About Our Cooperative

Cleveland Solar Cooperative (CSC) helps groups of neighbors in Greater Cleveland come together to envision, organize, develop, and own sustainability projects like solar gardens. We are the first member-owned cooperative solar business in Ohio. 

We are committed to sustainability, equality, solidarity, anti-racism, and a Just Transition to a clean energy economy.

The co-op was formed in 2020 when the two groups of neighbors in along with Cleveland Owns, wanted to promote energy democracy through democratic ownership of solar infrastructure. Today, we have more than 70 members throughout Greater Cleveland. 

Our Board of Directors

 

Patrick was born and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. After spending time away for college, he developed an even keener appreciation for the city and the Midwest, and finally moved back full-time in 2018. Patrick believes that living in Cleveland we have a choice -- we can go about our lives and coast along with the status quo, or we can try to make our community better, more equitable, and more fulfilling for our neighbors. He is particularly excited that Cleveland Solar Cooperative is working at the intersection of two of the most important issues of our time: economic justice and climate justice.

 

He is excited to be on the Board of Cleveland Solar Cooperative because we are on the cusp of a promising moment. Now, we've got a promising potential host site partners, a paid staff member thanks to grant funding to Cleveland Owns, and beneficial policy developments -- things are coming together and he is honored to serve Cleveland Solar Cooperative as we strive for a more equitable energy future for Clevelanders.

 
  Tim Dewald is a media and communications industry veteran with nearly 20 years of experience in a variety of roles, from national cable television production, to media relations and strategic communications. That is until he stopped working full-time in 2021 to become a stay-at-home dad to two wonderful (and stress-inducing!) children. He also started a podcast about his pursuits co-hosted with a fellow full-time father called Better Off Dad.

A resident of Lakewood, he volunteers locally with LakewoodAlive and has chaired its marketing committee for the last 5 years. He is a past volunteer with the Neighborhood Leadership Institute’s True2U program, which provides mentoring to 8th graders in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. In 2024, he founded Friends of Merl Bunts Park, a volunteer-led, local park advocacy group.

Tim strongly believes in the mission of the Cleveland Solar Cooperative, that greater community control of our energy resources can drive meaningful change both environmentally and economically. He hopes to leverage his experiences in communication to assist the organization as a member of the board and raise the awareness and reach of the Cleveland Solar Cooperative.



 
Geoff Miller has lived in Cleveland for about 14 years, since moving here to attend CWRU and has lived in the West Park neighborhood since 2017. In addition to CSC, he is very active in the bike community with Bike Cleveland and Slow Roll. Geoff enjoys theatre, podcasts, movies, and hiking to the top of tall things and looking down at stuff. He thinks there are a lot of systems in our world that require deep change, and building community-owned renewable energy is a good start on at least two.

By day Geoff is an electrical engineer, and he has experience with designing commercial construction projects including ground- and roof-mounted solar arrays, as well as battery storage systems. By night, he is one of those weirdos who makes spreadsheets and does his own taxes, and likes it. While that's a disaster for his social social life, it has served him well in his first two years on the board.


 
Pastor Darnell D. Jennings I is the founder and Senior Pastor of Imparting Truth Ministries of Cleveland, Ohio. He’s a Licensed and ordained Elder of the Abrahamic Temple Diocese under the direction of his Pastor and covering Cannon Bishop Wayne Fitzpatrick in Elyria, Ohio. Pastor Jennings is the husband of Lady Andreya Jennings and the proud father of six (Uriah, Alexandria, Darnell II, Aliana, Ashton and Ammanuel). All of whom he is extremely proud and fond of.

Pastor Jennings was called at the tender age of 13 and preached his first message at the age of 14.   He has participated in many street meetings, evangelism services, and even traveled to many prisons and detention homes spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In August 2021, Pastor Jennings became the Senior Pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church in East Cleveland, Ohio. Under Pastor Jennings leadership several things have been established including an executive board, weekly discipleship class, relaunched ministers training, established a praise team and musicians, established social media presence (IG, FB, TikTok, and YouTube), and worked to enhance the look and experience of Lakeside Bible Church. Pastor Jennings has worked hard to deepen his church’s presence in the community of East Cleveland through annual events and bringing in partnerships with NOAH, East Cleveland Concerned Pastors, and the Stephanie Tubbs Jones center. Pastor Jennings greatest commitment is to preach the unadulterated Word of God and become everything God has created him to be.



 
Jonathan Welle is Lead Organizer of Cleveland Owns, a nonprofit that incubates cooperative businesses based on the belief that we'll only have an equitable city when we have an equitable distribution of ownership. Jonathan first saw the power of collective economic self-determination when he worked with a group of women starting a cheese co-op during his time as a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural village in the Dominican Republic. He believes democratic, cooperative ownership of clean energy assets is an essential part of a just transition in Cleveland and beyond. Jonathan lives with his partner in Ohio City, where he is a member of the Cleveland Catholic Worker.