Office of the Superintendent of Schools
Office of Finance and Operations
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Approval To Participate In Clean Energy Funding Elective Pay
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The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) Campaign that engages public sector building owners across the municipal and state governments, universities and colleges, schools, and hospitals (MUSH) market and other market stakeholders to expand and enhance the use of ESPC to achieve significant energy, environmental, and cost-saving benefits. The goal is for participants to collectively achieve $1 billion in measured and verified savings by 2030.
Through DOE technical assistance, peer knowledge, sharing, and recognition, the ESPC campaign works with partners to:
• Increase awareness of the benefits of using performance contracting to increase efficiency, modernize public buildings, reduce utility expenses, and meet lead-by-example goals;
• Share and leverage practical resources to build ESPC knowledge and expand ESPC accessibility across the MUSH market;
• Amplify and implement best practice approaches for ESPC projects and programs; and
• Demonstrate impact with measured and verified savings.
Elective pay, also known as direct pay, is a new tax credit opportunity that allows K-12 public sector organizations to get a direct payment of clean energy tax credits and results in modernizing renewably powered and energy efficient buildings and equipment for K-12 public sector organizations.
By electing to participate in elective pay to receive direct payment of clean energy tax credits, K-12 public sector organizations will have clean energy investments that enable healthier, more comfortable indoor environments; enhance progress towards sustainability goals; can improve efforts to attract and retain students; and free K-12 public sector organization funds that can be used to support organizational priorities.
After January 1, 2025, the Energy Investments Tax Credit for Specific-Tech to Tech-Neutral will go into effect that will result in changes for §48 Investment Tax Credit (ITC).
The old §48 ITC is the Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credit that allowed for a six percent credit amount to be applied towards technology that had fuel cell, solar, geothermal, small wind, energy storage, biogas property, microgrid controllers, and combined heat and power properties.
The new §48 ITC is the Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit that will allow for six percent of qualified investments to receive a credit amount to be applied towards an investment in facilities that generate clean electricity from renewable sources and qualified energy storage technologies. This tax credit may be applied to projects that begin construction and are placed in service after 2024.
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THIS ITEM DOES NOT ESTABLISH, MODIFY, OR DELETE BOARD POLICY.
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RECOMMENDED: That the School Board approves participation in Clean Energy Funding Elective Pay, effective December 11, 2024, and grants the superintendent the authority to take the necessary actions for participation in the program.