Impact Archives

Sol Systems and Google have structured an integrated clean energy investment and procurement strategy to enable 225 MWdc of new solar energy projects and 18 MW of battery storage. The partnership will deploy capital to seed critical investments into community organizations that serve under-resourced and minority communities.

Project Impacts

Community Investment

In late 2021, Sol Systems completed development of a 915 kW community solar project on the rooftop of the FedEx Express Eckington Place facility in Northeast Washington, D.C., Sol Systems’ largest project in its hometown of Washington, D.C.

FedEx will be allocating a portion of bill credits to SOME (So Others Might Eat) along with a supplemental cash donation, to offset the annual electricity costs of two SOME facilities. Sol Systems is matching FedEx’s first-year contribution and has committed to continued volunteer work with SOME over the project’s lifetime.

Video Credit: FedEx Corporation

Project Impacts

Community Investment

FedEx is allocating a portion of the electricity bill credits generated by the project as well as supplemental cash donations, to local nonprofit SOME (So Others Might Eat) to offset the annual electricity costs at two facilities. Sol is matching first-year contributions and committing volunteer hours.

Community Solar

As part of Washington D.C.’s community solar program, CREF, the energy generated from this project will feed into the District’s electricity grid as a source of solar energy for use by the community at large rather than the facility it sits on directly. With a capacity of 915 kW, it is one of the largest community solar projects in the District.

In 2021, Sol Systems completed the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Solar Farm 2.0, a 54-acre, 12.32 megawatt (MWdc) solar array that nearly tripled the university’s existing on-site renewable energy generation. The project will provide 20-years of flat-rate electricity to the University through a power purchase agreement contracted with Sol Systems, who owns and maintains the project. In addition to its technologically advanced features like bifacial panels (which also capture reflected light on the back side of the panels) that sit on single-axis trackers, Solar Farm 2.0 provides many additional community and environmental benefits that maximize its positive impact.

Learn more about the project through University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s press release.

Project Impacts

Zero Waste Construction

Approximately 94% of the project’s construction-related waste was recycled or otherwise diverted from landfills through zero-waste construction practices. This process prevented as much as 45 tons of materials from reaching landfills, including the project’s construction packaging, plastics, wood pallets, and other refuse.

Pollinator Habitats

Solar Farm 2.0 incorporates native seeding throughout the 54 acres of land in which the solar project lies that bring extensive ecological benefits. The 21 different plant types create a natural habitat for a variety of local and migratory birds and beneficial insects, bolstering their populations and expanding their positive impact on the surrounding ecosystem.

An Opportunity for Education

Sol Systems worked with students in the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment’s campus wide sustainability minor to access the carbon footprint of Solar Farm 2.0 from start to finish, including hands-on measurement of the onsite carbon levels that occur through soil sequestration. Not only has this work helped to lay groundwork for Sol sustainability efforts in its future projects, students were given direct, real-world experience working with solar energy, one of the many benefits provided to students at schools with accessible, onsite solar energy available to study.

Sol Systems’ 500 MW community impact investment portfolio with Microsoft is designed to maximize positive environmental, community and societal impact. Sol Systems will finance, develop and operate a portfolio of over 500 megawatts (MW) of solar projects in the U.S. and will sell energy from those projects to Microsoft. In parallel, working with local leaders in nearby communities and those disproportionately impacted by climate change, Sol Systems and Microsoft will invest at least $50 million for community-led grants and investments that support educational programs, job and career training, habitat restoration, and programs that support access to clean energy and energy efficiency.

As the first step, Sol Systems has contributed $200,000 to four community-based organizations focused on communities in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC and one new national non-profit focused on increasing diversity in the solar industry. Learn more about our community partners:

Project Impacts

GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic

GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic (GRID Mid-Atlantic) based in Washington DC, is non-profit organization that provides no-cost solar installations and solar job training. Through their Solar Works DC Training and Solar Futures Programs, GRID provides group-based job training and education in solar system installation to residents with low incomes.

Sol’s partnership will help GRID to provide its students with career support services (such as career check-in sessions, resume techniques, professionalism in the workplace, etc.), financial and computer literacy programs, and other program support services.

PowerCorps PHL

PowerCorps PHL based in Philadelphia, connects young adults and returning citizens to careers through community service as a model to provide education and paid work experience.

Sol’s partnership will help PowerCorpsPHL to expand a skills-building program focused on mathematics and construction for the utility industry, increase career exposure opportunities for the students, and address transportation logistics services. for the program graduates.

