Project funding platform for solar-plus-storage developers and investors launched

EnergyLink’s fund launch addresses an underserved niche for sub-$50 million project funding.

January 10, 2023 Michael Schoeck

Outdoor retailer MidwayUSA's rooftop solar deployment located at its Columbia, Missouri headquarters.

Image: EnergyLink

EnergyLink Decarbonization Solutions (ELDS), a development capital platform for project developers and investors, announced the launch of its funding platform that delivers solutions from permitting to engineering, site design and operations, to project financing.

The financing and development business is operated by EnergyLink, a Columbia, Missouri-based commercial and industrial renewable energy developer. Its project solutions platform, ELDS, will provide capital solutions to solar, battery storage, energy efficiency, hydrogen, renewable natural gas and other industrial energy efficiency projects in middle market applications of $50 million and less in value.

For developers and capital providers, the platform provides turnkey engineering services with capital solutions from a single counterparty. For the development community specifically, ELDS says that it is a one stop shop for accessing capital.

For the investment community, ELDS provides yield-bearing and tax-advantaged sustainable infrastructure investments administered by a team with a deep financial and engineering background. Its management team is rounded out by executives with shared experience at Climate Commodities International and Climate Risk Partners.

The company reports that to date, the soft launch of the ELDS platform has resulted in a project pipeline in excess of $500 million of aggregate projects.

ELDS is accepting capital contributions to its funding platform and onboarding partners ranging from project developers to service providers.

“The creation of a dedicated fund addresses the significant gap between traditional banks and large institutional investors for funding the middle market C&I space and small utility-scale projects,” said Mike Chudy, chief revenue officer of EnergyLink. “We’re delighted to provide access to our ready-to-build project portfolio and comprehensive services, including connecting investors with commercial and industrial organizations seeking ESG solutions to seamlessly fund and construct projects.”

EnergyLink is a NAESCO accredited Energy Efficiency Contractor (EEC) that designs, builds, and funds renewable energy and energy efficiency products for commercial businesses, public institutions, cities, municipalities, and nonprofits. The company was formed in 2010 and reports that it has built over 60 MW worth of projects with offices in Missouri, North Carolina, Texas and Colorado.

EnergyLink was the design-build contractor on a 1.61 MW rooftop solar array for MidwayUSA, a outdoor gear and hunting goods retailer, at its 300,000 square foot headquarters in Columbia, Missouri. The facility is among the largest rooftop solar arrays in Missouri, with EnergyLink managing the project from the initial auditing phase to the engineering, procurement, and construction phases.

EnergyLink designs utility-scale projects in excess of 1 MW power output, and has used modules supplied by JinkoSolar, TrinaSolar and REC Silicon.

The company has used PowerSync, ESS, Iron Edison and Tesla Energy batteries in energy storage projects, while it considers Blink Charging and ChargePoint as partners for EV charging installations.

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