#272: RE-volv Leverages Crowdfunding To Light The US With Solar

July 30, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1DbErmL. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Andreas Karela is on to something. And people are lining up to support his work. Andreas explains, “RE-volv connects community-serving organizations seeking ways to finance solar projects with community members looking for ways to take action on climate change and support clean energy in their community.” “While 91% of Americans support solar development, solar produces less than 1% of the country’s electricity. RE-volv’s main goal is to involve as many people as possible in building a clean energy future, empowering people to solve the climate crisis by taking collective action locally,” he adds. Andreas reports, “RE-volv’s three solar projects to date have been crowdfunded by nearly 1,000 donors from 38 states and 22 countries. This shows that people everywhere are eager to support a revolving fund for community-based solar energy.” “After winning the OpenIDEO Renewable Energy Challenge, RE-volv received a $50,000 grant from the 11th Hour Project of the Schmidt Family Foundation which will be used exclusively to fund solar projects. The funding will be used to match RE-volv’s crowdfunding efforts dollar for dollar, allowing RE-volv supporters to double their impact,” he continued. “When RE-volv has financed 200 solar energy projects, the lease payments from those projects will build a new solar project every month without needed to raise another dollar,” he conlcuded. Please consider whether a friend or colleague might benefit from this piece and, if so, share it.