Leasing is sure to happen sooner or later. My bet is sooner, but it's important for the LISEIA membership to formulate an opinion we can represent to LIPA whio is the only roadblock to leasing being available on LI.

I know that solar City and SunRun have been pressing for leasing to be allowed, and they won't stop until it is. Is this a good thing, or do you fear what leasing might represent.

What say all of you.

What is LIPA opposed to regarding the allowance of leasing?

LIPA's basic objection to leasing is that there exists the possibility that the customer would not make their payments forcing the leasing company to "reposses" the system, which LIPA would have rebated and not gotten their benefit from.

There are others who say that leasing support will not be available to the majority of contractors and the national leaseing firms, who are well practiced in the subject will come in and wipe out the existing solar contractor community.

I believe that the path that we as an organization are trying to pave through pushing for legislation on incentive structures like SRECs, FITs, etc., ultimately lead to the inevitability of third party ownership (leasing, PPAs). That being said, while we are working under a rebate structure there is certainly legitemate cause for concern that LIPA's budget could get "sacked" by larger 3rd party players entering the game (or perhaps even a well positioned contractor or two already amongst us) and gobbling up the traunches.

I have always believed that we should keep as much control as possible over the way this industry develops by getting out in front of these issues now, while we have the platform to do so, through our influence at LIPA, NYSEIA, NYSERDA, and politically, in decisions that effect us all, such as 3rd party ownwership, incentive structure, quality control, licensing, etc..

On the issue of 3rd party ownership, perhaps we can examine the rebate traunches, see where there is room to develop more business, and propose a very tightly governed 3rd party ownership program carve out that pays the rebate to investors over a period of time, rather than all at once. This could ensure that the systems will remain tied to LIPA's grid at least for that period of time that the rebate payments are being distributed. The limited nature of the program would possibly allow us to experiment with this concept and detemine its future while simultaneously keeping most of the nationwide firms away, because they are likely looking to expend their efforts where there is wider investment potential for them.

Just my 2 cents worth.

This residential leasing discussion was very good at our last meeting.

If a committee is formed to strategize the LISEIA position I would like to participate.

Maybe there is some alternate solution that can benefit the homeowner, support the local LISEIA contractors but diminish the interest of the major national contractors.

What about a Residential Feed-In-Tariff?

This could be a pure production based approach that would reward better performing systems while avoiding 3rd party ownership.