In Vermont, a Solar Company Committed to People and Place
Partner Profile: Carrie Fenn and Mike McCarthy of SunCommon
by Liam Davidson
Committed to People and Place—that’s how SunCommon, one of our most valued partners, describes their approach to solar development. Operating since 2002, SunCommon is an Amicus member and B Corporation committed to expanding access to clean energy in Vermont and New York. It’s an approach that resonates with one of Sunwealth’s guiding philosophies—that a better energy future requires building inclusively, democratizing access to solar project by project. As the SunCommon team puts it, “Communities powered by clean, local solar energy is the goal – and how we get there matters.”
A few weeks back, I had the chance to sit down with Carrie Fenn and Mike McCarthy from SunCommon. Carrie, a commercial Solar Project Consultant, and Mike, a senior commercial Solar Project Consultant, have partnered with the Sunwealth team to build a handful of projects in Killington and Winooski, Vermont with more opportunities in the pipeline.
The conversation was a wind-ranging one—over the course of it, we talked a bit about their backgrounds, the work we’ve done together, and the future of the solar economy in Vermont and New York. I hope you find the excerpts below interesting and informative.
(The 102kW rooftop solar installation on the Killington Public Safety Building, Killington, VT)
Liam: Could you tell me a little about yourself—your own background, how you got involved in the industry?
Carrie: I’m originally from Southern California, and I’ve been in Vermont since 1994. It’s a wonderful state, with great people and such an amazing outdoor culture. I was a small business owner in Vermont for over 25 years. I started this pretty cool coffee house in Burlington called Muddy Waters. After that, I owned a little country store in Charlotte. After I sold those two stores, I was somewhat happily semi-retired.
Then, the 2016 election happened. I called SunCommon the very next day to talk about installing a residential solar array. My husband and I felt we needed to do something to counteract what we assumed was going to be a four-year assault on the environment. We went solar with SunCommon and had a great experience, and I really believed in their mission and the idea that they were using their business as a force for good. I ended up reaching out and applying for a community organizer position, and I’ve just continued on from there.
Mike: Well, I grew up in northwestern Vermont, and after college I’d gone away to California for a few years. I moved back home to be closer to family and to just, frankly, get back to Vermont. Around that time my brother and mom and I bought a bakery in downtown St. Albans. Now one day a SunCommon Organizer named Dan came into the bakery, and he was working on the launch for this new solar company in Franklin County. When Dan decided to move out of state a few months later, he encouraged me to apply for his job. Using a community organizing model to market solar and to build a movement of people who share our values just seemed like a really cool opportunity. And so in 2013, I joined the SunCommon team, back when I was also serving my first term in the Vermont House of Representatives.
(Carrie Fenn, Commercial Solar Project Consultant)
Liam: So Carrie, having gone from a SunCommon customer to a SunCommon employee, maybe you could tell me a little about the company’s mission and values as you’ve seen them?
Carrie: When I first started doing my research as a customer, what stood out to me was SunCommon’s focus on breaking down the barriers that stand in the way of getting more people going solar. At SunCommon, we’re a market-driven solution to combat climate change. I’ve found when I talk to folks about ‘going solar,’ at first they’re motivated by the economics of the project, and by the end, they’re just as motivated by the environmental impact. That’s pretty cool.
But on a personal front, when I started at the company, what really stood out to me was that they were living those same values. They take really great care of us as employees on so many different levels. It’s just a great place to work. And I get to live my values with my job- I drive a company-owned electric car, I work in a net positive building. That’s a wonderful benefit.
Liam: That’s awesome. Now Mike, how have you found balancing your responsibilities at SunCommon with your role as a State Representative?
Mike: Yeah, so the Vermont legislature works a bit differently in that it’s a part-time citizen legislature, that only meets in January through May. So during that period, it’s a lot—I’m working six-plus days a week in one way or another trying to balance my responsibilities as a solar guy and a public servant. But SunCommon and its leadership have been just so supportive of the work I’m doing. To have that support from an employer is something I don’t take for granted.
Liam: Could you tell me a bit about the work you’ve done with Brooklynn and Marcel on the Sunwealth team? You’ve completed two projects in Killington, and are working on one in Winooski, correct?
Carrie: One of our owners, James Moore, met Jon [Sunwealth’s CEO] and the two agreed SunCommon and Sunwealth needed to work together. We had an opportunity to work with the Town of Killington to solarize their municipal operations and this was a great project to dive in with. From my perspective, it’s great to be able to go to a nonprofit or a municipality and say, ‘look at this mission-driven investor who can bring all of this capacity to the table.’
(Rep. Mike McCarthy, Senior Commercial Solar Project Consultant)
Working with Brooklynn and Marcel has been amazing. Just the level of detail, the level of consideration—it was a top-notch experience. There just aren’t enough words to thank Marcel and Brooklynn for being so good at their jobs and so easy to work with.
Mike: Well, so Killington really wanted to go solar from a values perspective. Like many municipal partners, a 3rd party financing option is attractive because they receive the benefits of clean energy without the upfront capital; so we worked with them to identify these two project sites.
We’d been talking to Brooklynn and Marcel about another possible project, and mentioned these opportunities. It was just one of the smoothest 3rd party relationships I’ve ever been on. There was just a real synergy, openness, responsiveness. There just wasn’t that sand in the gears when either of us had a question, and that’s sometimes something you run into working with out-of-state- 3rd parties.
Liam: This has been awesome. Carrie—could you leave me with the thing that most excites you about your work every day?
Carrie: Well first—and I hope this doesn’t sound too cheesy—but it really does feel like I’m doing my part to have a positive impact on the future. I have grandkids, and I want to leave a world that’s better for them.
Liam: Carrie, Mike, thanks for taking the time today! And good luck heading into these busy last few weeks of the year!
To learn more about how Sunwealth makes project financing easy for our developer and installer partners, please visit our website.
Liam Davidson is an Associate at Sunwealth, and is passionate about building a cleaner, more equitable future for all of us to share. Outside of the office, Liam enjoys getting out for a row or a bike ride.