©2026 Business Next Media Corp. All Rights Reserved. No.102, Guangfu S. Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Sunnyfounder: Crowdfunding solar energy in Taiwan
In recent years, crowdfunding has allowed many startups to obtain funding for their projects. Be it games, transportation devices, or 3D printers, individual investors typically only needed to provide a small amount of money in order to join these projects.
In Taiwan, the most recent item to be crowdfunded is solar energy. Thanks to solar power fundraising platform Sunnyfounder, individuals can now invest in renewable energy to help the environment and make a nice profit.
According to the startup, solar energy is much less prone to risks such as market fluctuations than comparable investments in stocks, yet still yield return rates on investments (ROI) that average over 6%.
Going green
Sunnyfounder CEO Edison Feng believes that renewable energy concerns everybody: "Encouraging the production of green energy should not have a minimum threshold; not everyone can afford to invest millions of dollars."
Accordingly, individual investments go as low $450 (NT$13,630) for a single panel. One of Sunnyfounder’s projects in Miaoli, for instance, is divided into 40 panels on a single rooftop, allowing for up to 40 investors.
With Sunnyfounder, investors can choose from a selection of locations and return rates shown on the website to find the option that suits their needs. Once funded, supporters become partners in the ownership of the panels and receive dividends.
Customers will typically start receiving payments within two months. Once the project is underway, investors do not need to concern themselves about maintenance and repairs, as Sunnyfounder will handle these things.
Long-term investments
According to Feng, it currently takes about 10 years to recoup an investment, after which the monthly returns are pure profit. "Investment in solar isn’t the same as buying stocks. In this market it is actually easy to earn money, as it resembles more depositing cash into savings with a high interest rate because our ROI is so high," Feng explained.
At the same time, Feng is frank about regulations and how pivotal they are for Sunnyfounder. Luckily, Taiwan is now beginning to promote green energy, which Feng hopes will be a long-term commitment. In essence, "the government must be dedicated to implementing forward-looking energy policies."
Currently, the government does this by guaranteeing stable rates for the foreseeable future, which aim at encouraging private production of green electricity. Taking advantage of this, Sunnyfounder has recently signed a 20- year contract with energy provider Taipower.
In accordance with the Department of Energy’s wholesale electricity rates for selling to the grid, Sunnyfounder can thereby guarantee stable returns for their energy. "If purchasing one kilowatt of electricity costs 7 dollars this year, even if the rate should change next year, we are still guaranteed the original price for the entire 20-year contract.”
Eager investors, tricky installation
Edison Feng stresses that Sunnyfounder’s biggest problem is not a lack of customers, but rather the scarcity of adequate locations. Although subsidies
are higher in Northern Taiwan, “roof space is particularly hard to find due to the division of roof property.
A single building may have 40 or more residents that all must agree on how to use that area." Feng admits.
Moreover, there are several conditions to be met when installing solar panels. For one, the roof area must be at least 35 square feet wide, while the adjacent building should not block sunlight.
Additionally, there cannot be any illegal structures on the top floor of the building, a phenomenon which is all too common in urban Taiwan. Since all three conditions must be met first, the wait for a suitable roof can sometimes take up to six months.
Feng stressed that in the past he personally localized installation sites. Now, however, Sunnyfounder will partner up with solar panel manufacturers to solve this challenge with greater efficiency.
Solar power the better choice
Even though green energy may be quite difficult to promote right now due to the economic outlook, Sunnyfounder is confident regarding its future potential. As Feng sees it, solar power in particular will benefit, since "fossil fuels are going to decline in usage and become more expensive, solar energy will keep on getting cheaper. There will be a point soon where solar simply is the better choice.”
For now, Sunnyfounder is not in a hurry to increase their cash flow beyond the funding from their initial angel founders. Rather, they hope to reach a milestone first. "Our primary goal is to become Taipei’s number one for small-scale solar power plants," Feng asserts.
©2026 Business Next Media Corp. All Rights Reserved. No.102, Guangfu S. Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei City 106, Taiwan