Solar Finance Fund - Unlocking Solar in Central Appalachia

While the number of commercial solar projects has been steadily increasing across the country, Appalachia lags behind. The Appalachian Solar Finance Fund (SFF) was launched in late 2021 to catalyze growth in the commercial and industrial solar sector across the central Appalachian region. Could the SFF validate that, if the economics and policy improved, then demand would increase? And if demand increased, would it increase enough to create additional permanent jobs in the region?

The program is still getting off the ground, but the early indications to those questions are YES and YES! Many fantastic projects across multiple states have been approved by the SFF, and the diversity of these project types is nothing short of amazing:

• Projects in KY, OH, VA, and WV are underway or already completed. TN and NC…let’s get some projects moving!

• Commercial entities represent both non-profit and for-profit structures. These are organizations such as schools, farms, humane societies, community and event centers, churches, etc.

• Projects range in size from $20k to $1M+

• Some projects will be owned by a third party (e.g., a PPA or similar structure), while others will be owned directly by the end user

• Funding criteria has spanned from a flat 26% of the project cost (replacing the irrelevant federal tax credit due to unfriendly federal and state policies for non-profits) to a workforce apprenticeship program, with many other creative structures in between

The Solar Finance Fund will continue to evaluate funding opportunities on a rolling basis. If you have questions about the program, contact the program lead, Autumn Long (autumn.long@appvoices.org).

Note: Conductor Solar co-founder and CEO Marc Palmer serves as the Financial Review Advisor (FRA) for the SFF. His role is to help validate opportunities and ensure the approved project economics warrant a grant from the SFF.