This story was updated at 9:30 pm Tuesday to clarify that SunCommon is not filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which involves its former owner iSun.
iSun commercial installation. Courtesy photo.
by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The US Bankruptcy Court is in process of converting the iSun Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing from last June into a Chapter 7 liquidation. iSun was the parent company of the solar installation company SunCommon in Waterbury. Following the iSun bankruptcy filing, SunCommon was subsequently acquired by Siltstone Capital, a private equity firm from Texas and folded into a renewable energy company called Clean Royalties, which continues to operate SunCommon. It also has an office in upstate New York.
Mike McCarthy, Director of Sales for SunCommon, said the Chapter 7 filing by its former owner does not include SunCommon. He said that SunCommon was mentioned in the recent Chapter 7 filing because it was one of the legacy DBAs under iSun.
"We are not going bankrupt," McCarthy said.
He said Silstone is investing "millions of dollars" into SunCommon. "SunCommon is going to be around for a very long time," he said.
The company employs about 60 in Vermont and another 15 in upstate New York.
"We are back on terms with our major vendors, and are proud to be buying from many of the local businesses who were hurt by the bankruptcy of our former owners." McCarthy said. He said the new Chapter 7 filing is the end of the process from the original Chapter 11 filing from iSun.
The document below dated January 27, 2025, was sent to Vermont Business Magazine, an unsecured creditor, regarding the Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing of SolarCommunities Inc, which was the former corporate owner of SunCommon. It details information for creditors, including deadlines for filing proofs of claim and meeting details. The Chapter 7 filing is for the liquidation of assets for the distribution to creditors.
The filing does not list creditors nor how much is owned nor the value of its assets.
iSun, based in Williston, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy last June. The assets were acquired for $10 million by Silstone Capital, while keeping the residential brand SunCommon and rebranding the commercial iSun enterprise as Legacy Power.
Silstone subsidiary Clean Royalties, a developer and builder of solar energy and storage systems, acquired SunCommon and Liberty Electric (Salem, NH) last September.
iSun was acquired by Siltstone Capital following approval by the bankruptcy court on August 23
. Siltstone acquired the iSun assets for $10 million. In its last 2023 financial report iSun stated that its estimated annual revenues were nearly $100 million.
SolarCommunities was the parent company of SunCommon before it was acquired by iSun in 2021 for $40 million.
McCarthy said it was the legacy iSun assets, not SunCommon, that were being liquidated.
"It's an entirely different company that bought SunCommon," he said. "It is a really strong brand."
"The current business is alive and well, employing dozens of Vermonters and doing great work installing solar, and energy storage across the state," McCarthy said.
"SunCommon is rocking: installing battery storage through GMP's Energy Storage program, helping homeowners go solar, and doing incredible commercial projects like the recently installed Autumn Harp 727kW project in Essex and the 693kW Machia & Sons Dairy install which is under way in Sheldon, VT."
iSun-Related Notice for SolarCommunities Inc
United States Bankruptcy Court District of Delaware Case number: 24-11154-TMH Date case filed in chapter: 11, 6/3/24. Date case converted to chapter: 7, 1/27/25
Information to identify the case: Debtor Name: SolarCommunities, Inc. EIN: 45-4027316
Official Form 309D (For Corporations or Partnerships)
Notice of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case -- Proof of Claim Deadline Set
10/20 For the debtor listed above, a case has been filed under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. An order for relief has been entered.
This notice has important information about the case for creditors, debtors, and trustees, including information about the meeting of creditors and deadlines. Read both pages carefully.
The filing of the case imposed an automatic stay against most collection activities. This means that creditors generally may not take action to collect debts from the debtor or the debtor's property. For example, while the stay is in effect, creditors cannot sue, assert a deficiency, repossess property, or otherwise try to collect from the debtor. Creditors cannot demand repayment from debtors by mail, phone, or otherwise. Creditors who violate the stay can be required to pay actual and punitive damages and attorney's fees.
To protect your rights, consult an attorney. All documents filed in the case may be inspected at the bankruptcy clerk's office at the address listed below or through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records at https://pacer.uscourts.gov).
The staff of the bankruptcy clerk's office cannot give legal advice.
Do not file this notice with any proof of claim or other filing in the case. Valid picture ID is required for access to the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building. Additionally, Debtor(s) must also present photo ID plus original verification of his/her social security number to the Bankruptcy Trustee. If you do not have a photo ID and/or original verification of your social security number, please contact the Office of the United States Trustee's (302-573-6491).
- Debtor's full name: SolarCommunities, Inc.
- All other names used in the last 8 years: dba SunCommon
- Address: 442 US Route 2 Waterbury, VT 05676
- Debtor's attorney Name and address: Michael G. Busenkell Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown, LLC 1201 N. Orange St. 3rd Floor Wilmington, DE 19801 Contact phone: 302-425-5812 Email: [email protected]
- Bankruptcy trustee Name and address: George L. Miller 1628 John F. Kennedy Blvd. Suite 950 Philadelphia, PA 19103-2110 Contact phone: 215-561-0950 Email: [email protected]
- Bankruptcy clerk's office: Documents in this case may be filed at this address. You may inspect all records filed in this case at this office or online at https://pacer.uscourts.gov. Address: 824 Market Street, 3rd Floor Wilmington, DE 19801 Hours open: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Contact phone: 302-252-2900 Date: 2/11/25
- Meeting of creditors: The debtor's representative must attend the meeting to be questioned under oath. Creditors may attend, but are not required to do so. Date: March 14, 2025 at 11:00 AM The meeting may be continued or adjourned to a later date. If so, the date will be on the court docket. All times listed are in EST. Location: Zoom video meeting. Go to www.Zoom.us/join, Enter Meeting ID: 653 180 0746, Passcode: 7131311419, OR Call 1(267) 362-3487 For additional information go to https://www.deb.uscourts.gov/virtual-341-meetings-creditors
- Deadlines: The bankruptcy clerk's office must receive proofs of claim by the following deadlines. Deadline for all creditors to file a proof of claim (except governmental units): Filing deadline: 4/7/25 Deadline for governmental units to file a proof of claim: Filing deadline: 7/28/25 A proof of claim is a signed statement describing a creditor's claim. A proof of claim form may be filed either electronically or as a paper document. For more information on how to file a Proof of Claim, visit the Delaware Bankruptcy Court's website at www.deb.uscourts.gov/claims-information or any bankruptcy clerk's office. If you do not file a proof of claim by the deadline, you might not be paid on your claim. To be paid, you must file a proof of claim even if your claim is listed in the schedules that the debtor filed. Secured creditors retain rights in their collateral regardless of whether they file a proof of claim. Filing a proof of claim submits the creditor to the jurisdiction of the bankruptcy court, with consequences a lawyer can explain. For example, a secured creditor who files a proof of claim may surrender important nonmonetary rights, including the right to a jury trial.
- Creditors with a foreign address: If you are a creditor receiving a notice mailed to a foreign address, you may file a motion asking the court to extend the deadlines in this notice. Consult an attorney familiar with United States bankruptcy law if you have any questions about your rights in this case.
- Liquidation of the debtor's property and payment of creditors' claims: The bankruptcy trustee listed on the front of this notice will collect and sell the debtor's property. If the trustee can collect enough money, creditors may be paid some or all of the debts owed to them, in the order specified by the Bankruptcy Code. To ensure you receive any share of that money, you must file a proof of claim, as described above.
Official Form 309D (For Corporations or Partnerships) Notice of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case --Proof of Claim Deadline Set
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