Clean Energy Fund of Texas expands access to affordable clean energy financing for underserved communities across the state.

Clean Energy Fund of Texas is a nonprofit green bank focused on increasing access to renewable energy and clean energy technologies for underserved households and communities throughout Texas. As the only green bank in the state, the organization works to reduce energy burdens, improve resilience, and make practical clean energy solutions attainable for those most impacted by high energy costs.

In this Q&A, Shahara Wright discusses the structural drivers of high energy burden, the role of inclusive financing models, barriers to clean energy adoption, and how thoughtful project selection and long-term performance can deliver both sustainability outcomes and financial resilience. She also shares her perspective on the future of equitable clean energy finance and the organization’s priorities for the years ahead.

Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about your role and your organisation

Hi, I’m Shahara Wright, and I serve as the Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and General Counsel for Clean Energy Fund of Texas, Inc.

Clean Energy Fund of Texas is a nonprofit green bank (and the only green bank in Texas) focused on expanding access to renewable energy and clean energy technology for underserved communities across the state. Our work is about making clean energy practical and attainable: helping families and communities reduce energy burdens, improve resilience, and access solutions that might otherwise be out of reach.

In my role, I help lead both the operations and the legal strategy that make our mission possible. As COO, I focus on building systems, partnerships, and internal infrastructure that allow us to scale programs responsibly. As General Counsel, I manage legal risk, contracting, compliance, and governance so we can deploy capital effectively and protect the integrity of our work as we grow.

Clean Energy Fund of Texas is a nonprofit green bank focused on expanding access to renewable energy and clean energy technology for underserved communities across the state.

Energy costs disproportionately impact underserved communities. From your perspective, what are the main structural factors driving high energy burden, and how can financing models help address them?

From my perspective, high energy burden in underserved communities is driven by a mix of market structure, housing conditions, and climate risk. In Texas, electricity is purchased through retail electric providers, and pricing, plan design, and billing practices can vary widely. Municipal utilities and cooperatives operate differently and are not automatically part of the competitive retail market.

Additionally, a lot of households are living in what we sometimes call “leaky houses.” Older homes with poor insulation, inefficient HVAC, or air leaks, so families are forced to buy more electricity just to stay safe and comfortable. And extreme heat plus storm disruptions can create spikes in usage and costs that low-income households simply can’t absorb.

Financing can help when it’s designed around how Texans actually live and pay bills. The goal is simple: make upgrades affordable with little to no money down and, ideally, make the monthly payment less than, or close to, the monthly energy savings.

That’s especially true for basics like insulation, efficient HVAC, and weatherization. In some parts of Texas, repayment can be structured through the utility or meter when the local utility model allows it, and in other cases we use credit enhancements (like guarantees or loan loss reserves) so lenders can offer fair terms. The result is lower bills and more stable households.

High energy burden in underserved communities is driven by a mix of market structure, housing conditions, and climate risk.

What barriers do residential and commercial customers most commonly face when trying to adopt clean or renewable energy solutions, and how does your organisation work to overcome these challenges?

The biggest barrier for both residential and commercial customers is still upfront cost, especially for rooftop solar, where the price tag can feel out of reach. On top of that, people run into policy and market uncertainty (tax incentives, tariffs, supply-chain pricing), plus the “friction” of adoption: figuring out a trustworthy installer, navigating paperwork and interconnection, and in commercial settings, dealing with more complex decision-making and approvals.

At Clean Energy Fund of Texas, we focus on removing the financing barriers that keep people stuck. We offer fair, transparent loans without dealer fees, we look closely at ability to pay (not just credit score), and we keep rates reasonable – we don’t do high-interest pricing.

We also offer longer terms (often 10-15 years) to keep payments manageable. The goal is to make clean energy something households and small businesses can actually adopt, not just something that’s available to those who can afford it outright.

The biggest barrier for both residential and commercial customers is still upfront cost.

How do thoughtful project selection, risk management, and long-term asset performance contribute to both sustainability outcomes and financial resilience?

At Clean Energy Fund of Texas, we treat project selection, risk management, and long-term performance as one integrated process, because that is how you get both real impact and real durability.

On the front end, we work closely with contractors and customers to make sure projects are right-sized for the home or building. We look at whether the proposed system actually fits the property, whether the pricing makes sense, and whether the solution being offered is the right solution, not the most expensive one.

From there, our underwriting is grounded in real-world factors, especially ability to pay, and we build in practical guardrails to reduce the chance that a project becomes a burden instead of a benefit. We also pay close attention to the technology and equipment being used. We prioritize solutions that are proven, tested, and understood, not something “fly-by-night.”

When you do all of that well, the assets perform over time, customers see the savings they were promised, repayment stays stable, and we can keep reinvesting capital into more households and communities. That’s how sustainability outcomes and financial resilience reinforce each other.

We treat project selection, risk management, and long-term performance as one integrated process.

Looking ahead, how do you see clean energy finance evolving to better support equitable access and long-term community impact?

Looking ahead, I see clean energy finance becoming more “blended,” where public dollars and philanthropy help lower risk and lower cost, so private capital can scale what works. We also need to push for stable, predictable incentives, because when credits expire or shift, it immediately changes what families can afford.

In Texas specifically, the winning models will be the ones that are simple and flexible; clear terms, fair rates, longer repayment periods, and underwriting that reflects real life, not just a credit score. And we’ll keep leaning on strong partnerships with contractors, community groups, and lenders to meet people where they are.

Long-term community impact comes from performance: when the project actually delivers savings year after year, households stay stable, repayment stays strong, and we can recycle capital into the next community.

Long-term community impact comes from performance.

What exciting plans and goals do you have for the next few years?

Over the next few years, we’re excited to put our new three-year strategic plan into action and scale what’s working across Texas. Our biggest focus is continuing to expand lending so more households and communities can access clean energy solutions that actually lower their monthly costs.

We’re also growing the Trusted Texas Contractor Network (TTCN) by increasing the number of contractors who are verified in our system so consumers can hire people they can trust. We are continuing to deploy funding for weatherization and home improvements that make an immediate difference, including HVAC, solar, roofing, and even accessibility and disability-related retrofits.

And we are building momentum in the commercial and small business space, with financing for things like EV charging and community-scale clean energy projects. Overall, we’re focused on one thing: expanding practical, affordable solutions that reduce energy burden and strengthen communities across Texas.

Overall, we’re focused on one thing: expanding practical, affordable solutions that reduce energy burden and strengthen communities across Texas.