In my previous blog (published August 2023), What Local Decision Makers Should Know about IRA Tax Credits for Electric Vehicles, I outlined how local governments and other tax-exempt entities can now access Clean Energy Tax Credits using Direct Pay (aka Elective Pay). The new and revised tax credits, which are part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), include several to support EVs (electric vehicles) and EV charging infrastructure investments.
One important distinction is that the infrastructure tax credit is only accessible in census tracts that meet the federal designation of “low-income” or “non-urban.” As I explained in my previous post, “To qualify, a property must be within non-urban census tracts or low-income communities (the poverty rate is at least 20 percent, or the median family income does not exceed 80 percent of statewide median family income).”
Since that blog was published, the federal government has issued updates to clarify how to take advantage of the tax credits and, most importantly, understand which census tracts qualify for the charging infrastructure credits.
New Forms To Pre-Register For Using Tax Credits
In December 2023, the Treasury Department released the new Pre-Filing Registration Tool for accessing Direct Pay tax credits. This is the registration and documentation that eligible non-tax paying entities such as state, local, and tribal governments, rural energy coops, and other eligible nonprofits, will need to do prior to using tax credits for EVs or EV charging infrastructure.
New Rule Makes Charging Infrastructure More Widely Accessible
The IRA created an EV charging infrastructure tax credit that covers upwards of 30% of infrastructure costs up to $100,000 per charging station. Initially, there was confusion about the Section 30C tax credit (Charging Infrastructure Credit) because it defined qualifying census tracts as either low-income or “non-urban.” However, the U.S. Census Bureau only identifies census blocks rather than tracts as “non-urban.” On January 19, 2024, the Treasury Department issued guidance that clarifies which census tract/blocks qualify for the credit. The new definitions give broad eligibility to low-income and non-urban areas meaning about ⅔ of the U.S. population now qualify for the credits.
New Map Helps Visualize what Census Tracts Qualify
The Department of Energy (DOE) then followed up with the 30C Tax Credit Eligibility Locator, a mapping tool that allows users to see what tracts qualify. The mapping tool will allow both tax-paying entities, such as consumers and businesses, and eligible non-tax paying entities to identify where in their communities charging infrastructure can be cited to qualify for the EV charging infrastructure tax credits.
Upcoming Office Hours for Elective Pay Applicants
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is hosting upcoming office hours that are available for all Direct (Elective) Pay applicable entities. This is to assist with the IRS Energy Credits Online pre-filing registration process. Upcoming office hours and links to register are below:
January 26, 2024 1-2 PM EST Register Here
January 30, 2024 1-2 PM EST Register Here
February 2, 2024 1-2 PM EST Register Here
February 6, 2024 1-2 PM EST Register Here
February 9, 2024 1-2 PM EST Register Here
To receive any future announcements on IRS office hours and for updates on Direct Pay generally, sign up at IRS.gov/newsroom/e-news-subscriptions by scrolling down to the “Tax exempt & government entities” category.
Resources from IRS
Additionally, the IRS has detailed resources to help users navigate the pre-filing registration process from start to finish, including this how-to video and this comprehensive user guide.
The IRS website on Direct Pay has a series of educational one-pagers for each direct pay applicable entity, a list of applicable tax credits, and an extensive list of FAQs.
Doing More in 2024
The additional IRS Direct Pay guidance, resources, and assistance will make applying for and using the EV charging infrastructure tax credit easier. The tax credit is designed to support the growth of publicly available chargers in low-income communities and non-urban areas, making it more affordable to install EV charging infrastructure and increasing access to EV charging in underserved communities.
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy’s Electrify the South program leverages research, advocacy, and outreach to accelerate the equitable transition to electric transportation across the Southeast. Visit ElectrifytheSouth.org to learn more and connect with us.
The post Clean Energy Tax Credits Clarified with New Rules and Tools appeared first on SACE | Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
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New ACORE Investor Survey Report Kicks Off 2026 Finance Forum
New York City, NY – A new report from ACORE shows that clean energy investors and developers largely plan to increase their investments in 2026 but cite policy, regulatory, and interconnection uncertainty as the biggest risks to their investment strategy after this year.
