Benefit Corporations (B-Corps) & Other “Good Vibe” Corporate Structures

It used to be that if you wanted to start a corporation and the end goal was not to maximize shareholder value (or other typical corporate goals), you’d start a not-for-profit corporation.  That’s no longer the case. Now in New York (and at least six other states) you can form a Benefit Corporation (a “B-corp”) which has other purposes besides making money.  There are also other strategies you can use in a for-profit company to give it more of an egalitarian feel.  We’ll discuss below. Read more

Power Purchase Agreements a/k/a “PPAs”

A power purchase agreement is an arrangment between usually two parties – the host and a services provider – whereby the host allows the provider to install a renewable energy system on its property and agrees to purchase the power generated by the system for a specific time frame, usually around 20 years.  The host does not own the system.  PPAs are used for solar and wind installations, with solar being the most prevalant by far.  I have heard that geothermal transaction of this type was is in the works, if not done already.  The power created by the system is used by the host, who has the right to sell any excess power created above and beyond the host’s needs to the local utility.

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