Funding The Clean Energy Economy For A Healthier, More Resilient Utah

By The Sorenson Impact Institute, Contributor.

Published May 21, 2026, 07:58am EDT

By Dr. Nzinga Broussard, Senior Director of Impact Measurement, Sorenson Impact Institute

Utah’s rapid growth has fueled economic opportunity, but it has also intensified a set of interconnected challenges, from soaring housing costs and inflation to labor shortages and overstretched infrastructure.

Utah’s transition to a more resilient economy will require new approaches to financing housing, infrastructure, and energy systems, an area where SustainEnergyFinance (SEF) is working to play a catalytic role. SEF operates as Utah’s green bank, using innovative financial tools to expand access to clean energy and housing solutions across the state. Its work helps Utah families, builders, and communities finance energy projects that improve affordability, resilience, and long-term economic stability.

In order to build the financial partnerships necessary to expand its work, SEF needs rigorous data measurement to “prove that ‘green’ projects are not just environmentally sound; they are financially viable,” says SEF CEO and co-founder Shawna Gabriela Cuan.

That need led SEF to partner with the Sorenson Impact Institute. Our work in impact measurement and management (IMM) is grounded in the belief that the sustainability and viability of impact projects increasingly depend on trust in how outcomes are measured and communicated. The Institute developed an IMM framework for SEF, comprising a Theory of Change, an impact assessment tool, and an impact reporting process. Our goal for this framework was to demonstrate how SEF’s lending activities and partnerships directly address Utah’s social and environmental challenges while also meeting market needs, specifically affordable housing and the availability of alternative, reliable energy sources.

The framework we developed directly links SEF’s lending services and ecosystem-building activities to measurable social, environmental, and financial outcomes. For example, one of the impact metrics SEF will track is cost savings on utility bills. As part of its IMM framework for residential energy projects, SEF evaluates potential deals based on the utility cost savings a household is expected to realize through energy-saving upgrades or retrofits. After upgrades financed through SEF loans are completed, SEF can estimate household cost savings using existing energy-cost calculators.

In the conversation below, Shawna and I discuss how a foundation of data helps drive investment in clean energy and why the transition to clean energy is key to a healthier, more resilient future for Utah families.

(Read the full article at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sorensonimpact/2026/05/21/funding-the-clean-energy-economy-for-a-healthier-more-resilient-utah/)