Working for each other; Investing in people through Low-Income Community Shared Solar
By Jacob Naimark, Project Associate
The 621 Energy crew works to install Sunwealth’s 245 kW solar carport at Congregation Beth Elohim in Acton, MA. The system delivers clean energy and valuable savings to over 30 income-eligible households in the Greater Boston area.
Historically, low-income communities and communities of color face a disproportionate energy burden; these communities are also disproportionately threatened by pollution and the effects of climate change. Engaging and empowering our communities to develop and participate in renewable energy solutions helps combat existing inequities while laying the groundwork for a more just and inclusive climate future.
As a recent addition to the Sunwealth team, I draw inspiration from our partners – organizations and individuals who share our vision of a strong clean energy economy, and who work to build that economy in a way that distributes its benefits more equitably to those who need it most. These partners, including organizations like All In Energy, Caritas Communities, Wayland Housing Authority and Congregation Beth Elohim, inspire an investment in community that fuels the work behind our Low Income Community Shared Solar (LICSS) initiative.
The Low-Income Community Shared Solar Initiative uses community solar agreements to help ensure that low-income households share in the economic benefits of Sunwealth’s solar projects. Community solar agreements, a key tool for increasing solar access, provide the estimated 77% of U.S. households unable to go solar – including renters, people with low credit scores, and homeowners with shaded roofs – with an opportunity to purchase clean energy generated somewhere else. Historically, however, low-income households and people of color have been underrepresented among community solar customers. Together with our partners, we’re working to change that.
“The problem with the way community solar has been marketed to low-income customers is people assume that if you build it, they will come,” says Sunwealth CEO Jon Abe. “It fails to take into account how low-income consumers think about their energy bills and where they go for information, and it fails to address fundamental issues of understanding, engagement and trust.”
Sunwealth’s initiative starts with savings. In order to ensure that low-income consumers get an economic benefit from clean energy – not just the environmental benefit – our program offers consumers a 25% discount off the price they would normally pay the utility. “Our customers need to get meaningful savings, it needs to be simple and those savings need to last over the term of the agreement,” Abe explains.
Second, we focus on trust. Sunwealth partners with community-based organizations to help educate their constituencies about low-income community solar and its benefits, as well as other opportunities to save on their energy bills.
All In Energy is one of these partners. The Boston-based nonprofit organization’s mission is to accelerate the inclusive clean energy economy by connecting underserved communities to energy saving resources. Explains All In Energy Co-Founder Gabe Shapiro, “Too many low-income communities have been targeted and harmed by third party energy suppliers with bait-and-switch products in the past. By hosting information sessions and bringing together local community groups, we help consumers get the information they need to make informed decisions.”
Through their outreach efforts, All In Energy connected us with many of the 30+ LICSS participant households that are now receiving clean energy savings from our most recently completed LICSS project at Congregation Beth Elohim in Action, MA.
Residents of the Wayland Housing Authority will also receive a portion of the energy savings generated by the solar panels at Congregation Beth Elohim. Brian Boggia, Director of the Wayland Housing Authority, notes that many residents are excited about solar energy, and the savings are coming at a time when they are especially meaningful.
“Enrolling in Sunwealth’s Community Solar program provides residents with a helpful cushion during a very challenging time. We are grateful that access to the clean energy market, and the savings that accompany it, are expanding to slices of the population like ours, who can benefit from and contribute to climate solutions.”
As we move into the final months of the year, Sunwealth and our solar development and installation partners are wrapping up construction on two additional LICSS installations, at Temple Emunah in Lexington and City Point in Waltham. The clean energy generated from these two projects will allow us to sign up more than one hundred additional low-income households for energy savings before the year’s end. We are committed to working with our partners to ensure that these savings benefit consumers who need it most.
If you or someone you know could benefit from Sunwealth’s LICSS program, take a look at our one-pager on the program and email me with any questions. If you know of other organizations we should be working with to get the word out about low-income community shared solar, let us know.
Jacob Naimark is a Solar Project Development Associate at Sunwealth and manages Sunwealth’s Low Income Community Solar Program. He believes that global challenges require far-reaching, inclusive solutions, and he is dedicated to expanding access to solar energy to address the global threat of climate change.