Coldwater Solar Hands Out Local Grants

The proposed solar power generating operation in Branch County known as Coldwater Solar hasn’t even won regulatory approval to get development underway. But it is working to create goodwill in the area with what executives say is just the first of many rounds of community support grant funding. The project developers, Apex Energy, and esaSolar are jointly sending checks ranging from $500 to $2,000 to a half dozen community groups.

The two development companies established the community funding to support organizations impacting the residents of Coldwater in the areas of; Building Healthy Communities, Economic Development, Environmental Sustainability, and Promoting Education.

Grant winners include:
Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Foundation Promise Scholarship Program – $2,000
Lakeland Readers are Leaders (Coldwater Schools) – $1,500
Coldwater High School Interact Club – $500
Branch District Library – $1,000
Branch County Habitat for Humanity Inc. – $1,000
Corner Farmer’s Market – $500

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Coldwater community grants are expected to be announced every quarter by the developers. Apex Clean Energy’s Brian O’Shea says, “Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, these organizations continue to do impressive work on behalf of the Greater Coldwater community. We are grateful to be able to support them as they look to expand their work in 2021.”

Project Manager Matt Drennan with esaSolar says the developers wanted to begin making an impact as soon as they could. “Coldwater Solar will be a long-term fixture in the community. That’s why we wanted to do our part to start supporting the community immediately. These grants will help fund important community priorities that will benefit the entire region.”

The Coldwater Solar developers plan to make their bid for regulatory approval within the next few months. The project is anticipated to have the capacity to generate as much as 150MW. That’s enough to power 27,000 average-sized homes.