Climatize is helping expand community solar in Minnesota and Illinois by financing projects before they reach construction — a phase that is typically expensive, high-risk, and difficult for developers to fund through traditional lenders.
For everyday consumers, community solar offers a simple solution to access clean energy. Rather than installing rooftop panels, renters and homeowners can “subscribe” to a shared solar site and receive long-term savings on their electricity bills. These large installations, often spanning the size of several soccer fields, feed power into the local grid and allow subscribers to benefit from stable, lower rates for years.
The model has continued to grow in popularity. In 2024, community solar saw a 35% jump over the previous year, adding 1.7 GW of new capacity in the U.S.
One platform accelerating that growth is Climatize, a crowdfunding marketplace that lets everyday investors support solar projects with contributions as small as $10. The company has helped fund millions in community solar development, including a series of new projects in the Midwest through Enterprise Energy, a developer building solar sites across the country.
Enterprise Energy has collaborated with Climatize to finance pre-construction costs, raising more than $600,000 for early-stage expenses such as permitting, environmental studies, and engineering — costs that are difficult to secure loans for because they carry more risk.
Climatize’s impact has helped the developer move forward with three projects in Illinois and five in Minnesota, ranging in size from 6 to 30 soccer fields. Enterprise focuses heavily on serving low- and moderate-income households (LMI), especially in states that reward developers for bringing affordable clean energy to vulnerable ratepayers.
As a developer incentive, Minnesota’s Low- and Moderate-Income Accessible CSG Program and Illinois’ Illinois Shines initiative provide higher compensation to community solar operators that help LMI residents access stable, affordable power — a protection against fast-rising utility rates.
Enterprise Energy’s co-founder and Climatize partner emphasized how the financing has helped solar installations materialize at fair rates. Climatize offered funding at roughly 10% interest, compared to what could be double the cost from traditional lenders due to early-stage risk.
Once projects are fully approved and built, community solar becomes one of the safest investments in energy infrastructure, typically financing at around 7%. Enterprise expects to return investor funds within about 12 months of commercial operation, and plans to raise an additional $4 million through Climatize for future installations.
Their mission, as described by the company, is to expand reliable, affordable power for everyday Americans. They even use a playful motto to emphasize their promise to investors: “A Lannister always pays his debts.” The company wants to be recognized for reliably developing strong projects while “the ability to pay back loans” remains at the core of its identity.
Climatize, meanwhile, continues to build a model where small contributions can make a big difference in clean energy growth. As the company positions itself as an accessible financing hub for renewable infrastructure, it reminds potential supporters that investments always carry risks, but also that community members have a unique opportunity to help bring new solar power online.
Originally reported by Scott Cooney in Clean Technica.
