Sonoma Energy Alliance Foundation
Turning federal clean energy tax credits into local solar and battery projects.
The Sonoma Energy Alliance Foundation is a nonprofit affiliate of Sonoma Energy Alliance focused on grid-support and community resilience projects. Because it's a tax-exempt entity, the Foundation can use a federal program called Elective Pay — sometimes called Direct Pay — to receive clean energy tax credits as a direct cash payment from the IRS, instead of needing tax liability to use them. That lets the Foundation fund solar and battery projects for schools, nonprofits, and public agencies faster, without relying on outside tax-equity investors.
What this means locally
- Faster, more direct funding for community solar and battery projects.
- A focus on capacity-constrained parts of the local grid, where new battery storage creates the most resilience value.
- Support for grant programs like California's DEBA (Distributed Electricity Backup Assets) to help pay for battery storage at qualifying homes, schools, and commercial anchor sites.
Who the Foundation works with
- Schools and public agencies interested in battery backup and resilience.
- Multi-family housing and commercial anchor sites in target areas.
- Homeowners in grid-constrained neighborhoods who want to participate in a grant-supported battery program.
This page describes a program the Foundation may use for its own projects. It isn't tax advice for your organization or household — Elective Pay eligibility depends on entity type and specific circumstances, and you should confirm your own eligibility with a tax professional.
Get Involved
If you're a school, nonprofit, public agency, or homeowner in a capacity-constrained part of Sonoma County and want to explore a grant-supported project, let us know.