46. Powering Communities, Near and Far
Our 117 kW solar project on the roof of St. James Episcopal Church, a member of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, in Fresno, California.
At the core of Sunwealth’s mission is making a local impact. Our investments in community-based solar projects focus on creating long-term partnerships with developers and installers, and organizations with deep roots and value in the community. These partnerships help us provide meaningful energy savings, emissions reductions, and green jobs to communities, particularly those most often left out of the transition to clean energy. At Sunwealth, we are leveraging meaningful investments to create a concentrated and long-lasting impact in 16 states plus D.C. and are rapidly adding new states to our portfolio.
Making and scaling our impact wouldn’t be possible without our Community Bank investment partners, who, for almost a decade, have played an essential role in financing our projects through tax equity investments. Partnering with like-minded organizations allows Sunwealth to uplift community members’ economic, social, and environmental well-being while forging partnerships with other local businesses and staying consistent with our capabilities and values. Sunwealth, like our bank partners, recognizes that working directly with communities is integral to building wealth, sustainability, and resilience.
Below, we highlight two projects that exemplify the power of our partnerships in developing community-based projects.
Our 18 kW solar project at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tulare, California.
In partnership with Fellowship Energy and the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin in Central Valley, California, we developed solar on the rooftops of four churches in the communities of Fresno, Tulare, Ridgecrest, and Taft. The four projects total 162 kW and will provide $227,000 in lifetime energy savings to the Diocese. In recent years, the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin has focused on the Covenant for the Care of Creation, which calls for loving formation, liberating advocacy, and life-giving conservation in the face of the growing threat of climate change. Through this partnership, Sunwealth has helped the Diocese put the Covenant into practice while generating savings to be reinvested in the congregation.
In Minneapolis, we partnered with local solar developer Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF) and Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, to install solar on the roof of Nicollet Square Apartments. Beacon owns and manages Nicollet Square, one of four apartment buildings in their housing portfolio that provide permanent supportive housing to youth transitioning out of homelessness or foster care. Sunwealth developed a total of seven rooftop solar projects at Nicollet Square, totaling 68 kW, which will provide over $142,000 in lifetime energy savings. In strategically placing multiple systems on the rooftop, Sunwealth maximized its full solar potential and unlocked more savings. The projects will save Beacon nearly 30% on their electric bill.
Our 68 kW solar project on the roof of Nicollet Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Interested in learning more about solar tax equity investing and how it supports similar programs?