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We heard some pretty rational thought and conversation about climate change and about energy on NPR last week, on Science Friday.

Planners will enjoy the story and interviews about the American military's work to save money by energy efficiency. And also to save lives: A retired general spoke about saving $1B and many American lives by vastly reducing the number of shipments of fuel/energy to troops in the field. Fewer trips, less cost and fewer American's killed by attacks during the dangerous trips.

The other segment was on Americans and Climate Change and brought together a recent report from the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication at Yale University and Representative Bob Inglis (R-SC). No one yells at anyone else. It's a nice discussion.

 

Writing in Business Officer, Michael Philips and Lee White show us how it is still possible, even in the face of the financial crisis, to fund alternative energy projects. Their subheads are: Clean Renewable Energy Bonds, Governmental Purpose and Private Activity Bonds, Endowment Fund Loans, Private-Sector Tax Incentives, Performance Contracts, Renewable Energy Hedge Agreements, Power Prepayments, and Financing Energy Security.

Across the United States, an increasing number of higher education institutions are pursuing large-scale renewable energy projects, in some cases as part of their commitment to achieving carbon neutrality under the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org). While many projects benefit from some grant or gift funding, very few are funded exclusively this way.

So, where does the rest of the capital come from? What financing structures are available to institutions that want to install solar, wind, geothermal, or biomass systems that can generate a sizeable share of their campus energy needs? And, how can costs be lowered by structuring deals with private investors? What follows is an overview of some of the more common and emerging financing sources and structures for campus renewable energy projects.