CIT, a division of First Citizens Bank, announced its Power and Energy business served as coordinating lead arranger on a $71.4 million in financing for a portfolio of solar projects.

The borrower, Arches Solar LLC, a subsidiary of CleanCapital, owns a portfolio of distributed generation solar projects being developed in Howard County, MD. Electricity generated by the projects is fully contracted under a master purchase power agreement—the largest such agreement signed to date in the state.

CleanCapital is well-known in the industry for accelerating investment in distributed solar and energy storage. Since its founding in 2015, the company has deployed more than $800 million into more than 200 projects, becoming one of the leading owner-operators of commercial solar and energy storage assets in the U.S.

“We are delighted to support the municipality of Howard County, MD, in its efforts to supply clean solar electricity to its buildings and facilities,” said Melinda Baglio, Chief Investment Officer and General Counsel at CleanCapital. “We appreciated CIT’s agility and expertise in serving as coordinating lead arranger for this financing.”

“We are pleased to work again with CleanCapital, an industry leader in solar and energy storage,” said Mike Lorusso, Managing Director and Group Head for CIT’s Power and Energy business. “This transaction is another example of our market-leading position in arranging financing for renewable power assets.”

CIT consistently ranks among the nation's top lenders for renewable energy projects, as reported by market research firm Inframation, an Acuris company.

Power and Energy, part of CIT's Commercial Finance division, leverages its deep industry knowledge and expertise to offer comprehensive financing solutions for renewable and conventional power generation. The unit manages a large, diverse portfolio that includes investments in all asset classes across the energy sector.

Nelnet Inc. served as the coordinating lead tax equity investor. Investment Bank Javelin Capital acted as advisor to CleanCapital on the transaction.