Clean energy deployment across the DMV is at a pivotal moment. Energy demand is surging, prices continue to rise, and federal policy uncertainty is reshaping the market. The projects moving forward are the ones built for this environment. Those that combine private capital, technical assistance, and public programs to get solar and battery projects financed and built across residential, commercial, and mid‑market segments. Across the region, aligned public‑private partnerships are turning clean‑energy ambition into real megawatts on the grid.

This DC Climate Week event, Built for This Market: Financial Partnerships That Are Scaling Clean Energy, co‑hosted by Climate First Bancorp and the Montgomery County Green Bank, puts those partnerships front and center. A mission‑driven depository bank, a fintech lending platform, and public green banks are working together to deploy capital faster, reduce friction, and expand access, especially for low‑ to moderate‑income communities. Through a single interest‑rate buydown program alone, $9.4 million in clean‑energy projects were connected to the grid across 234 homes in 2025, with 22% serving LMI households demonstrating how partnership‑driven models can deliver both scale and impact.

The event will feature two panels focused squarely on execution and deal flow across the DMV clean‑energy value chain. The first panel will highlight how installers and lenders are pairing technical assistance with tailored financing to originate, structure, and close projects more efficiently. Panelists will share what is reducing friction today, improving bankability, and helping residential and commercial projects reach customers faster.

Panelists:

• Dema Headley, SVP, Director of Digital Banking, One Ethos
• Rokas Beresniovas, Head of Partnerships & Business Development, Montgomery County Green Bank

The second panel will focus on the segment where demand is high and capital structures make or break projects. Sitting between small‑scale commercial projects and utility‑scale development, mid‑market solar and storage can deliver megawatts quickly when capital, policy, and development align. Developers and state‑level innovators will discuss how layered capital stacks—combining public programs, concessional capital, and private debt—are moving these projects from development to construction.

Panelists:

• Hana Freymiller, SVP | Director of Energy Project Finance, Climate First Bank
• MCEC
• Virginia Department of Energy

Across both panels, the focus will be on what is working now: how deals are being structured, how partnerships are shortening timelines, and how capital is being deployed to turn opportunity into execution. The event will conclude with refreshments and breakout conversations designed to deepen relationships, surface new opportunities, and identify practical next steps.