Smart Money Is Still on Solar — and Trusted Partnerships
- Solaris Energy
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Investment Models Rooted in Shared Values and Operational Expertise
On 6 acres in Fort Collins, Colorado, a pollinator habitat featuring native plant species thrives beneath a ground-mounted solar tracker system. The 2,700-panel system produces 1.8kWh of electricity annually, feeding the energy directly into the local power grid to power 250 homes in the city. This Solinator Garden project came to life as part of a long-term partnership between the our team at Solaris Energy, the builder and fellow Certified B Corporation Namaste Solar, and a Colorado State University professor and landowner, with a trust in each other and a vision to tie together bringing affordable renewable energy to people of all income levels and promoting environmental health on the same plot of land.
As a project in Solaris Energy’s own hometown, the Solinator Garden has been a special development that showcases the creativity that can enter a project and investment structure when trusting relationships form the foundation. As we enter 2026, the Solinator Garden project has an exciting new long-term partner: Solaris Energy and a private family office have entered into a co-ownership investment partnership for the Ace II Portfolio, which includes the Solinator Garden alongside five additional operating solar projects.
The projects in the Ace II Portfolio are located on sites across the country, including Colorado, California, Vermont, and Arizona, with a total size of approximately 2.3 MW. All six projects have commercial offtakers, including municipalities, commercial clients, and community groups. The solar arrays have been operational for at least 5 years, with well-established, stable operating profits.
“Solaris built and has been operating the Ace II Portfolio projects since their inception, so we know how to keep the portfolio performance optimized,” says Jes Rawley, Solaris Energy Chief Financial Officer & Co-Owner. “We invested in these assets because of their proven, contracted returns, and because bringing operating assets onto our balance sheet sets us up to be trusted and valuable partners for additional opportunities with interested investors in the future. We are actively developing relationships where we have a shared vision, and where we have built trust to get creative with our partnerships and investment opportunities together.”
The Ace II Portfolio is a significant milestone in strengthening and further stabilizing Solaris Energy as a co-investor for future similar projects. “Solaris plans to have a minority ownership in all new solar projects developed, but will always need other investors to come alongside us,” Jes says. “This is a strong setup for investors because we have agency to perform, we are highly experienced and knowledgeable on what the main drivers of profit and loss are in operating a solar project, and because we’re one of the investors, we’ll be laser-focused on acting in our — and, thus, our co-investors’ — best interest. We take concerns for monitoring the portfolio, including maximizing production and decreasing costs, off our co-investors’ plates. They can trust that they can rely on our experience.”
The successful purchase of Ace II Portfolio with Solaris as a co-owner marks one of multiple milestones for Solaris and the solar and storage industry as a whole through a period of national transition and uncertainty. While news about the future of the solar industry has seemed negative, from our perspective and based on our monitoring of market response, the transition to affordable solar energy is clearly continuing to strengthen.
“While new reports have announced concerns over the loss of federal funding and loans to support solar and renewable energy development, in reality, the federal government has lent about 30% of a project's price. The other 70% has already been funded by people who, as a result of market forces, see solar as a way to save money,” Jes says. “We believe that people will continue to make the smart economic decision to invest in solar energy regardless of the role of the federal government. We don’t see losing tax credits or federal government support as the death of the industry by any means. While the shift is requiring quick reactions of the market, we are already seeing the markets snap to and adjust.”
We also see the positive growth directly through our own developments. In addition to the Ace II Portfolio co-investment, in just the last few months at Solaris, we have:
Paid off our first open investment offered to external, individual investors in November 2025, a full six months earlier than expected! After bringing in external investors through the Raise Green platform to invest in Elm Lea Renewable Energy, the project was paid off early, in part because the project was donated to the host, an elementary school. Ultimately, our systems always go back to their hosts as free energy, and at the end of the investment payoff period, the hosts keep the system, free and clear. It was especially rewarding to see this payback happen early for our investors and for the school to benefit from reduced energy costs and continue to do so.
Entered into an agreement with RE Royalties Ltd., which will invest up to $9 million in two of our solar project portfolios. The first portfolio comprises 15 projects, including nine currently under construction, several nearing completion, and six in development, located across California, Maine, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Colorado. The second portfolio comprises nine more projects. Solaris Energy CEO Nick Perugini says, “This unique and innovative capital from RE Royalties puts Solaris Energy in a powerful position to maintain 100% ownership of our project portfolios post-recapture, greatly simplifying solar project finance. In contrast to traditional preferred equity, the royalty structure empowers us to leverage our existing close capital partnerships to fund our rapidly growing project pipeline while preserving compatibility with tax capital and long-term debt to maximize project value for our customers. This accelerates our journey to becoming a full independent power producer.”
Solaris is building long-term, shared-ownership relationships with investors because we have aligned goals — both financial and ethical — for what we want to see in the world.
“We know the energy affordability crisis is a real thing, and we know that solar remains a strong solution for reducing energy costs, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, and making positive returns for investors. Projects like the ones we are developing at Solaris Energy alongside our partners will remain smart, sound investments because we know people and businesses will continue to make decisions in their own economic interests,” Jes says. “Taking control of the energy source and finding a more cost-effective way to produce energy is going to continue to be more attractive and investable — and the sustainable and resilient side of solar makes it one of the most sound, secure, and future-forward investments we believe anyone can make.”