SolarBank Corporation (NASDAQ: SUUN) (Cboe CA: SUNN) (FSE: GY2) (“SolarBank” or the “Company”), a leader in distributed solar energy, battery storage, and clean energy infrastructure across North America, today announces it is implementing a treasury strategy integrating Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset – inspired by MicroStrategy’s multibillion-dollar Bitcoin strategy and SharpLink Gaming’s Ethereum-driven strategy. To support this strategy, the Company has filed an account opening application with Coinbase Prime (NASDAQ: COIN) to provide secure custody, USDC services, and a self-custodial wallet for its Bitcoin holdings. This strategy unlocks multiple advantages including:
- Financial Resilience: by accumulating Bitcoin, SolarBank hedges against currency debasement and inflation, while enabling access to institutional financing.
- Clean Energy Off-Set: the renewable energy generated by SolarBank’s portfolio of solar power and battery energy storage projects provides an offset against the emissions generated from the energy used to generate Bitcoin.
- Market Appeal: there is significant investor interest in digital tokens, blockchain, AI-driven analytics, and DeFi principles and this strategy exposes SolarBank to a new category of tech-savy investors.
- Competitive Differentiation: As one of the first-movers in blending clean energy with DeFi and Web3, SolarBank stands out among competitors, capitalizing on the renewable energy sector’s growth and investor enthusiasm for disruptive finance.
SolarBank’s primary business will remain as a renewable energy developer and power producer backed by Tier-1 Partnerships and 1 GW pipepline. Recent milestones include:
- A US$100 million U.S. community solar financing partnership with CIM Group, targeting 97 MW of renewable power projects in the USA.
- A US$49.5 million transaction with Qcells, which is building a complete and sustainable solar supply chain in the United States, to deploy community solar power plants in America with cutting-edge “Made-in-USA” solar panels.
- A US$41 million clean energy partnership with Honeywell, deploying community solar farms to repurpose closed landfill sites in the USA.
- A $25 million credit facility from Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), fueling SolarBank’s battery energy storage system (BESS) project portfolio to stabilize the electricity grid and reinforce institutional confidence in its recurring revenue model from ownership of long life assets supported by government contracts.
Dr. Richard Lu commented: “As the adoption of Bitcoin continues to grow, SolarBank believes that establishing a Bitcoin treasury strategy taps into a growing sector that is seeing increasing adoption. In a world of ever-increasing energy demand and treasury complexity, SolarBank delivers renewable energy solutions and recurring revenues, now combined with all of the benefits of holding Bitcoin.”
With over 1 GW in its organic development pipeline and operations spanning Canada and the United States, SolarBank is scaling its portfolio of solar, BESS, and clean energy projects at a rapid pace. The Company generates recurring revenue through long-term PPAs with utilities, municipalities, and partners with Fortune 500 clients, all while driving decarbonization through ESG-aligned innovation.
The actual timing and value of Bitcoin purchases, under the allocation strategy will be determined by management. Purchases will also depend on several factors, including, among others, general market and business conditions, the trading price of Bitcoin and the anticipated cash needs of SolarBank. The allocation strategy may be suspended, discontinued or modified at any time for any reason. As of the date of this press release, no Bitcoin purchases have been made.
There are several risks associated with the development of the projects detailed in this press release. The development of any project is subject to the continued availability of third-party financing arrangements for the project owners and the risks associated with the construction of a solar power project. There is no certainty the projects disclosed in this press release will be completed on schedule or that they will operate in accordance with their design capacity. If the EPC agreements are terminated, then SolarBank will not realize the full contract value. In addition, governments may revise, reduce or eliminate incentives and policy support schemes for solar power, which could result in future projects no longer being economic.
