The financing picture

Gross revenue is projected to clear $3M annually by Year 5, built up from conservative, site-specific assumptions rather than industry benchmarks — the same standard we've applied throughout the business plan, including the corrected wind capacity factor. That figure is deliberately rounded and padded rather than quoted to the dollar, since it's meant to hold up as the model gets refined, not to be treated as a fixed promise.

Total capital need for the flagship build is in the range of $5.5M, distributed across a mix of loans, grants, and future partnership commitments rather than resting on any single source. That structure is deliberate: SBA and USDA-backed debt, C-PACE financing, and grant programs like USDA REAP each carry their own terms and their own risk profile, and spreading the ask across them means no single funder is holding the whole project.

These two play different roles rather than competing for the same dollar. SBA 7(a) is structured as the backbone commercial financing for the build itself — the kind of general-purpose debt a specialty contractor takes on for equipment, construction, and working capital. USDA REAP is renewable-energy-specific: it can cover a meaningful share of eligible project costs through a combination of grant funding and guaranteed lending, aimed squarely at rural energy infrastructure like this one. Using both means the financing fits what each dollar is actually being spent on, instead of forcing the whole project through a single loan type.

Growth past the flagship runs through franchising, not direct expansion. Future sites are structured as independent energy co-ops, owned and operated by franchisees, with Sustainability 1st providing the design, build, and technical assistance behind each one. Franchise opportunities — coming soon, targeted for 2029 — will open once the flagship site is built and running. If you're evaluating this as a franchise or partnership opportunity rather than a lending relationship, reach out and we'll keep you posted as that timeline firms up.