Renewable Rides Ep 106: Selling Solar Tax Credits: Pricing, Timing, and Deal Structuring with Basis Climate and Conductor Solar
What if your renewable energy tax credits could turn into immediate cash instead of sitting on your balance sheet for years? In this episode, Erik Underwood, Co-Founder and CEO of Basis Climate, and James Coombes, VP of Business Development at Conductor Solar, break down how tax credit transfers are reshaping renewable energy finance and why more developers, businesses, and REITs are choosing to sell their credits instead of carrying them forward.
You’ll learn how the Inflation Reduction Act opened the door to simplified credit transfers, how pricing typically works (including discounts and transaction costs), and why timing can dramatically impact the value of your deal. We also explore what buyers look for in underwriting, the risks around recapture and IRS compliance, how small and mid-sized credits differ from large utility-scale transactions, and when it makes sense to sell versus retain credits.
What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode:
- What a tax credit transfer actually is.
- How the IRA changed clean energy finance.
- Why businesses sell credits instead of keeping them.
- How transaction costs impact net proceeds.
- IRS registration requirements and timing rules.
- What underwriting buyers require.
- Recapture risk and indemnification basics.
- Minimum credit sizes that make sense to transact.
- How REITs structure tax credit sales.
Resources in Today's Episode:
You can view a video of the conversation on VECKTA's website here: https://tinyurl.com/3brvzx2h