April 25, 2012 – JCM Capital has launched a $10-million solar development capital fund that will invest in early-stage photovoltaic (PV) projects installed on large commercial and industrial buildings across Ontario, leveraging the province’s Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program.

“JCM has and will continue to support the small- to mid-sized solar market in Ontario with the belief that our investment in distributed solar power generation will provide the maximum benefit to all stakeholders,” said Christian Wray, CEO of JCM. “The fund creates a unique solution for local PV development companies that have few options when funding early-stage projects that require significant risk capital.”

The aim of the fund is to target application-ready projects to be submitted into the upcoming Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA) application window and, as such, assist with early-stage development costs, such as FIT application fees, structural engineering assessments, FIT security deposits and grid connection impact assessment (CIA) costs. The fund will also invest in Ontario-based FIT contracted projects that have not yet reached commercial operation.

Despite the recent changes to the province’s green energy program, Wray said, the fund will ensure that necessary capital is available for quality projects that meet the requirements of the revised FIT 2.0 program.

To-date, JCM says it has successfully deployed over $5 million of development capital, enabling the advancement of an initial 20MW commercial rooftop solar portfolio. When completed, the aggregate construction costs of this initial portfolio will exceed $80 million, and will offset about 20,000 tons of CO2.