1. Tell us about your organization
Sunrise Banks is a values-based, mission-driven bank with locations in Sioux Falls and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. We are also a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and certified B Corporation. We provide commercial/business, nonprofit, and consumer banking services with a focus on advancing economic inclusion, community development, and environmental conservation.
Our contribution to the renewable energy sector is driven by our Net Zero Banking program, which empowers our customers to reduce their carbon footprint while advancing the bank’s own net zero goals. The program consists of two parts: Net Zero Deposits and Net Zero Financing.
Net Zero Deposits enable customers to earmark their deposits for projects that support climate-friendly projects. Those could be renewable energy, energy-efficient building upgrades, electric vehicles, etc.
Net Zero Financing projects must reduce or avoid carbon emissions. Eligibility for Net Zero Loans is clarified in our Net Zero Financing Framework. Together, these solutions create a transparent and impactful pathway for customers to align their finances with a more sustainable future.
2. What types of renewable energy does your organization focus on?
Sunrise Banks primarily focuses on financing solar projects, energy efficiency upgrades, green buildings, and clean transportation. We also support broader renewable and decarbonization efforts through other financing structures to support wind, geothermal, and emerging clean energy technologies as the market evolves.
3. What inspired your organization to get involved in renewable energy?
Sunrise Banks’ involvement in renewable energy is rooted in our broader commitment to conservation and community impact. Recognizing the role financial institutions play in shaping climate outcomes, we launched our Net Zero Banking program in early 2024 to intentionally align deposits and lending with decarbonization projects.
Over time, this commitment has expanded from stand-alone energy efficiency loans into larger commercial renewable energy projects, partnerships, and policy engagement. As we’ve grown our presence in South Dakota, renewable energy has become a key pillar of our regional strategy.
4. What motivated you to become a member of SoDak Renewables?
We joined SoDak Renewables to deepen our engagement in South Dakota’s renewable energy ecosystem and to collaborate more closely with developers, utilities, policymakers, service providers and overall renewable advocates and organizations across the state.
Membership supports our goals by providing direct access to industry dialogue, policy discussions, and partnership opportunities. As a financial institution, we see our role as helping translate renewable energy momentum into real projects by aligning capital with development opportunities. While our membership is still new, we view it as a long-term investment in relationships, visibility, and impact.
5. What developments in South Dakota’s renewable energy future are you most excited about?
We’re excited about South Dakota’s continued expansion of wind and solar generation, as well as the growing focus on grid resilience, storage, and workforce development. The increasing integration of renewable energy into economic development conversations, including tax base growth and community investment, is especially encouraging.
We also see strong potential in pairing renewable energy with innovative financing tools to support rural communities, nonprofits, and mission-aligned businesses across the state.
6. Can you share a recent project, partnership, or initiative you’re particularly proud of?
One initiative we’re particularly proud of is the expansion of the Sunrise Banks Net Zero Banking program, and the rigor we’re applying to measuring real climate impact through banking.
Beyond simply financing renewable energy projects such as solar photovoltaic installations, energy efficiency upgrades, and clean transportation, we are actively measuring the carbon impact of our lending and deposit activity. Sunrise Banks aligns its approach with the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) framework, which provides a standardized methodology for measuring financed emissions across loan portfolios. This allows us to quantify how capital deployed through the bank contributes to emissions reduction, rather than relying solely on high-level conservation claims.
Through this analysis, we assess emissions associated with different asset classes and track how renewable energy and efficiency projects reduce or avoid carbon output over time. Our Net Zero Deposits program intentionally links customer deposits to qualifying loans that reduce emissions and maintains transparency around how capital is used and what impact it creates. In effect, customers can see how everyday banking activity supports measurable decarbonization outcomes.
As we expand this work in South Dakota, we are focused on building scalable models that pair renewable energy development with disciplined carbon accounting. Our goal is to support projects that not only make economic sense for communities and developers but also stand up to rigorous impact measurement and reporting. This combination of financing, measurement, and accountability is central to how we view our role in advancing the renewable energy transition.
7. How can others connect with your organization?
Learn more about Sunrise Banks and our conservation and Net Zero initiatives at: www.sunrisebanks.com/net-zero-deposits.
Member FDIC
Please also connect our local Sioux Falls team:
Damon Sehr - South Dakota Market President: damon.sehr@sunrisebanks.com (605-546-5858)