In its Navigating Uncertainty: Clean Energy Investment Trends (2026-2029) report, ACORE shares market sentiment analysis gathered from surveys of 36 leaders at U.S. and multinational companies that invested billions in the U.S. clean energy market in 2025.
Topline takeaways from the report include:
- Respondents identified federal regulatory and policy risks and interconnection uncertainty and costs as the top risks facing clean energy investments.
- Capital providers continue to view utility-scale solar and energy storage as the two most attractive clean energy technologies for investment.
- Despite declining attractiveness of the U.S. as a venue for clean energy investment compared to previous years, respondents said they plan to develop and finance more American clean energy projects in 2026 than they did in 2025.
- Policy and investment uncertainty clouds the trajectory post-2026, with the potential for additional roadblocks to financing and developing clean energy infrastructure.
This report complements the Clean Energy Investment Trends report released last month that S&P Global prepared for ACORE.
“ACORE’s recent reports highlight a common thread: the U.S. clean energy sector remains capitalized and ready to help deliver electricity reliability and affordability for American consumers,” said ACORE President and CEO Ray Long. “Our sector is thriving and poised to meet this moment of significant electricity demand growth, but investors and developers need policy certainty to deliver on this critical infrastructure for American energy security.”
ACORE released the report at its annual Finance Forum in New York City today and discussed the takeaways during the opening panel with ACORE Senior Vice President for Policy Lesley Hunter, Avangrid CEO Jose Antonio Miranda, and S&P Global CERA Consulting Director Christopher Wilfong.
Please email communications@acore.org if you’d like to view the recording of the first panel or set up an interview with ACORE about the report. Register here to tune in to the other panels.
ACORE will host a member-only webinar to discuss both reports on May 21, 2026. Learn more about becoming an ACORE member here.
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About ACORE:
ACORE is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that operates at the intersection of affordability, reliability, and clean energy deployment. Our work is focused on stabilizing energy prices, strengthening the electric grid, and driving investment in cost-effective technologies to ensure that clean energy delivers for people, businesses, and the U.S. economy.
ACORE’s membership includes clean energy investors, developers, energy buyers, power generators, manufacturers, and energy providers. In 2024, nearly 80% of the booming utility-scale domestic clean energy growth was financed, developed, owned, equipped, or contracted by ACORE members.
Media Contacts:
Chris Higginbotham
higginbotham@acore.org
Sophie Stover
communications@acore.org
The post New ACORE Investor Survey Report Kicks Off 2026 Finance Forum appeared first on ACORE.
https://acore.org/news/new-acore-investor-survey-report-kicks-off-2026-finance-forum/
As shown at left, we still have judges who are fighting to prevent the United States from becoming a fascist nation.
I remain amazed that there aren’t more deaths associated with masked ICE agents attempting to arrest people, especially in their homes. Imagine this:
An American, say John Doe, has a loaded shotgun in his home office closet, where he’s writing blog posts, or whatever.
A masked man, visibly armed, with no warrant for his arrest rings the doorbell and tells his wife who’s answered the door, that he’s there for John.
John overhears the conversation, takes his gun, walks down the hallway, swings around toward the front door, and puts a hole in the intruder’s chest the size of a grapefruit.
Again, I can’t imagine why there isn’t more blood spurting out of the bodies of masked terrorist thugs operating illegally.
A reader asks:
Isn’t it time for the Libertarians to cast aside the whole myth of objectivism championed by Ayn Rand? She said we should be realists, so let’s be real and see her for who she really was … a women who when she got sick, and push came to shove, cashed the checks.
To put this into perspective, Ayn Rand:
Was a considerable “thing” in the mid-20th Century. I was one of millions of young people who read “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead,” and accepted libertarianism at the time.
Her way of thinking evaporated, for most of us anyway, when we realized that unbridled greed was eventually going to cause the demise of humankind on this planet.
The actual root cause of this demise was unclear, but as the years passed, environmental collapse became the prime suspect. Rich people obviously couldn’t care less about climate change, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, or desertification.
New ACORE Investor Survey Report Kicks Off 2026 Finance Forum
Q&A: How countries got the global ‘net-zero’ shipping deal ‘back on track’
Cropped 6 May 2026: Forest loss falls | Deforestation regulations | Saving ‘India’s Galapagos’
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