Solar4Us
Social Equity through Clean Energy

 

Our mission is to reduce the energy burden of low-income households through access to discounted clean energy.

Our vision is that all Baltimore residents, regardless of level of wealth or income, will have equitable access to the social, economic, and environmental benefits of clean energy through discounted solar electricity, shared ownership of solar projects, and job participation.

 
 
 

What is Community Solar?

Community solar allows households who cannot install solar on their own rooftops—those who do not own their homes, those without upfront capital, or those with inadequate roofs—to subscribe for solar energy that is generated elsewhere. This solar electricity can be purchased by low-income households at a discounted rate.

 

What is Energy Burden?

Energy burden is the percentage of gross household income spent on energy costs.

The energy burden of low-income households in Maryland is more than 6x higher than that of non-low-income households, and ranges from 4x to 21x, according to the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel.

According to the US Department of Energy, low-income households across the US represented just 15% of solar PV adoptions between 2010 and 2018, in part because 59% of low-income households are renters and cannot install solar on their rooftops.

Community solar allows low- to moderate-income (“LMI”) and overburdened households to reduce both their energy burden and their carbon footprint.

Solar4Us @ Henderson Hopkins: A New Model for Community Solar

Climate Access Fund originates, develops, and finances commercial scale, community solar projects on rooftops, parking lots, and brownfields in Maryland. CAF’s demonstration project, Solar4Us@Henderson-Hopkins, is located on the rooftop of the Elmer A. Henderson: A Johns Hopkins Partnership School (Henderson-Hopkins), a public contract school in East Baltimore.

This project will:

  • Allocate 100% of clean energy generated for the benefit of an estimated 150 low-to-moderate (LMI) income households;

  • Enable subscribed LMI households to receive a 20 - 25% discount on their BGE electricity costs;

  • Save subscribed households $1.1 M over the lifetime of the project;

  • Offer job training and exposure, local contracting, and local hiring opportunities; and

  • Provide resources for experiential learning opportunities about solar, clean energy, and climate change for Henderson-Hopkins students;

 

“We are very excited to partner with the Climate Access Fund to bring the benefits of a Solar4Us project to our families, teachers, staff and broader community.”

—Peter Kannam,
Principal of Henderson Hopkins School

Host the next Solar4Us Project

Seeking Rooftops, Parking Lots, & Other Urban Sites in Baltimore

Do you want to host the next Solar4Us project? We are looking for sites throughout Baltimore to host the next community solar project. We are seeking large, flat rooftops, underutilized industrial land, large parking lots, and other urban sites to host the next project. Please contact us and we will check out your site.

 

Ready to join the Solar4Us movement?

 

As we work to address climate change and poverty, one solar household at a time, we welcome your partnership.