Law360, New York ( January 11, 2016, 3:40 PM EST) -- Despite the low price of oil throughout the year, 2015 may have been an inflection point for renewable energy as a competitive generation source in the United States. Deutsche Bank has noted that renewable sources, like solar, have reached, or will soon reach, grid parity with fossil fuel sources in many states. As nonfossil energy has become more economically viable, the industry has responded by standardizing and streamlining project processes, and by accessing financing vehicles like yieldcos and public bonds. Despite growth, the past year has also been a tumultuous one full of unexpected developments and policy shifts including the COP 21 agreement and the Clean Power Plan, and the formation of intriguing grassroots coalitions, like the green tea party. All of these developments were, of course, set against the specter of a potential step-down of the investment tax credit, and its surprising last-minute revival. The following is a breakdown of some of the major developments impacting renewables in 2015....