Explore our library of expert-written articles, case studies, and modeling lessons — tailored for renewable energy finance professionals.
In project finance modeling, efficiency and precision are key. Whether you're using a Windows PC or a Mac, mastering the most commonly used project finance modeling shortcuts can significantly speed up...
The renewable energy sector, a rapidly evolving landscape of innovation and sustainability, also presents unique challenges and opportunities in the realm of financing. This in-depth article delves into...
In the renewable energy sector, evaluating project viability and performance hinges on understanding Key Performance Indicators - KPIs for renewable energy projects. These metrics are vital for...
In the evolving landscape of renewable energy, Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) play a critical role. Understanding the nuances between different PPA structures, such as a pay-as-produced PPA and a...
Renewable energy projects depend on federal tax incentives to drive down capital costs and improve project returns. The debate of ITC vs PTC is a crucial one for developers and finance professionals alike....
The U.S. renewable energy market relies on innovative financing tools to unlock the full potential of federal incentives. Tax Equity is one such tool that monetizes federal tax credits and depreciation...
In the world of project finance, accurately modeling financial mechanisms is critical to ensuring the long-term success of a project. One such mechanism is the Debt Service Reserve Facility (DSRF),...
In the evolving landscape of renewable energy project finance, a deep understanding of financing instruments is crucial for both aspiring analysts and seasoned professionals. One such instrument known...
Introduction: What Is an Energy System — and Why Should You Care?What is an energy system? It’s a question that often goes unanswered in many business and finance discussions around electricity,...
Imagine securing a long-term power purchase agreement for a new wind or solar project, only to discover that your actual revenue fluctuates wildly due to unpredictable grid congestion costs and transmission...
Mini-perm ("MP") loans play a strategic role in project finance, particularly for large-scale infrastructure and energy projects. These loans offer a shorter-term financing solution that bridges the initial...
A Letter of Credit (LoC) is a financial commitment issued by a bank on behalf of its client, guaranteeing payment to a seller under specified conditions. Serving as a cornerstone of global trade, it...
A project finance deal is a complex transaction that brings together a diverse array of stakeholders, each playing a crucial role in ensuring the project's success. Whether you're a finance...
A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is a foundational instrument in the energy sector, especially within the realm of renewable energy. PPAs serve as crucial contracts between electricity generators and...
In renewable energy project finance, structuring debt is crucial to optimizing a project's return and attractiveness to investors. Two commonly used financing structures are term loans and revolving...
When diving into the world of electricity, renewable energy, or grid systems, one fundamental distinction often causes confusion: energy vs power. Although many use the terms interchangeably, from a...
This Financial Model User Guide supplements the underlying financial model and video courses by Renewables Valuation Institute.Students and users of the financial model can gain maximum value from using...
The world of renewable energy financing is witnessing a significant transformation thanks to the advent of green bonds. These financial instruments are not only reshaping how investments are made in...
Financial modeling and valuation of a wind farm or solar plant - is the fair valuation simply the price paid for the asset, or do investors view the value of a renewable energy asset differently? When...
Debt sizing with a target debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) is a method used in project finance to determine the appropriate amount of debt financing that a project can support while maintaining a...
The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is a financial metric used in project finance to evaluate the profitability of an investment. It represents the discount rate at which the net present value (NPV) of the...
DSRA stands for Debt Service Reserve Account, which is a financial mechanism used in project finance to ensure that a borrower can make debt service payments on a loan. In a project finance transaction,...
Solar project finance is the process of obtaining funding for the development, construction, and operation of a solar energy project. It involves creating a solar project finance model that outlines the...
Renewable energy project finance modeling is a financial analysis technique used to evaluate the feasibility and profitability of renewable energy projects such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and biomass....
An ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) analyst is responsible for analyzing and evaluating companies or investments based on ESG criteria. The primary goal of an ESG analyst is to determine the...
