Neighborhood Sun Partners with Climate Access Fund and Baltimore School to Bring Clean Energy to Lower-Income Households

Local Organizations Make Solar Savings Accessible to Low- and Moderate-Income Folks in the Henderson-Hopkins Community

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, USA, May 7, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Neighborhood Sun Benefit Corp. today announced its partnership with the Climate Access Fund (CAF) and Elmer A. Henderson: a John Hopkins Partnership School to provide the school’s lower-income community members and nearby neighbors with access to clean energy and a 25% discount on community solar credits that will be generated through the school’s rooftop community solar system.

“Henderson-Hopkins is pleased to partner with CAF on Solar4Us @ Henderson-Hopkins, an innovative way to carry out our values as a community school. We are excited that 100% of the clean energy generated on our rooftop through this system will benefit the families of our students and staff as well as households in surrounding neighborhoods,” said Peter Kannam, principal of Henderson-Hopkins.

The Solar4Us @ Henderson-Hopkins Community Solar Farm is owned and financed by CAF, and its subscribers will be enrolled and managed through Neighborhood Sun. Solar4Us @ Henderson-Hopkins community solar farm will provide locally generated solar energy at a discount for up to 200 low- or moderate-income (LMI) households in the community.

Neighborhood Sun, CAF, and Henderson-Hopkins are collaborating to focus community outreach efforts on the Henderson-Hopkins school community and nearby low-income households, specifically. Local LMI residents who subscribe will benefit from a 25% discount on the community solar credits applied to their utility bills each month once the solar panels are connected to the grid by Baltimore Gas and Electric after construction ends in June.

“CAF's vision is to make the clean energy economy an inclusive one. Thanks to the support of our funders and because of meaningful partnerships with Henderson-Hopkins, Neighborhood Sun, and Urban Clean Energy, CAF is pleased to be able to offer 100% of the power from this project to local income-eligible families at a significant discount. We're looking forward to working with Neighborhood Sun,” said Lynn Heller, Founder and CEO of CAF.

CAF and Neighborhood Sun are prioritizing community engagement and collaboration with Henderson-Hopkins, neighborhood associations, and other community-based organizations to ensure that this renewable energy project is welcomed by the community and actively benefits those whom it was designed to serve: low-income members of the school’s community and nearby neighbors. To ensure the Solar4Us @ Henderson-Hopkins is reaching this population, CAF has engaged Urban Clean Energy Advisors, LLC to work closely with Neighborhood Sun and educate the school community and local residents about the project and the benefits of subscribing.

"Solar4Us @ Henderson-Hopkins is taking an intentional approach to ensure the school community and its neighbors benefit from locally-generated solar power at a significant discount. Urban Clean Energy is proud to be amplifying CAF and Neighborhood Sun's work through community engagement, relationship-building, and community solar education,” said Kimberly Armstrong, Principal of Urban Clean Energy Advisors, LLC.

The 800 kW solar array consists of more than 1,000 solar panels on the Baltimore City Public Contract School’s roof, which doubles as a job experience site through the CAF's partnership with Civic Works for its solar installation occupational skills training program. This collaboration helps the school to integrate energy efficiency education and opportunities that draw connections between the rooftop panels and the classroom. Any revenue generated by the solar panels will be reinvested back into the project to benefit local LMI households.

Throughout its 30-year lifespan, the Solar4Us @ Henderson-Hopkins Community Solar Farm is expected to generate over $1 million in savings on electricity bills for its subscribers, 100% of whom will be LMI. Subscribers have the opportunity to save money while helping to prevent the generation of 27,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent (equivalent to more than 3 Million gallons of gas NOT consumed).

About Neighborhood Sun
Neighborhood Sun is a Certified B Corp on a mission to make clean, affordable energy accessible to all– not just the select few. With over 325 MW of community solar farms under management through its proprietary and fully customizable software SunEngine(TM), Neighborhood Sun has enrolled nearly 25,000 subscribers across 14+ utility territories to help households and businesses of all socioeconomic backgrounds access the benefits of clean energy generated by local, small-scale community solar farms, passing on over $6 Million in energy savings to its subscribers.

About Elmer A. Henderson: a John Hopkins Partnership School
Featuring an early learning center, an elementary school, and a middle school, Henderson-Hopkins provides an anchor for East Baltimore’s children from toddlerhood through eighth grade in a state-of-the-art learning environment. Johns Hopkins faculty aided in the original curriculum design and, through ongoing initiatives and partnerships, remains vital to the school’s success. Today, Henderson-Hopkins thrives, celebrating a decade of contributing to the East Baltimore community and educating Baltimore’s children.

About the Climate Access Fund
The Climate Access Fund (CAF) is a nonprofit green bank that uses innovative financing to maximize the economic benefits of community solar for historically disinvested communities in Maryland. CAF offers low-cost financing to solar developers who offer discounted community solar rates to low- and moderate-income households and develops rooftop and parking canopy community solar projects that are located in and benefit historically disinvested communities across Maryland.

Stephanie Monmoine
Neighborhood Sun
stephanie.monmoine@neighborhoodsun.solar
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