On Tuesday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ended their radio silence nine weeks after sending cryptic letters warning lenders against permitting the use of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) — but it wasn’t the follow-up PACE advocates were hoping for.

That’s how Grist writer Jonathan Hiskes began his article about the document posted below: a “clarification” of the quasi-governmental home mortgage programs’ position on how to deal with PACE-financed solar homes.

Fannie and Freddie’s official position is, in a word, “Don’t.”

New rules: A little upside, a lot of downside

Rooftop solar panels

There’s slightly more to it, but nothing that changes the thrust of their earlier warnings. The only upside in the new letter is the part that grandfathers in existing mortgages for homes with PACE-financed solar panels. Several advocates of PACE financing have been working to keep the successful program alive within Fannie and Freddie, including the Vote Solar Initiative. Hiskes reviews some of those efforts in his Tuesday article.

For now, however, the outlook for the very successful program does not look good. With financing being the major hurdle to homeowner adoption of clean renewable energy such as solar, a blow to PACE is a blow to a clean energy future.

FHFA & PACE -

Keep those solar roofs coming

And now a word to solar advocates in Arizona from our friends at the Vote Solar Initiative:

It’s officially scheduled: early this afternoon your legislators will vote on whether to extend one of Arizona’s most important solar policies. Can you take just a few minutes of your lunch hour to help send solar bill HB 2700 across the finish line?

Send them a quick email by clicking here.

Or if your boss isn’t looking (or likes solar too), a telephone call works even better. Just tell them you support HB 2700 and hope they’ll do the same. You can find your Senator’s contact information here.

A quick reminder of what’s at stake: As a part of the effort to build a renewable energy economy in Arizona, the state has seen fit to provide some tax incentives for solar. Unfortunately, these benefits are due to sunset. HB 2700 would extend key solar tax incentives — specifically, sales tax exemptions (TPT), commercial and industrial tax credits, and exemption from increased property tax valuation.

The bill already passed House, so this afternoon’s Senate vote is the only thing standing between Arizonans and continued strong solar energy growth. As you may know, senators have not been very friendly to tax bills this year, so please do what you can to help send HB 2700 across the finish line.

Speak now or forever hold your peace.

For more information about this and other state solar initiatives, visit The Vote Solar Initiative website.

Solar California

If you live in California — or know someone who does — this message is for you.

States have been called the laboratories of democracy. Programs that might be great often need to prove themselves locally, before being adopted on a national level. They need a track record. For decades, California has frequently been the nation’s environmental laboratory. The Clean Air Act, to name just one example, was born in LA.

Solar California

The Golden State has been a pioneer in developing solar policies to power the nation with clean, renewable energy. One of the most successful programs to speed adoption of solar in California is net metering. It’s a simple, but potent, idea. It allows people with solar systems to be credited for the excess electricity they produce and send back to the grid.

But there’s a catch: net metering has a cap. Once net metered customers supply 2.5% of utility peak load, new solar systems owners aren’t compensated for excess electricity.

AB 510: Raising the cap

Now, there’s a bill pending in the California Senate to raise the cap on net metering to 5% and help keep solar growing: AB 510.

The California-based Vote Solar Initiative has created a Web page that makes it easy for California residents to sign a petition online and have it sent immediately to their Senator.

If you’re a California resident, it only takes two minutes to support clean, renewable energy. All you have to do, is go here and sign in.

Please do it right away. Don’t let the sun set on solar power and the green jobs that come from it.