How to Invest Directly into Solar Projects & Finance a Clean Energy Future

2 months ago Scott Cooney 0 Comments
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Last Updated on: 1st February 2025, 12:38 pm

Large solar projects are typically financed by big banks. At the other end of the scale, residential solar is financed by a homeowner and potentially just through their solar company or an affiliated lender. But what about the middle of that wide spectrum? It’s the smallish to mid-size-ish projects that can sometimes struggle to find financing, slowing the cleantech revolution.

Recently, I had the pleasure to meet Will Wiseman at Climate Week San Francisco. Will’s got a great smile, endearing mannerisms, and a mission to save the world that has gained incredible traction. His company, Climatize, helps finance these and other kinds of solar projects. The concept is pretty straightforward, but the nuance for the industry is awesome. With just $10 to get started, people can start to help finance solar projects that will displace fossil fuels.

Founded in 2023, Climatize is an SEC-registered impact investing platform that allows investors to fund renewable energy projects while earning up to 10% annually. Climatize has helped to fund millions of dollars worth of solar projects across the United States. It works with dozens of renewable energy developers across the United States to source projects for its platform. The investing platform allows any investor in the United States over the age of 18 to invest in renewable energy projects. Climatize was a finalist in Fast Company‘s 2024 World Changing Ideas list for both the Company of the Year and Impact Investing categories. Climatize is also a 2024 Keeling Curve Prize winner.

During the course of his 10+ years in the industry, Will has had a hand in every function of the solar energy business, including, but not limited to finance, project management & construction where he built 15 solar arrays. He holds two MSc in Renewable Energy Engineering from KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology. Will Wiseman and his co-founder, Alba Forns, are 2023 Forbes 30 under 30 recipients.

In this episode of CleanTech Talk, I got a chance to sit with Will and discuss everything from the impacts this sort of investing can have to the outlook for renewable energy under an administration somewhat, shall we say, uneducated(?) about clean energy.

Enjoy the show!

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Scott Cooney

Scott Cooney (LinkedIn) is a serial eco-entrepreneur focused on making the world a better place for all its residents. Scott is the founder of CleanTechnica and was just smart enough to hire someone smarter than him to run it. He then started Pono Home, a service that greens homes, which has performed efficiency retrofits on more than 20,000 homes and small businesses, reducing carbon pollution by more than 27 million pounds a year and saving customers more than $6.3 million a year on their utilities. Scott wanted to contribute to native ownership of the clean energy revolution, so he gifted Pono Home to a long tenured employee with native Hawaiian roots for just the liquidation value, turning down a mainland company interested in purchasing the company. In a previous life, Scott was an adjunct professor of Sustainability in the MBA program at the University of Hawai'i, a consultant at Saatchi & Saatchi S, where he worked with a team to educate and empower millions of employees to live healthier and more sustainably. He is the author of Build a Green Small Business: Profitable Ways to Become an Ecopreneur (McGraw-Hill) , and Green Living Ideas. Scott is an occasional investor, currently he has investments in Rivian (RIVN).

Scott Cooney has 174 posts and counting. See all posts by Scott Cooney