Renewables.org
Renewables.org is a nonprofit crowdfunding platform that enables individuals to make 0% interest loans starting at $25 to finance commercial solar installations across India and Africa. Investors are repaid monthly over five years, with the organization reporting that each dollar invested creates up to 5.5x the carbon impact of comparable US solar projects.
- Clean Technology
- Financial Technology
- Energy
Funding
Founders
Founder details are not available yet.
Product
Problem
Solar energy remains dramatically underfunded in the Global South, where grids are more carbon-intensive and energy demand is surging, yet most climate capital flows to lower-impact projects in wealthy countries. Traditional climate finance and ESG models often fail in frontier markets, leaving high-impact solar opportunities without access to affordable capital.
Solution
Renewables.org applies a crowdfunding model to distributed solar projects across the Global South. Individuals make 0% interest loans that are pooled in the Renewables Fund and lent to vetted solar developers in India and Africa, who deploy the funds to install solar on commercial sites such as universities, factories, and warehouses. As these projects generate and sell clean energy, they repay the fund over a five-year period, and investors receive their money back monthly, allowing capital to be recycled into new projects. The nonprofit claims that each dollar invested creates up to 5.5x the carbon impact of a comparable US solar investment, driven by more carbon-intensive local grids, lower construction costs, and greater solar resource potential.
Target Audience
Individual retail investors in the US and other wealthy countries who want to direct their capital toward high-impact climate solutions, as well as values-driven donors seeking an accountable, tangible way to support Global South solar development.
Features
- Online platform allowing individuals to invest as little as $25 into no-interest solar loans
- Pooled investment structure through the Renewables Fund, lent to vetted solar developers in the Global South
- Monthly repayments to investors over a five-year term, enabling capital recycling
- Project selection prioritized by carbon avoidance potential per dollar invested
- Transparent tracking of carbon impact, with investments creating up to 5.5x the carbon impact of US solar projects
- Focus on commercial rooftop and distributed solar installations at universities, factories, and warehouses