The Montgomery County Green Bank is Celebrating a Decade of Expanding Access to Clean Energy Locally

Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, the Montgomery County Green Bank is not your typical financial institution. Created in 2016 by the Montgomery County Government in an effort to make clean energy and climate-resilient improvements more accessible and affordable, the Green Bank uses public capital to attract private investment and help finance projects that might otherwise face barriers in a traditional lending market. One recent example of a project the bank helped finance is Housing Unlimited’s solarization of over 40 townhomes across the County, which will generate over $500,000 in electricity bill savings over the life of the systems and avoid over 5,000 tons of carbon emissions.

The Green Bank’s impact is clear. In FY26, approximately $20.4 million in Green Bank capital supported more than $120 million in total project investment, while reaching more than 5,300 low- and moderate-income households.

“Over the past 10 years, we’ve grown from a startup organization testing early financing solutions into a mature climate finance institution working across commercial properties, affordable housing, solar, building electrification, EV infrastructure, technical assistance, and adaptation and resilience,” said The Montgomery County Green Bank CEO Stephen Morel. “As we’ve grown, our role has expanded beyond financing individual projects to helping build markets and partnerships that can bring significantly more investment into Montgomery County.”

The Montgomery County Advantage

According to the Green Bank, Montgomery County’s unique combination of ambitious climate goals, diverse community—which is home to 3 out of 5 of the most ethnically diverse cities in the nation, —and strong network of government agencies, businesses, property owners, nonprofits, community organizations, and financial partners, has given the bank a strong environment to develop and test new approaches to climate finance.

“This combination has allowed us to develop financing solutions in response to real local needs, from helping building owners prepare for energy-performance requirements to expanding solar and EV charging at multifamily properties and, more recently, developing financing approaches for climate adaptation and resilience,” explained Morel.

A Decade of Growth and Impact

2026 marks an important year for the Green Bank. On September 16, the Bank celebrates its 10th anniversary, and what started as an idea by the Montgomery County Government, has now grown into a mature climate finance institution with 14 employees with expertise in finance, clean energy, climate resilience, technical assistance, operations, communications, and community engagement to support its growing portfolio and partnerships.

The Green Bank has also received several industry and regional recognitions, including being named a 2026 Moxie All Stars Award Finalist, receiving the 2024 U.S. Green Building Council Local Leadership Award and the 2024 Center for Resource Solutions Green Power Leadership Award.

The Montgomery County Green Bank is just getting started. Over the next ten years, the Bank plans to continue working toward making clean energy and resilience financing increasingly accessible for everyone. “The next decade is about taking what we’ve proven works and bringing it to a greater scale.”