What renewables.org does

Renewables.org, legally Renewables Global Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, that operates a crowdfunding platform enabling individuals to make small-denomination loans ($25 minimum) to distributed solar projects in the Global South. The organization is co-founded and led by CEO Lassor Feasley alongside Chair Premal Shah (founder of Kiva.org), CTO Scott Schwartz, and advisor Ruchir Punjabi. Core products include a Rooftop Dashboard that tracks project-level impact, Auto Invest for recurring contributions, Auto-Redeploy that automatically reinvests repaid principal into new loans, Gift Cards and Rooftop Rewards for viral distribution, and the Donor Edition that allows tax-deductible charitable giving including via donor-advised funds.

The platform aggregates retail contributions into the Renewables Fund, which lends to certified solar developers in India, Botswana, Rwanda, and Burkina Faso at market interest rates of approximately 5-10%, while investors receive 0% interest with full principal repayment over five years. Revenue is generated from the spread between developer lending rates and the 0% rate offered to users, supplemented by philanthropic donations and grants. An open-source Impact Multiplier Calculator is published to standardize solar impact reporting, and partnership channels include Dyme (passive spare-change investing), We Recycle Solar, Distributed Energy, GotNarrative, and employer-matching programs at Microsoft and GitHub. Through 2024 the platform reported ~618 customers, approximately $150,000 in cumulative user contributions, and roughly $24,225 of solar financed across the four operating countries.

Name

renewables.org

Legal name

Renewables Global Inc

Website

https://renewables.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Renewables.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a crowdfunding platform that lets individuals make $25 minimum, 0% interest micro-loans to Global South solar developers with five-year principal repayment, financing projects in India, Botswana, Rwanda, and Burkina Faso.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Crowdfunding Platform

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar Financing, Leasing & Ownership Platforms (Tax Equity, PPA, Securitization) (EUAMABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retail & Community PPAs (Community Solar/Shared Renewables) (EUAGADAC), Community Solar Development & Subscription Management (EUAMAJAA)

Keywords

• Solar crowdfunding platform
• Renewable energy lending
• Micro-investment marketplace
• Global South solar finance
• Climate impact lending

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Interest on loans to developers: Renewables.org deposits user funds into the Renewables Fund, which lends to Global South solar developers at market rates of approximately 5-10%. The interest earned funds Renewables.org's operations.
2. Philanthropic donations: Seed funding from organizations like True Ventures and Yale School of Management. Ongoing donations from individuals and foundations.
3. Donor Edition subscriptions: Tax-deductible version of platform for Donor Advised Funds and large gifts. Allows investment without withdrawal capability, enabling philanthropic giving through existing donation infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

renewables.org operates a non-profit crowdfunding platform that lets individuals purchase fractional ownership ("Panels") in solar installations across Global South communities starting at $25 per Panel. Invested funds are pooled into the Renewables Fund and lent to vetted local solar developers, with households repaying via on-bill tariffs; the platform automatically redistributes these repayments to investors monthly over a five-year horizon. The service is targeted at retail climate investors, philanthropists, and workplace giving participants who want direct, trackable exposure to solar deployment in underserved markets.

Product overview

Renewables.org operates as a single solar crowdfunding nonprofit investment platform with multiple interconnected products and features. The core offering is the Renewables.org Core Platform where users purchase $25 Panels representing shares in the Renewables Fund, which lends to Global South solar developers. Users track their investments on the Rooftop Dashboard and receive repayments in their Wallet over five years. The platform extends its functionality through Auto Invest (recurring subscription) and Auto Redeploy (automatic reinvestment), while Gift Cards enable gifting of solar investments. Donor Edition provides a tax-deductible version for philanthropists and DAF users. Public Rooftop Profiles with Rooftop Rewards enable social sharing and referral bonuses. All funds flow through the Renewables Fund to finance solar projects across India and Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Auto Invest: A subscription-based recurring investment product that bills users via PayPal monthly and credits their accounts with new investments in Global South solar.
• Donor Edition
• Gift Cards
• Rooftop Dashboard
• Auto-Redeploy

