Project Greenlight: Clean Energy Projects Move from Concept to Construction for Rural & Tribal Communities
The Inflation Reduction Act and other federal programs provide much of the funding currently available for clean energy projects. This funding is largely in the form of tax credits, loan guarantees, and grants/subsidies. Accessing these funds requires a complex approach that leverages multiple funding sources and can require obtaining private loans to finance them.
Project Greenlight aims to provide tools and technical assistance to rural communities and Tribal Nations to create and implement the complex funding plans often required for clean energy projects. Our goal is to develop a “full-service” hub, built to move planned projects from concept to construction.
“Project Greenlight was created to help rural communities and Tribal Nations access and secure funding needed for community energy projects. Currently there are numerous barriers, particularly limited capacity, technical assistance, and pre-development support for rural communities. This initiative seeks to change that so rural communities and Tribes can secure their energy futures.”
HOW IT WORKS
Rural or Tribal partners identify and assess clean energy projects in their communities and share those projects with our Funding Hub, which consists of staff at SNW and Craft3, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) based in the Pacific Northwest.
The Funding Hub assists in developing a funding plan to address project financing needs, considering sources such as tax credits, grants, rebates, in-kind contributions, and loans – as well as future revenue generated from the project.
Next, the Funding Hub assesses technical assistance needs for the funding plan and coordinates a timely way to deliver that assistance to project leaders in the community.
The Funding Hub and community partner jointly launch and implement the plan, and stay in close communication to adapt to current circumstances and needs as they arise.
Our community partners currently include the Burns Paiute Tribe in Eastern Oregon, Lake County Resources Initiative in Southern Oregon, and Wallowa Resources in NE Oregon. Each of these partners has a demonstrated track record of planning and developing clean energy projects that deliver community benefits. We hope this Funding Hub partnership helps capture more federal funding to implement these important projects.
As this project grows, so will our partnerships and projects. If you have questions about Project Greenlight or would like to share your community energy project goals with us, please contact Nick Burnett, Energy Policy Manager, at nburnett@sustainablenorthwest.org.
