METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GROUPING AND MARKETING CONSUMER PREMISES EQUIPMENT LOANS

• US 20130226763A1
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Clean Power Finance, Inc. (Spruce Power Holding Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Clean Power Finance, Inc. (Spruce Power Holding Corp.)
• Inventors: Kremen, Gary
• Application Number:
  US13/761,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226763A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/16 Displaying of utility pricing or cost
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/34 Smart metering supporting the carbon neutral operation of end-user applications in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/90 Financial instruments for climate change mitigation, e.g. environmental taxes, subsidies or financing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

The techniques introduced here provide a variety of systems and methods enabling grouping and marketing of loans for renewable energy consumer premises equipment (CPE). The techniques introduced here include, among other things, using a computer system to group loans granted to a plurality of consumers for financing CPE into one or more financial instruments. Each loan can be secured against one or more of a power proxy, real property, or a specific CPE. The techniques further include grouping, by the computer, the one or more financial instruments into a multi-class security and securing the multi-class security against payment streams for the loans. The multi-class security can be divided by the computer into a plurality of tranches. Further, the techniques introduced here, include selling an ownership interest in the multi-class security to investors via an electronic exchange.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system including a processor, data associated with a secured power generation equipment (PGE) lease;

generating, by the computer system using the data, a financial instrument linked to the secured PGE lease, the financial instrument having associated principal and interest funded by cash flow, the cash flow generated by underlying collateral associated with the secured PGE lease; and

transmitting, by the computer system, the financial instrument to an electronic exchange for trading.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

issuing the financial instrument to an investor account via the electronic exchange in return for a purchase price.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining a price of the secured PGE lease based at least in part on pricing and consumption data relating to power generated by an associated PGE, wherein the price is equivalent to an amount of the secured PGE lease or a portion thereof.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the underlying collateral includes at least one of:

a PGE associated with the secured PGE lease;

personal or real property on which the PGE is disposed;

or

receivables from the PGE.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

cross-collateralizing the financial instrument, wherein a default on the financial instrument triggers a default on remaining financial instruments.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the financial instrument is at least one of notes and bonds.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the secured PGE lease is at least one of a solar PGE lease and a wind PGE lease.

8. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the financial instrument has a maturity date, wherein on the maturity date an issuer of the financial instrument makes a payment corresponding to the principal to an investor holding an ownership interest in the financial instrument.

9. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cash flow generated by the underlying collateral associated with the secured PGE lease includes:

an interest rate payment on the secured PGE lease; and

a payment derived from power generated by a PGE associated with the secured PGE lease.

10. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein prior to transmitting the financial instrument to the electronic exchange for trading, ownership interest in the secured PGE lease is held by an original lessee or a trust.

11. A processor-implemented method comprising:

Aggregating into a pool, by a computer system including a processor, collateral underlying a first set of financial instruments, the collateral having associated credit risk relating to default or prepayment of power generation equipment (PGE) loans;

segmenting, by the computer system, the pool of collateral into multiple tranches according to the credit risk of the collateral underlying the first set of financial instruments;

creating, by the computer system, a financial instrument corresponding to the multiple tranches, wherein the financial instrument is secured by the collateral in a corresponding tranche.

12. The processor-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the PGE is at least one of a wind PGE, a solar PGE, a biomass PGE, or a hydroelectric PGE.

13. The processor-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

issuing the financial instrument to an investor via an online exchange.

14. The processor-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating payments on the financial instrument using cash flow generated by the collateral securing the financial instrument.

15. The processor-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the issuing includes:

transferring ownership of the financial instrument to a corresponding investor in exchange for a purchase price, wherein the investor is entitled to receive the payments.

16. The processor-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining the payments based on the credit risk of the collateral securing the financial instrument.

17. The processor-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the payments include interest payments and principal payments, wherein the interest payments are determined from one or more interest rates based on an index.

18. The processor-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the interest payments on the financial instrument are made first to meet interest obligations of the financial instrument.

19. The processor-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the principal payments on the financial instrument are made after the interest payment, according to a pre-determined priority.

20. A system comprising:

an exchange server; and

a data repository in communication with the exchange server,

the data repository configured to;

store data related to a PGE lease-backed financial instrument and an associated PGE lease;

wherein the exchange server is configured to;

offer to buy or sell the PGE lease-backed financial instrument in exchange for a price; and

facilitate transfer of ownership of the associated PGE lease to an investor buying the PGE lease-backed financial instrument.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the data repository is further configured to:

store collateral data associated with a collateral asset securing the associated PGE lease.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

an investor component providing an interface for the investor to buy the PGE lease-backed financial instrument.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

a financing component configured to;

determine, based at least in part on pricing and consumption data relating to power generated by a PGE, an amount for the associated PGE lease; and

provide the determined amount for the associated PGE lease to a consumer.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

a consumer component providing an interface for the consumer to request financing to lease or purchase the PGE.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the exchange server is further configured to:

generate the PGE lease-backed financial instrument linked to the associated PGE lease,

the associated PGE lease secured by underlying collateral, wherein the PGE lease-backed financial instrument has associated principal and interest funded by cash flow generated by the underlying collateral,

wherein the interest is payable at periodic intervals and the principal is payable at a pre-determined maturity date.

26. A consumer premises equipment (CPE) financial exchange server comprising:

a computer system including a processor, the computer system having a computer readable medium including instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

generate a financial instrument linked to a solar equipment lease, the financial instrument having a principal and an interest payable to an investor having ownership rights to the financial instrument;

wherein the principal is based on a total value of the solar equipment lease or a portion thereof;

wherein the principal is payable at a pre-determined maturity date, and the interest is payable at predefined intervals of time before the maturity date;

wherein the interest is funded by cash flow derived from operation of solar equipment associated with the solar equipment lease; and

wherein the financial instrument is placed in an online exchange for trading.

27. The CPE financial exchange server of claim 26, wherein the financial instrument is secured by collateral associated with the solar equipment lease.

28. The CPE financial exchange server of claim 27, wherein the collateral includes at least one of:

the solar equipment associated with the solar equipment lease;

personal or real property on which the solar equipment is disposed;

or,

receivables from the solar equipment.

29. The CPE financial exchange server of claim 27, wherein the financial instrument is issued by an issuer that is also a lessee.

30. The CPE financial exchange server of claim 27, wherein the solar equipment lease is purchased by a trust and the financial instrument is issued by the trust.