About the course

Developed by Inclusiv’s Center for Resiliency & Clean Energy and the UNH Center for Impact Finance, this program introduces community lenders to commercial, multifamily, municipal, and community solar finance. Participants learn the solar development process, regulatory considerations, capital stack fundamentals, underwriting norms, and real deal structures that expand access to affordable clean energy.

This training covers: 

  • The role of solar energy within the broader electricity system, including how regulations and incentives shape commercial opportunities

  • How to assess and collaborate with project developers, and the steps involved in solar project development

  • The fundamentals of commercial solar financing, including the capital stack (debt, tax equity, and sponsor equity) and common capital uses

  • Typical financial projections, underwriting standards, and revenue/expense models for commercial projects

  • Common debt products used in solar lending

  • Underwriting and deal structures for various project types, explored through case studies

  • The special case of community solar and its role in expanding access to low-income families

Course Details & Eligibility

This is a 9-module, instructor-led course with weekly 90-min class sessions. Participants can expend to dedicate 6-9 hours per week to course content and class meetings.

  • Open to:

    All financial institutions with a commercial lending business. (Institutions with no commercial lending program are not eligible.)

  • Participant limit:

    We recommend enrolling in teams of 2. A max of 2 participants per financial institution will be admitted.

  • Tuition:

    $2,000. Inclusiv member tuition: $1,200. Additional discounts may apply for credit unions under $100M in assets and groups. Contact [email protected] for details.

  • Language:

    Offered in English.

Upcoming Cohorts & Registration

Upcoming course dates and cohorts are TBA.

Professional Certification: Commercial Solar Lender Badge

Offered in partnership with the University of New Hampshire's Center for Impact Finance

Successful completion of this rigorous course confers a digital badge from the Center for Impact Finance. This badge can be shared on LinkedIn and is worth 3 hours of graduate-level credit in the University of New Hampshire's Master's in Community Development degree program.
Inclusiv-CIF badge

Course Curriculum

  1. Advanced Seminar in Commercial Solar Lending

  2. Module 0: Pre Work Essentials

  3. Module 1: Assessing Your Opportunities for Solar Finance

  4. The Pro Forma

  5. Module 2: Regulatory Context for the Solar Business

  6. Module 3: The Solar Development Process

About this course

  • Non-member price: $2,000
  • Member price: $1,200
  • Additional discounts available for small CUs and groups

Instructors

Clayton Mitchell

Clay Mitchell is a graduate of VLS where he earned his JD and Master’s in Environmental Law. His doctorate in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies is from the University of New Hampshire. Clay has developed solar and CHP energy projects. His prior experience includes local government, law, and academics as faculty with Vermont Law and Graduate School and most recently the University of NH. He now lives in Asheville NC and works for the City of Asheville.

Andrew Berrier

Andrew Berrier is the General Counsel of Advantage Renewables, a developer of utility-scale solar and energy storage projects. In representing various solar developers and independent power producers across his career, Andrew has worked on projects in every major energy market, ranging from rooftop installations to some of the largest in the United States.