Innovative Development Team Awarded Rights To Build Shared Solar On 73 Affordable Housing Buildings Across NYC
Solstice, Sol Purpose, Bright Power, and Green City Force announced today a partnership to build, subscribe, and operate a portfolio of community solar installations on New York City Housing Authority properties throughout the five boroughs. The projects will serve low-to-moderate income (LMI) households with a focus on residents of NYCHA properties, and are a part of NYCHA’s ACCESSolar program, which stands for “ACcelerating Community Empowered Shared Solar.” More information on ACCESSolar can be found here.
Developed on 73 roofs across 9 NYCHA developments, the projects will together account for up to two megawatts of additional clean energy production, enough to power approximately 350 underserved households.
The community solar projects will enable NYCHA residents and other LMI households in all five boroughs to enroll in solar farms and save between 10%-15% on their monthly electricity bills as compared to standard Con Edison rates.
Sol Purpose will develop and provide financing for the projects, Bright Power will design and install the solar arrays, and Solstice will manage community outreach, subscriber qualification, and enrollment. AmeriCorps green jobs training program Green City Force will lead workforce development efforts in the NYCHA community.
“This partnership helps ensure that NYCHA residents can both participate in the green jobs economy and have access to low-cost solar power,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Community Engagement and Partnerships Sideya Sherman. “We thank Sol Purpose, Solstice, Bright Power, and Green City Force for keeping public housing residents at the heart of their green energy opportunities.”
In addition to the savings that they will bring to project participants, the installations will provide renewable energy to the surrounding area and employment opportunities for NYCHA residents. Adding to the project’s overall local impact, developer Sol Purpose will dedicate proceeds from the project to directly fund public benefit programs for LMI and other underserved communities in New York City. Green City Force will work with the NYCHA community to hire and train public housing tenants to support the project, with a goal to create up to 12 full-time jobs as a result of the project. These residents will work with Bright Power to build the arrays, and also join the Solstice team to facilitate community outreach and enrollment.
Set to begin construction in 2019, the installations are part of NYCHA’s plan to install 25 MW of solar on its affordable housing sites by 2025 and will contribute to New York State’s goal of getting 50% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030.
“This project team is honored to have been selected to provide another two megawatts worth of community solar to NYCHA residents,” said Solstice Co-Founder and CEO Steph Speirs. “These projects are an unparalleled opportunity to bring affordable, inclusive clean energy to New Yorkers, and we’re excited to work with the NYCHA community to make them happen.”
About Solstice
Solstice is dedicated to bringing affordable solar power to the 80% of Americans who cannot install a rooftop system. Solstice offers turnkey customer solutions for the shared solar industry, enrolling households and community organizations, creating financing innovations that expand access to underserved Americans, and providing a frictionless subscriber management software platform for community solar projects. To learn more, please visit solstice.us.
About Sol Purpose
Sol Purpose Development Company is an innovative solar development company with a mission to further renewable energy development that serves the broader public interest. That means our company pursues projects that incorporates community solar programs for low-to-moderate-income (LMI) households, achieves local workforce development goals, and uses project proceeds to fund innovative social programs that benefit local communities. To learn more about our unique model for impact development, please visit our site at www.solpurpose.co or contact Matt Russotti at (917) 930-6220.
About Green City Force
Green City Force is an AmeriCorps nonprofit that engages young adults from NYCHA communities in national service related to the environment. In doing so, they prepare them for sustainable careers, while serving to make low-income communities more sustainable and healthier, creating the green city they want to see. To learn more, please visit greencityforce.org.
About Bright Power
Bright Power provides strategic energy solutions to building owners and operators across the nation. Specializing in multifamily apartment buildings, Bright Power’s suite of services saves clients’ energy, money and time. Bright Power’s energy management solutions include EnergyScoreCards benchmarking software, energy audits, energy procurement, onsite generation, green building design services, turnkey installation of energy improvements, and ongoing energy management. For more information, please visit www.brightpower.com.
About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
NYCHA’s mission is to increase opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. Almost 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 325 public housing developments around the five boroughs, and another 202,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA-administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha, and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/NYCHAand www.twitter.com/NYCHA.