This new partnership will help nonprofits go solar

Our Project of the Year for 2017 was one such project.

CollectiveSun, the only company dedicated exclusively to helping nonprofits and tax exempt organizations fund solar projects, is teaming up with EnergySage, an online comparison-shopping marketplace for solar. This collaboration creates a powerful new solution that allows nonprofits and tax exempt entities to seamlessly navigate the solar purchasing and financing process.

The CollectiveSun-EnergySage partnership removes the hurdles that nonprofits and tax exempt organizations have historically had in both financing their solar panel installation and in locating high quality, pre-screened solar installers. Now, nonprofits and tax exempt organizations will all be able to take advantage of solar energy.

CollectiveSun has revolutionized funding for nonprofits and tax exempt organizations by providing a prepaid power purchase agreement (PPA). This proprietary financing method allows the company to utilize solar tax benefits that would otherwise be lost and pass the savings onto the nonprofit buyer in the form of a 15 percent reduction in the cost of a new solar panel system. CollectiveSun also offers assistance and a variety of methods to help provide the upfront capital for its prepaid PPA, including a proprietary CrowdLending campaign.

This innovative financing model will now be available to nonprofits and tax exempt organizations that register on EnergySage. Backed by the U.S. Department of Energy, EnergySage is the country’s largest online comparison-shopping marketplace for solar, and each year matches thousands of nonprofits with its network of over 500 vetted solar companies. EnergySage’s impartial information and competitive bidding platform helps solar shoppers make more informed decisions and save up to 20 percent on their solar installation costs.

“CollectiveSun is always looking for ways to deploy more solar,” said Todd Bluechel VP of Marketing and Sales for CollectiveSun. “The CollectiveSun-EnergySage partnership was formed to help broaden and strengthen both companies’ ability to deploy more solar and even though this partnership is a win-win for both, it’s particularly beneficial for the 1.5 million nonprofits nationwide who have been seeking ways to afford solar.”

“Installing solar panels is a great way for tax exempt organizations to reduce operating costs and simultaneously benefit the environment,” said Aaron James, Vice President of Network Partnerships at EnergySage. “Whether you run a school, food bank, church, or other mission-based organization, the EnergySage-CollectiveSun partnership offers a new way to make an even larger impact by switching to clean, renewable energy. We’re up and running and actively accepting new registrations.”

To get started, nonprofits and tax exempt organizations can head here for more.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://solarbuildermag.com/news/this-new-partnership-will-help-nonprofits-go-solar/]