Photovoltaic (PV) systems may meet many of the important criteria to be considered real property — a status that could make them eligible for easier financing — a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, contends.

The NREL report, “The Technical Qualifications for Treating Photovoltaic Assets as Real Property by Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs),” points out that PV systems aren’t meant to be moved — thus arguably achieving the threshold of “permanence;” and don’t involve mechanical energy — thus possibly meeting the criteria for “passiveness.” Those are two of the criteria that could gain PV status as “real property,” similar to houses or railroad tracks, as opposed to personal property, such as bulldozers or trains.

via Photovoltaic Systems Share Characteristics of “Real Property” | Renewable Energy News Article.