As the solar energy movement grows and is cultivated, particularly in the private sector, there has been a continuous theme of missed opportunities for businesses, schools and other nonprofits. Contrastingly, the industrial sector has already been extremely quick in adopting solar monitoring systems. With this being said, it isn’t just schools and nonprofits that can find ways to reduce their use of energy, as well as how much they may be paying every month. This could relate to households too. It could be as simple as looking to find the best electricity rates in dallas, for example, to compare deals from different providers. This may make the decision process of finding electricity/energy rates a lot easier. Businesses should also be looking into the benefits of using solar energy, not just households and schools. So if you own a business, why not find a solar energy equipment supplier to help make your business more environmentally friendly. Solar energy is rapidly growing in popularity and you don’t want to be behind!
UVest Solar, founded in January, uses the growing trend of crowdfunding as an investment vehicle for schools, making sure they have an opportunity for solar and clean energy.
Set to launch officially in the fall of 2013, UVest Solar is currently finalizing its crowdfunding portal and the first round of projects with the best investment opportunity for crowdfunding backers. “Our initial focus is on schools because these groups often cannot take advantage of the tax incentives that make solar energy attractive,” says Blue Crump, CEO. “Additionally, schools typically represent some of the highest energy users in communities and provide an impactful opportunity to bring environmental stewardship into the classroom.” UVest, through crowdfunding, seeks to become a top portal for clean energy and socially responsible investing (SRI). “Solar represents only one of the options for a clean energy future, but we envision offering many types of investment opportunities that will have an impact on the communities in which we live,” notes Crump. “Our focus at UVest is to create energy-saving opportunities for the groups that need it most.”
Vest will choose a school and crowdfund their solar energy project through a combination of donated funds from participating families and the community, with a remainder of the funding from community businesses investing in the project. The chosen school, through the UVest mission, gets a solar array that lowers energy consumption for nearly three decades. “We believe that there is a powerful notion associated with dropping off your child at school and knowing that your investment is on the roof, generating clean energy, educating on renewable energy, and earning returns,” Crump says. UVest provides an opportunity for the community, the crowdfunders, to know how their investment is being utilized. “UVest is more than environmentally impactful investing; it’s about investing locally in our own communities.”
The clean energy mission of UVest began and is still headquartered in Richmond. “UVest is the next chapter in changing not only the energy landscape in Richmond, but across the country,” says Crump. “Clean energy has always been a good investment in our communities; now we’re hoping the crowd thinks so, too.”
Blue Crump will officially launch UVest Solar, a portal for clean energy and socially
responsible investing, in fall of 2013. “UVest is the next chapter in changing not only the
energy landscape in Richmond, but across the country,” says Crump.