RE-volv Leverages Crowdfunding To Light The US With Solar

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.

On Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 2:00 Eastern, Andreas will join me for a live discussion about his efforts to increase solar using crowdfunding. Tune in here then to watch the interview live. Post questions in the comments below or tweet questions before the interview to @devindthorpe.

More about RE-volv:

Twitter: @RE-volv

RE-volv is a nonprofit organization with a mission to empower people and communities to invest collectively in renewable energy. Through crowdfunding, RE-volv lets individuals who support clean energy chip in a few dollars to help create solar powered communities around the United States.RE-volv provides solar financing to community-based nonprofits and cooperatives around the country without access to traditional solar finance. These organizations save money on their electric costs while paying RE-volv back through a 20-year lease with interest. The lease payments are reinvested in a revolving fund, the Solar Seed Fund, which continually finances community-based solar projects. Over time, each dollar donated to an individual solar project will help finance two or more solar projects in other communities. We want to see people-funded renewable energy in every community across the country. That’s why we started this pay-it-forward model for solar energy: so every donation can go further, build more solar, and strengthen more communities around the United States.

Andreas Karelas

Andreas’s bio:

Andreas Karelas is the founder and Executive Directer of RE-volv, a nonprofit organization that finances solar projects for community centers with a revolving fund raised through crowdfunding. Andreas is a dedicated renewable energy advocate with over ten years of environmental and renewable energy nonprofit experience. Andreas incorporated RE-volv as a nonprofit organization in February 2011. Prior to founding RE-volv Andreas worked with a number of leading organizations including the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), the National Audubon Society, blueEnergy, and the Center for Resource Solutions. Andreas holds Master’s degrees in International Affairs and in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He is a 2013 Audubon Toyota TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Fellow. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the Local Clean Energy Alliance.

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