Products and services

• renewables.org Solar Micro-Investment Platform A web-based peer-to-peer crowdfunding platform where individuals purchase fractional ownership (Panels) of solar assets in the Global South starting at $25 per Panel, receive monthly repayments over five years sourced from on-bill tariffs paid by local households, and track per-project impact via a public Rooftop Dashboard.
• Auto Invest Recurring subscription service that automates micro-investments into new solar Panels on a regular cadence, allowing users to compound their impact without manual reinvestment.
• renewables.org Gift Cards Digital gift cards sold in fixed denominations ($25, $50, $100, $150, $250) that recipients redeem on the renewables.org platform as fractional solar Panel investments.
• Donor Edition A tax-deductible donation channel for philanthropists and DAF users, mirroring investor offerings but designed for donors who prefer charitable giving over repaid micro-investments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.5x carbon impact multiplier vs US solar investing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DymecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 April 2024Partnership with Austin-based climate tech company Dyme to increase investments in clean energy for India and Africa. Dyme invests profits from its eco-friendly shopping extension (used at 17,000+ stores) into Renewables.org projects. Members receive discounts up to 20% and can purchase gift cards from 600+ brands while supporting solar.
• We Recycle SolarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2024Partnership for Earth Day 2024: We Recycle Solar committed to donate one Panel to Renewables Fund for every 10 solar modules recycled in April. Also enabled Buy One Give One promotion where investors received free $25 gift cards for each $25 invested.
• Distributed EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified Development Partner that builds solar projects funded through Renewables.org. One of the regional solar development partners lending to across the Global South.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Watershed: Enterprise climate platform that helps companies measure, reduce, and report emissions including via high-quality carbon removal purchases; adjacent to Renewables.org as a destination for sustainability budgets and employee climate dollars.
• Patch: API-driven carbon credit marketplace enabling businesses to embed high-quality offsets into products; competes with Renewables.org for climate-motivated retail capital, though via offsets rather than direct solar project lending.

Direct peers

• Energise Africa: Crowdfunding platform focused on solar and clean energy projects across sub-Saharan Africa, raising retail capital from UK and European investors; directly comparable geography, asset class, and minimum-investment size.
• Lendahand: European crowdfunding platform that lets retail investors fund small-scale renewable energy projects in developing countries, mirroring Renewables.org's model of fractional, mission-aligned loans to off-grid and emerging-market developers.
• Kiva.org: Pioneer of person-to-person micro-lending crowdfunding; Renewables.org is explicitly modeled on Kiva's architecture, including Public Profiles, repayment schedules, and reinvestment flows, and shares co-founder Premal Shah.
• SunFunder (Climate Fund Managers): Crowdfunds and structures debt capital for solar and renewable energy projects in emerging markets; competes for the same Global South developer lending mandate that Renewables.org addresses through its Renewables Fund.
• Raise Green (formerly Solar Mosaic): SEC-registered crowdfunding marketplace for community solar and other local renewable projects in the U.S.; comparable retail-investor onboarding, project marketplace UX, and repayment-tracker mechanics.

Emerging players

• Distributed Energy: Renewables.org Certified Development Partner that builds the Global South solar projects funded through the platform; a project developer counterparty that is also thematically a peer in distributed solar finance.
• We Recycle Solar: U.S. nonprofit addressing solar end-of-life recycling that partners with Renewables.org for Buy One Give One campaigns; an adjacent nonprofit solar ecosystem player rather than a direct financing competitor.

Others

• Dyme: Austin-based climate tech app that invests shopping-derived profits into Renewables.org projects; a GTM partner and adjacent retail-climate fintech rather than a direct crowdfunding competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/renewablesorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/renewables-org
• Instagraminstagram.com/renewables_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about renewables.org