Accomplishments
See what our members and us have achieved.
2023 Member Accomplishments
Check out some of the achievements of our members in 2023.
Blacks in Green (BIG) received awards from US EPA and Bezos Earth Fund
Read the press release.
Plus, hot-off-the-press: the Illinois Power Agency just approved (December '23) - with top scores - the ambitious new community solar plans of Green Energy Justice Cooperative (GEJC), a consumer-owned clean energy coop launched by Blacks in Green (BIG) and core partners. The plans - aimed at lowering the energy burden of Black, Brown, and other low- and moderate-income (LMI) beneficiaries without access to and/or control of a rooftop, such as renters, condominium owners, and homeowners with unsuitable roofs - include the development of three industry-scale solar projects at 3 MW DC each, totaling 9 MW of solar power. The estimated value of this renewable energy credit award is $12.5M.
Four PSEF Members were among the 25 Department of Energy Community Power Accelerator Prize's winners in Round 1.
Congratulations to PSEF Members Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña, Blacks In Green/Green Energy Justice Cooperative, People United for Sustainable Housing ("PUSH") and SAGE Development Authority!
PSEF member Native Sun played a lead role in this year’s creation of Minnesota’s Tribal Energy Advisory Board (complete with a full-time staffer and $3M of state support)
This is a first in the nation for tribes having a voice in statewide energy planning. Native Sun is also driving the radical energy and economic transformation of Red Lake - one of the country's most unique and isolated indigenous reservations, home to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.
A 20 MW community solar development will provide clean energy to the town and sell to the state's department of transportation – the first tribally-owned VPPA (Virtual Power Purchase Agreement) and the first tribe-to-state agency project in the nation. Furthermore, Native Sun’s energy sovereignty aspirations are drawing on the federal IRA funds to enable clean transportation via electric vehicles (10 already on order), the installation of 3 charging stations, and an electric shuttle - enabling also workforce training programs. Read more about this incredible work. Watch the video.
Article: 100% clean energy makes Oregon more livable for everyone
Here's an excellent article (November ‘23) co-authored by Candace Avalos, Executive Director of PSEF member VERDE in Portland, Oregon.
Founded in 2005 to serve the area’s low income and communities of color, Verde is a key partner in the Oregon Just Transition Alliance and was a founding coalition member of the groundbreaking $50M Portland Clean Energy Fund.
People Power Solar Coop and Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF) Make Waves at the Sunny Awards
The Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar proved to be a big win for two members of PSEF’s network, People Power Solar Coop and Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF). The Sunny Awards, which were held on January 19th, are an initiative of the National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) Annual Summit, a coalition of community solar stakeholders keen on making community solar more accessible.
Cooperative Energy Futures’ Faribault Community Solar Project in Minneapolis, Minnesota was one of five $10,000 grand prize winners. Grand prize winners were determined by an external panel that reviewed eligibility requirements and used a pre-set set of scoring guidance to make final prize determinations.
People Power Solar Coop walked away with a Meaningful Benefits Category Special Recognition award to acknowledge its unique innovation in developing and executing a community ownership model.
Both organizations work diligently to transform the community solar space with equity and accessibility as their guideposts, and were among 50 overall finalists up for the Sunny Awards. People’s Solar Energy Fund is proud to have them as part of our member network. Join us in celebrating their big wins!
Ho'āhu Energy Coop Leading Hawaii’s First Two Community-Owned Solar Projects
People’s Solar Energy Fund is excited to share that our member Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai is working alongside Hawaiian Electric to spearhead Hawaii’s first two community-owned and designed solar and battery projects.
The projects, Kualapuʻu Community Based Renewable Energy Project and Pālāʻau Community Based Renewable Energy Project, will be the first on Moloka’i to offer community-based renewable energy (CBRE). According to Hawaiian Electric’s January 12 press release, the projects could meet “over 20% of Molokai’s energy needs and serve an estimated 1,500 households on the island.” This 20-year initiative has the potential to transform the community’s relationship with CBRE — not only will CBRE be accessible to many Moloka’i residents for the first time, but they’ll see a reduction in energy bills and in the island’s carbon footprint long-term.
PSEF is proud to have played a small part in supporting Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai as they moved through the bidding process for these projects.
Read the official press release. To learn more about Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai, visit their website.
Cleveland Owns Publishes Case Study
PSEF Member Cleveland Owns published a case study detailing their progress towards advancing energy democracy and community-owned solar in Ohio.
The case study, which can be downloaded here, details how Cleveland Owns explored and mitigated challenges, absorbed lessons learned, and made strides toward building out their first solar array.
'23 PSEF Year-End Letter
Highlights of PSEF’s work in 2023 from the letter:
- Built three BIPOC-centered capacity-building programs that are thriving
- Painstakingly crafted two vital member services (an affordable solar insurance program and a credit guarantee cost savings vehicle)
- Movement for Solar Capacity and Leadership participants visited Minneapolis’ George Floyd Square during the September 2023 program kick-off
- Close to sealing the deal on a new and significant capital investment from a major foundation
- Secured substantial operating dollars to enable a bold, great leap forward in our network’s unique niche of community-owned solar
- Submitted two applications – in coalition with allied sister organizations – for accessing some of the substantial federal climate remediation dollars that should begin flowing by next summer
PSEF's 2022 Year In Review
Read 2022 Annual ReportConnecting Members to Capital
A core component of PSEF’s work involves securing capital for member projects. This includes directly connecting members to non-extractive financing partners and securing capital for PSEF to invest in projects. In 2022, PSEF assisted a member in securing sponsor equity funds for a project with a pipeline of 10 MegaWatts (MW) reaching the finance-ready or operation-ready stage. PSEF also continued to build relationships with tax-equity investors interested in investing in a portfolio of projects. However, challenges tied to the investors’ requirements and the pandemic’s interruptions of the global supply chain significantly slowed deal closures. Going forward, PSEF will continue to build partnerships with aligned investors and funders for project financing and build internal financial infrastructure for members to access some of this critical capital through PSEF.
Lending Activity & Funding Pools
Through assessing member needs, it became evident that while several members required significant pre-development loans, others were not at the stage where debt was appropriate for driving meaningful community-led project development. In these cases, funds for early-stage organizational support and community organizing were most appropriate. PSEF is working to ensure that its offerings bridge the resource gaps that often prevent projects from taking off, stagnate, or fail. To this end, a portion of the pre-development loan pool was carved out for early-stage mini-grants and an innovation fund pool will be developed to provide more flexible early-stage funds to support communities innovating in project structure, ownership models, and maximizing overall community benefit. Together with the existing pre-development loan pool, increased movement in project development is anticipated.
Loan Guarantee Pool
2022 saw the legal formation of the People’s Solar Energy Cooperative (required for investments) and the securing of a $5MM loan guarantee from the Community Investment Guarantee Program (CIGP), both vital catalysts for our members’ growth.
Shared Services and Insurance for Member Projects
In 2022, PSEF not only continued providing legal support for state-enabling legislation and technical assistance for project needs but also explored shared insurance products, resulting in the first insurance aggregation pool, benefiting 11 member projects.
Mini-Grants to Meet Early-Stage Needs
Recognizing the uphill battle of small, community members to undertake even the preliminary organizing steps prior to a pre-development loan stage, PSEF converted $50,000 of its loan capital mid-year to offer mini-grants to members, extending nearly $15,000 by the close of 2022.