RE-volv partners with Trisolaris, LLC to expand solar energy access to hundreds of U.S. nonprofits.
RE-volv, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, has partnered with Trisolaris, LLC to expand solar energy access to hundreds of U.S. nonprofits by 2021. Community-serving organizations including schools, homeless shelters, and places of worship can now access a new solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) offering that requires no upfront costs and potentially delivers 15% or greater savings immediately.
"This partnership will allow for a rapid expansion of solar to small and medium-sized nonprofits across the country by combining the field expertise of RE-volv, with the financial investment capacity of Trisolaris," said Andreas Karelas, RE-volv founder and Executive Director.
The partnership addresses a significant market gap: approximately 1.5 million U.S. nonprofits face barriers to solar financing because they lack sufficient tax appetite to claim federal and local tax credits. Through PPAs, a taxpaying entity like Trisolaris covers upfront system costs and claims available credits, then sells generated electricity to the nonprofit at locked-in, utility-rate-independent rates.
"From the ability to hand out more vegetables at a food pantry to providing new learning supplies at an after-school program — solar enables nonprofits to empower more community members," said Michael Ferrante, Trisolaris CEO.
RE-volv's Solar Ambassador Program trains college students and community volunteers nationwide to identify nonprofits and discuss solar benefits. Currently, over 120 students from twelve universities across eleven states serve as Solar Ambassador College Fellows.
To date, RE-volv has signed solar leases with 25 nonprofits across 8 states, representing 316 kW of installed capacity. This deployment eliminates over 14 million pounds of atmospheric CO2 — equivalent to planting 6,000 acres of forest — while generating over $1.5 million in electricity bill savings for 36,000 constituents.