Financial Modeling & Advisory Services

Understanding the relationship between cost-drivers, annual energy output, Federal and state incentives, the market value of production, and financing requirements is critical to successful clean energy project development.

Through customized tools and deep market knowledge, the Sustainable Energy Advantage (SEA) financial advisory services support informed decision-making and foster effective communication in preparation for clean energy project financing and related asset transactions.

Whether you need a new model, enhancements to an existing one, or vetting of assumptions, SEA’s financial modeling and advisory services will fill the need faster and more cost-effectively than doing it yourself – giving you comfort that you haven’t missed any important revenue, cost, or tax-oriented dynamic and enabling you to focus on revenue-generating activities.  SEA’s models have been vetted and deployed by dozens of market participants and projects across the US.

Sustainable Energy Advantage offers both project- and portfolio-based financial pro-forma modeling tools in support of detailed screening analyses of clean energy assets. Model customizations and enhancements, as well as strategic research, development of or vetting of key assumptions, custom analysis, and due diligence are provided on a consulting basis upon request.

Financial models are available for unlimited license:

• Simple Screening Model: Annual, single owner, defined capital structure.
• Detailed Feasibility Model: Quarterly, ownership options, tax equity, sculpted debt.

Explore Financial Modeling Tools in the SEA Store

SEA’s financial modeling tools are available off-the-shelf in the SEA Store — so you can access these powerful screening tools at any time. Choose between:

• Annual Model – Best for high-level project evaluation and strategic planning. This simple, yet robust, financial model provides annual project-level after-tax cash flows and assumes a single equity sponsor monetizes both cash and tax benefits.

OR

• Quarterly Model – Ideal for projects requiring detailed, transaction-level screening. This screening model includes more granular inputs than the annual summary screening model and provides quarterly cash- and tax-oriented returns for both sponsor and tax equity participants (under either time-based or yield-based partnership flips) and allows for maximum sustainable debt at the project level, if desired.

Browse and purchase the financial model that matches your project’s level of complexity and analysis needs directly in the SEA Store HERE.

SEA and our clients have successfully used SEA’s financial pro-forma models to support:

• Analysis of commercial-scale wind projects in multiple regions across the US
• Development of a clean energy investment strategy for a private equity group
• Investment due diligence for solar and wind projects throughout the Northeast
• Financing of a portfolio of commercial solar assets in California
• Analysis of a 50+ MW solar installation in the western US
• Analysis of a nationwide portfolio of distributed wind assets
• Evaluation of a 20 MW fuel cell installation (outside the US)
• Financing of distributed fuel cell projects in New York
• Feasibility of dozens of distributed wind and solar projects throughout the Northeast
• Development of cost-based incentive programs throughout the Northeast
• Other small and large-scale renewable energy developments across the country

You may also know us as the architect of NREL’s CREST model…

SEA developed the industry standard Cost of Renewable Energy Spreadsheet Tool (CREST) for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. CREST is designed as a simple, peer-reviewed and transparent tool intended to facilitate stakeholder (i.e., state policymakers, regulators, utilities, developers, and investors) discussions and decisions on setting cost-based incentives.   Versions of the CREST models for Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Anaerobic Digestion and Fuel Cell installations are publicly available at the link above.  Please contact SEA for a quote on customization to fulfill your specific need. Prior customizations include: additional technologies; additional expense detail; customer-centric “dashboards,” and bulk-processing capability to run large volumes of scenarios quickly.