Industries
SBA 504 Financing for Energy and Sustainability Projects
The 504 program has a public-policy goal for energy, and it comes with the program's highest limits. A project that reduces energy consumption by at least 10%, or that generates renewable energy, qualifies for an SBA portion of up to $5.5 million per project and $16.5 million in aggregate across projects.
The 504 for Nevada energy projects
Where the energy public-policy goals sit inside a 504, and what they change about a project.
What qualifies as an energy project
- Efficiency: buying, building or retrofitting a facility so that it uses at least 10% less energy than before, or than the standard for its type; documented by an engineer's analysis
- Renewable generation: solar, wind, geothermal or other renewable systems that produce energy for the business or for sale, and the building they're part of
- Renewable fuel: facilities that produce renewable fuels
- Sustainable design: new construction built to a recognized green standard, where it meets the consumption test
Why it matters in Nevada
Nevada has among the best solar resources in the country and a commercial building stock built for cheap power that is no longer cheap. A rooftop array financed inside a building purchase, or an efficiency retrofit financed with the refinance of the building itself, can move a project into the energy tier and raise its SBA ceiling by $500,000.
The numbers
| SBA portion per project | $5.5 million |
| Aggregate across energy projects | $16.5 million |
| Consumption test | At least 10% reduction |
| Job standard | Met through the energy goal rather than the per-dollar count |
Nevada examples
NSDC has funded energy-related projects as part of wider building purchases rather than as standalone stories, so there is no single energy borrower to point to here. Browse every Nevada story, or ask us what a project like yours has looked like.
The structure, whatever the industry
A bank first mortgage, NSDC's fixed-rate SBA portion, and your equity. Start-ups and special-purpose properties put in more.
- 50% Bank or credit union First lien. Its own rate and term.
- 40% SBA 504 through NSDC Second lien. Fixed for 10, 20 or 25 years.
- 10% You Cash or equity you already hold.
Eligibility, in brief
Your business operates for profit; tangible net worth is under $20 million and average net income under $6.5 million; you'll occupy at least 51% of an existing building or 60% of new construction; and the money buys real estate, long-life equipment, or eligible refinancing. The full requirements, with sources.
The timeline
Prequalification is free, with an answer within three business days. Full SBA approval typically takes two to three weeks, and most NSDC loans close within 45 days, because as a Premier Certified Lender NSDC approves in-house. The four phases.
Why NSDC
Nevada's oldest, largest and only statewide CDC, lending since 1981: 2,350+ loans, $1 billion+ in SBA financing, 23,914 jobs supported, from offices in Las Vegas and Reno, serving Nevada, Mojave County, Arizona, and eleven eastern California counties. About NSDC.
This page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. Figures verified September 2026.
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