Solar swipe: News, Eduction
How to use this swipe: Blog Post, Newsletter
Expert notes: A great post to build trust with potential customers by highlighting the jobs and benefits for the communities they live in.
2023 Sunny Awards Spotlight: Transforming Communities with Equitable Solar Energy Solutions
Innovative Community Solar Projects: Bridging the Gap in Energy Equality
The U.S. Department of Energy just announced the winners of the 2023 Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar, and it’s pretty exciting stuff. They picked five amazing projects, each scoring a cool $10,000 to boost community solar in their areas.
What’s awesome about these projects is they’re not just about clean energy; they’re super focused on making sure low- to moderate-income families can get in on the solar action too. We’re talking about over 2,400 households getting access to cleaner, cheaper energy. That’s a game-changer for lots of families!
Jeff Marootian from the DOE summed it up perfectly: These projects are real-life examples of how clean energy can benefit households across the U.S. The goal here is to slash energy costs for those who need it most and make sure everyone can tap into solar power.
The Sunny Awards celebrate community solar projects and programs, especially those that nail it in areas like affordable access, big savings, better resilience and grid benefits, community ownership, and creating equitable job opportunities.
Expanding Access to Solar Energy: 2023 Sunny Awards Winners
- Illinois Solar for All: Illinois Power Agency’s is rocking it with 27 megawatts of solar capacity, focusing on affordable solar access and savings, community ownership, and creating job opportunities.
- Overcoming Solar Barriers for Multifamily Housing: Olympia Community Solar’s set up a non-profit owned project in Olympia, WA, slashing bills by over 30% for low-income residents.
- Prologis Community Solar: Solar Landscape LLC, based in Perth Amboy, NJ, this project is all about bringing solar savings to 400+ local households and boosting community job opportunities.
- Solar at Congregation Beth Elohim” (CBE): Sunwealth Power Inc. built solar canopies on a synagogue in Acton, MA, benefiting both the synagogue and the local community with average bill savings of 22%.
- Staying Sunny in Colorado: Xcel Energy Colorado’s program supports six MW of community solar projects, delivering over 30% in average bill savings to low-income households.
And the Meaningful Benefit Award goes to Oregon Clean Power Cooperative’s “Co-op Solar: Owned by the People”, which is all about community resilience and collective ownership. They’re powering emergency operations at schools and a fire station with solar and battery storage. How cool is that?
Community solar is such a win-win. It’s not just about clean energy; it’s about making sure everyone in the community can save money and enjoy the health benefits of renewable energy. Plus, with initiatives like the National Community Solar Partnership, there’s a push to ramp up community solar capacity big time – think power for five million households by 2025!