How to build a financial model in Excel? Building a financial model in Excel can be a challenging but rewarding experience that will enhance your financial modeling skills and set you apart from your...
The Loan Life Coverage Ratio (LLCR) is a financial ratio that is commonly used in project finance to evaluate the ability of a project to generate enough cash flow to repay the outstanding loan balance...
The YEARFRAC function in Excel calculates the fractional number of years between two dates. This function can be useful when dealing with financial calculations or when you need to determine the amount...
In the center of a project finance deal, there is typically a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which is a separate legal entity established solely for the purpose of the project. The SPV is created to...
In project finance, the concept of levered vs. unlevered return refers to the difference in returns when a project is financed with debt (levered) versus when it is financed solely with equity...
The Net Present Value (NPV) is a financial concept used in project finance to evaluate the profitability of a project. It takes into account the time value of money and estimates the present value of all...
The equity payback period is a financial metric used in project finance to measure the amount of time it takes for an investor to recoup their initial equity investment in a project. It represents the...
Building an advanced project finance model in Excel can be a challenging but rewarding experience that will enhance your financial modeling skills and set you apart from your peers. By reading and applying...
Equity Cash on Cash return (CoC), technically defined as the free cash flow to equity over the invested equity, is a financial metric used in project finance to measure the cash income earned on the...
Sources and Uses of Funds: In the context of project finance, sources of funds refer to the various means by which a project can raise capital, while uses of funds refer to the different capital, financing,...
The MATCH function in Excel is used to find the position of a value within a range of cells. Here's how you can use the MATCH function in Excel: Arguments: · ...
In a tax-related context, an interest barrier is a mechanism used to limit the amount of tax deductions that a company can claim on its interest expenses. An interest barrier provision specifies a...
Guarantees of Origin (GoOs or GOs) are electronic certificates that provide information about the source of electricity generation. They are used in many countries as a means of verifying and tracking the...
Building an advanced project finance model in Excel can be a challenging but rewarding experience that will enhance your financial modeling skills and set you apart from your peers. By reading and applying...
The LOOKUP Function in Microsoft Excel is a versatile function that can retrieve data from a table or range of cells based on a specified value. There are three types of LOOKUP functions in Excel: the...
The OFFSET function in Excel returns a reference to a range that is offset by a certain number of rows and columns from another cell or range of cells. How to use the OFFSET function in Excel? The OFFSET...
What is project finance? Project finance is a financing structure that provides funding for a specific project, typically a large-scale infrastructure or capital-intensive project. In project finance, the...
EPC stands for Engineering, Procurement, and Construction, and an EPC agreement in a renewable energy context refers to a contract between a developer and a contractor in which the contractor agrees to...
Renewable energy refers to energy sources that are replenished naturally and can be sustained indefinitely, such as wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal energy. What exactly is renewable energy? Renewable energy...
In a project finance deal, the seasonality of renewable energy revenues has a significant impact on monthly cashflows. Consequently, seasonality needs to be considered in a best-practice financial model...
AC vs DC - for renewable energies, the difference between AC (Alternating Current) and DC (Direct Current) lies in their respective suitability for different stages of the energy generation,...
The Major Maintenance Reserve Account (MMRA) ensures that during certain operational years with lumpy capital expenditures, a project can be maintained without raising further capital. This requires...
INDEX Function in Excel: Returns a value or the reference to a value from within a table or range. Learn how to apply the INDEX function for financial modeling purposes. What is the INDEX function? INDEX...
NORMINV Function in Excel: Returns the inverse of the normal cumulative distribution considering two inputs - the specified mean and standard deviation. What is the NORMINV function? The NORM.INV function...
Degradation reduces the electricity output of solar panels over time. These losses must be considered when building a financial model for a solar plant. What exactly is degradation? Nowadays, high-quality solar...
Using flags in Excel is a powerful tool for improving financial modeling timelines. Best practice financial models for project finance, such as renewable energy financial models, require a financial...
The debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) determines how much the cash flow available for debt service (CFADS) exceeds the total scheduled debt service, i.e., debt principal and interest, in any given...
The Debt Service Reserve Account (DSRA) protects a lender against an unexpected decrease in cash flow available for debt service (CFADS). The DSRA ensures that the debt provider receives the debt service...
EOMONTH Function - returns the last day of the month, which depends on the number of months before or after a particular start date. What is the EOMONTH function? The EOMONTH function returns the serial...
The Name Manager in Excel is a powerful tool for creating references to certain cells and ranges. Using the Name Manager to create different macros in VBA, i.e., to break circular references, is best...
What's the benefit of using a shareholder loan when financing a renewable energy project? It's simple - saving taxes! Learn how to properly integrate a shareholder loan into a financial model for renewable...
Circular Reference Warning: "There are one or more circular references where a formula refers to its own cell either directly or indirectly. This might cause them to calculate incorrectly. Try removing or...
Goal Seek in VBA: Goal Seek is a handy Excel function that helps to determine the required input value needed to achieve a targeted output value - and this process can be automated using a VBA macro!Goal...
Goal Seek is a handy Excel function that helps to determine the required input value needed to achieve a targeted output value. What is the Goal Seek function? One of the functions of the What-If-Analysis...
How to value a wind farm or solar plant - is the fair valuation simply the price paid for the asset, or do investors view the value of a renewable energy asset differently? When approaching 100 different...
XNPV function - determining the Net Present Value (NPV) of an investment with non-periodic cashflows. What is the XNPV function? The Excel XNPV function returns the Net Present Value (NPV) of an...
XIRR function - determining the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for a series of periodically uneven cashflows. What is the XIRR function? The Excel XIRR function returns the Internal Rate of Return (IRR)...
A financial modeling job typically involves building financial models to support business decision-making. Financial models are mathematical representations of a company's financial performance, and...
Financial modeling interview questions can vary depending on the specific role and industry. However, is it worthwhile to interview for a financial modeling position? Financial Modeling as a Career Choice...
A finance project manager is a professional who is responsible for overseeing financial projects within an organization. They are typically responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of...
A project finance analyst is a professional who specializes in analyzing and evaluating financial data related to large-scale projects, such as infrastructure, energy, or real estate developments....
Building a financial model in Excel can be a challenging but rewarding experience that will enhance your financial modeling skills and set you apart from your peers. By reading and applying the concepts of...
What companies are in the finance field? There is a multitude of companies in the finance field, ranging from large banks to small financial technology startups. Some examples of the largest companies in...
How to consider seasonality in Excel? In project finance, seasonality refers to the impact of seasonal variations on the cash flows generated by a project. This is particularly relevant for projects in...
Excel circular references occur when a formula refers back to its own cell or a cell that directly or indirectly depends on it. Finding and fixing circular references is important because they can cause...
CFADS stands for Cash Flow Available for Debt Service. It is a financial metric that calculates the amount of cash generated by a business or investment after deducting all operating expenses, taxes, and...
Since the end of 2021, electricity prices in Europe are surging to highs never seen before - is it all to be blamed on rising gas prices, or may there be a systemic failure in how electricity prices are...
Bilaterally concluded power purchase agreements ("PPAs") are becoming increasingly popular in the renewables industry; thus, knowing how to model PPA offtake agreements becomes critical. In addition, many...
Sculpted debt according to a target debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) is essential to maximizing project financing and thus equity return. While traditional debt repayment structures like an annuity or a...
How to model P50, P75, and P90 energy yield? When estimating future cash flows for wind or solar investments, forecasting the energy yield is one of the most critical steps in building a reliable...
What are full load hours? First of all, there are 8,760 hours in one year. This is a very important number within the renewables industry. If we go back to our solar plant in California, you might think...
While the units kW and kWh may seem very similar, they are two fundamentally different things, especially when it comes down to modeling a renewable energy investment. Still, many people in the renewables...
