Sunwealth

Impact Story

Developing Clean Energy for All

Partnering with organizations that have strong roots in their community allow us to maximize the impact of our projects and expand the benefits of solar power. When Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) in Brooklyn, New York came to Sunwealth looking to install solar across six of their buildings, a values-aligned partnership was born. FAC is a nonprofit community development organization that provides affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. They’re focused on creating stable, thriving, and sustainable communities that drive economic and social justice through programs like workforce development, advocacy, community services, and education.

Sunwealth partnered with 770 Electric and Solar Energy Systems to build 106 kW of rooftop solar across six of FAC’s buildings. The projects will support three lifetime solar job years and deliver clean energy and $150,000 in lifetime energy savings to the organization so that they can continue to provide much-needed services to their community for years to come.

Impact Story

Focusing on Flexibility

Partnering with local developers and installers means the dollars we invest in solar help strengthen regional economies. It also means local boots on the ground to support project success from conception through a productive life of 30 years or more. Our financing helps developers grow their companies, while making solar accessible to municipalities, nonprofits, businesses and individuals unable to monetize solar tax credits and/or obtain other financing for their projects.

SunCommon’s mission is to tear down barriers to clean energy and use their business as a force for good. When the Vermont-based Benefit Corporation (and certified B Corporation) needed a financing partner for two projects on the rooftops of municipal buildings owned by the Town of Killington, Sunwealth was a natural choice. The two projects, totaling 247 kW of clean energy, will deliver $165,000 in lifetime energy savings, reduce 4,600 metric tons of carbon emissions, and create nearly nine lifetime solar job years.

Impact Story

Thinking Beyond Green

Installing solar provides an opportunity to make a building greener, but it is also a chance to give back. Sunwealth uses net metering and low-income community shared solar (LICSS) agreements to extend the benefits of our solar projects to the broader community while continuing to deliver returns to investors and project partners.

Our project at Boston Properties CityPoint in Waltham, MA is a great example of community solar in action. Sunwealth partnered with Boston Properties to install a 614 kW solar system on the top floor of the commercial development’s parking garage. In addition to reducing the property’s carbon footprint and improving its bottom line, the project allows Boston Properties to share the economic benefits with its neighbors. Through a low-income community shared solar agreement, the system will provide $225,000 in lifetime savings to LMI offtakers — enough to provide 52 income-eligible households with meaningful savings on their electric bills. As Ben Myers, VP of Sustainability at Boston Properties, said, “The most impactful projects create additionality […] Adding community solar at CityPoint allowed us to harmonize the environmental and social elements of ESG.”

Impact Story

Solar energy for houses of worship

When prompted to think of what a church looks like, most people imagine sharply pointed spires, tall steeples, and intricate sculptures. If they think of sunlight at all, it’s the image of natural light cast through ornate stained-glass windows, not modern solar panels mounted on a rooftop. However, at the St. Mary & St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Scituate, MA, the passerby can see both.

The congregation, led by Father Pishoy Mikhail, is the latest to benefit from Sunwealth’s initiative to bring solar energy access to houses of worship across New England. The 31-kW rooftop system, installed by Boston Solar, will reduce carbon emissions by 706 metric tons and deliver $40K in energy savings over the lifetime of the project. Houses of worship are increasingly looking to respond to climate change and do their part to mitigate its impact on Earth’s most vulnerable populations. Installing solar panels can serve as a visual testament to this commitment and can influence the entire community to consider their environmental footprint and evaluate how they can make an impact.

“A principle of our religion is to be a guardian of the earth and the environment. We have to take care of the planet and the people on it,” said Father Pishoy. “Exposing the solar panels to our congregation means that people will see them and understand the positive effect they are having on the church and on our community.”

Impact Story

A sense of pride in their community

Whether you’re spending a day or staying for the summer, it’s clear that Cape Cod is a community of neighbors who are proud of their home. Now, residents have one more reason to feel a sense of pride in their community: their local governments have come together to lead by example in the clean energy transition.

Sunwealth partnered with ACE Solar and Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative (CVEC) on solar installations on the rooftops of seven municipal buildings in Cape Cod & Martha’s Vineyard. The projects—including fire stations, a public library, a water treatment facility, and a community center—will generate combined lifetime savings of $1.9 million for Cape Cod communities.

“Our buildings are running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Solar saves the town money and keeps the lights on,” said Philip Simonian, Fire Department Chief, Yarmouth.

But the projects mean more than just financial savings. The solar panels also help make Cape Cod more resilient, an important factor for coastal communities that are vulnerable to rising sea levels and stronger storms brought on by climate change.