in mid-August...

Tax Credits and NEPA

A lawsuit will test whether power projects that are awarded federal tax credits become subject to the National Environmental Policy Act...

In-Bound Acquisitions

In-bound acquisitions of US businesses with potential national security implications by foreign investors have run into trouble on average 14% of the time since 2006...

Capital Gains

Capital gains may be hard to claim on sales of projects, including in tax equity transactions...

A Disguised Sale

A disguised sale led to a huge tax bill for a paper company. The company is in bankruptcy. The US Tax Court found in August that the company failed to report a gain of $524...

India

INDIA is taxing foreign law firms on their fees for legal advice to Indian clients, even if the work is done outside the country.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts ruled that the state sales tax does not apply to wind turbines, towers and foundations. The state sales tax is 6.25%...

Florida

Florida told a gas utility that offers rebates to customers as an incentive to buy energy efficient appliances that it only needs to collect sales taxes on the net price it charges for the applian...

Street Lights

Street lights can be depreciated over seven years, the US Tax Court said in late July...

A Transaction Was a Lease

A transaction was a lease despite a fixed-price purchase option. A couple leased a truck from a Ford dealer for fixed monthly payments over a 48-month lease term...

Minor memos

The IRS analyzed in an internal legal memorandum made public in July when a foreign corporation that owns an offshore wind farm, drilling rig or supply vessel on the outer continental shelf off the US coast ...