“Applicant” means, for the purposes of Article 2 (commencing with Section 26060), a public agency as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of Section 5898.20 of the Streets and Highways Code, or an entity administering a PACE financing program on behalf of and with written consent of a public agency, and, for the purposes of Article 3 (commencing with Section 26070), a financial institution providing a loan pursuant to that chapter to finance the installation of distributed generation renewable energy sources, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, or energy or water efficiency improvements.