Cohousing-L Mailing List: DYI solution for tax credits?

[David Mandel (dlmandel]

We're looking at installing solar generation on some of our roofs, first on
two carports where EV chargers will live, then if possible on more
sun-favorable roofs throughout the community, in a way that we could all
share the cost and the benefit.
Federal tax credits are available for solar installation, and that works
well enough for individual homeowners who have sufficient income to pay
taxes. But as a homeowner association our income tax burden is negligible.
The typical solution for tax-exempt entities that want to install solar
(say, on the roof of a church or a school) is to contract with specialized
investors who become the actual owners of the system, get the tax credits
... and sell the power to the nonprofit entity at a discount while
retaining a tidy profit as long as the tax credits apply (typically five
years, I'm told, maybe 10 under the new federal legislation that just
passed).
So I'm wondering if there's a way to avoid using such a middle person and
losing out on some of the tax advantages. For instance, what if some or all
of our residents form a partnership or LLC that would operate similarly but
pass on a much larger part of the profit to the community? Has anyone tried
or maybe succeeded with such a plan? Or even if not, do you have some
financial expertise to opine on whether this would be viable?
Thanks,
David Mandel
Southside Park Cohousing in sunny Sacramento