Built for This Market: Financial Partnerships That Are Scaling Clean Energy

Description:

Clean energy deployment across the DMV is at a pivotal moment. Energy demand is rising, prices are climbing, and shifting federal policy is reshaping the market. The projects advancing today are those built for this environment: those pairing private capital, technical assistance, and public programs to get solar and storage financed and built across residential, commercial, and midmarket sectors. Across the region, public-private partnerships are what's turning clean energy ambition into real megawatts on the grid.Built for This Market: Financial Partnerships That Are Scaling Clean Energy, co-hosted by Climate First Bank and the Montgomery County Green Bank, puts these partnerships at the center of the conversation. Their collaboration across the renewable energy ecosystem — including an interest rate buydown program that deployed $9.4 million across 234 homes in 2025, 22% of which served low‑to moderate‑income households — is a clear example of what’s working right now. This partnership provides the jumping off point for the event’s broader discussion across two panels that will explore how coordinated private capital, public programs, and technical assistance can speed deployment, cut friction, and deliver real impact.

Event Program:

Panel 1 will examine how installers and lenders are pairing technical assistance with tailored financing to originate, structure, and close projects more efficiently. Speakers from Climate First Bank, OneEthos, and MCGB will share what’s reducing friction and improving bankability across residential and commercial markets.Panel 2 shifts to the midmarket segment, where capital structure determines whether projects move from development to construction. Climate First Bank and public finance partners will discuss how layered capital stacks—combining public programs, concessional capital, and private debt—are enabling solar and storage projects to scale quickly.

The event concludes with refreshments and breakout conversations to deepen relationships, surface new opportunities, and identify practical next steps.

About

Climate First Bank

Founded in 2021, Climate First Bank is the world’s first FDIC-insured, full-service, digital community bank founded to combat the climate crisis. Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Bank operates nationally, delivering ethical climate finance elevated with technology. The Bank is operationally carbon neutral, members of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, a registered Public Benefit Corporation, and remains the only FDIC-insured bank in the U.S. that’s both a Certified B Corporation and a 1% for the Planet member.

OneEthos

Founded in 2022, OneEthos is a financial technology (fintech) company dedicated to accelerating the delivery of sustainable, inclusive financial services across all communities. With proprietary technology and cutting-edge digital tools, OneEthos has fueled Climate First Bank’s national expansion, transformed its operational efficiency, and now equips other community financial institutions to also become both high growth and high impact. OneEthos is a Certified B corporation and a registered Public Benefit Corporation.

Montgomery County Green Bank

The Montgomery County Green Bank is a publicly chartered 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation dedicated to accelerating energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean energy investment in Montgomery County, MD. Montgomery County Green Bank partners with the private sector to provide more affordable and flexible financing options for County residents and businesses for clean energy and climate-resilient projects. These projects save energy, lower greenhouse gas emissions, create healthy living and working environments, foster a more resilient economy and environment, and help the County achieve its environmental goals.DC Climate Week is not responsible for this event. It is organized by the organizing group, and being listed on the DCCW calendar is not an endorsement of content or partners.