Bright Solar Futures

Philadelphia Energy Authority’s Bright Solar Future (BSF) program provides access to solar careers for young people to grow a diverse and more equitable workforce combating climate change. The students, primarily from communities of color, train in solar and battery storage installation, sales, design, and job site safety.

Sol’s partnership will help curriculum development, equipment purchases for BSF’s new energy storage training model and creating a permanent solar training program.

Groundswell

Groundswell is a Washington DC-based, non-profit that builds community power through equitable community solar projects and resilience centers.

Sol’s partnership will provide direct assistance to support structural inspection, feasibility studies and applicable hardware updates for the resiliency center that will be built at the non-profit, City of Refuge in Baltimore, MD. The hub at City of Refuge will be among the first resiliency centers in the city with solar and battery storage.

Black Owners of Solar Services (BOSS)

Black Owners of Solar Services (BOSS) is a nationwide collaborative of entrepreneurs, financiers, veterans, engineers, contractors, and developers leading actionable solutions for sustained access to equitable opportunities in clean energy.

BOSS and Sol will collaborate in the development and implementation of a business-to-business mentorship and sponsorship program that will help connect diverse business owners to opportunities and relationships across the renewable energy industry.

The City of Norfolk’s 8.5MW solar array with 1MW battery storage is a community solar project for Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), Nebraska’s largest solar project and NPPD’s first battery storage project led by an all-women development team. NPPD entered a 30-year agreement with N Solar for the project solar to be constructed on land at the city’s well field. The project is also part of NPPD’s SunWise program which helps incentivize community solar throughout the state of Nebraska.

Project Impacts

Pollinator Habitats

The project will incorporate on-site pollinator habitats to support the local ecosystem and local pollinator populations, like bees.

Community Reinvestment

The Norfolk community solar + storage project is part of NPPD’s SunWise program, a community solar initiative where customers who sign up to obtain a share will receive an electricity bill credit. The credit allows customers to benefit from solar without the upfront cost of building a solar system on their property.

Local Scholarships and Education

Sol Systems and our counterparties partnered with Northeast Community College’s (NECC) Electrical Construction and Control Program to give students internship experience by working alongside project operators and partners to gain onsite and practical solar experience once the project is operational. Sol Systems is also contributing three scholarships to students in the program to cover one year of tuition.

Sol Systems developed a 5 MW for Bowdoin College to help the school reach its goal of purchasing 100 percent clean electricity from Maine-based renewable energy sources. The project is developed on a former Navy Base, and Bowdoin will purchase all the power through the system through a 20-year PPA term. The College will also receive a credit on its energy bill for the generation produced by the solar project thanks to the Net Energy Billing Credit (NEBC) state incentive program.

Project Impacts

Pollinator and Site Management Education with Students

Sol Systems worked with Bowdoin’s students through the college’s environmental science classes to be involved in the management plan for the project site. Through this exercise, students were able to assess the environmental attributes of the project site including evaluating the ecology of the land and how management practices would benefit grassland habitat, pollinators, and endangered species. This was not only a terrific way to get the students more involved, but also helped Sol Systems by providing feedback on a native vegetation management plan for the long-term operation of the project.

Community Investment Through Scholarships

To invest in the community further, Sol Systems worked with Brunswick High School, the local public high school, to establish a scholarship for students interested in environmental studies or sustainability. This not only alleviates the price of college for the students, but also encourages students to pursue a career in an environmentally focused field to aid in workforce development and interest in sustainability.

Google Impact Portfolio

Project Impacts

Community Investment

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FedEx Express Eckington Place

University of Illinois

Microsoft Impact Portfolio

FedEx Express Eckington Place

Project Impacts

Community Investment

Community Solar

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FedEx Express Eckington Place

University of Illinois

Microsoft Impact Portfolio

University of Illinois

Project Impacts

Zero Waste Construction

Pollinator Habitats

An Opportunity for Education

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FedEx Express Eckington Place

University of Illinois

Microsoft Impact Portfolio

Microsoft Impact Portfolio

Project Impacts

GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic

PowerCorps PHL

Bright Solar Futures

Groundswell

Black Owners of Solar Services (BOSS)

Recent Articles...

FedEx Express Eckington Place

University of Illinois

Microsoft Impact Portfolio

Norfolk Solar Project

Project Impacts

Pollinator Habitats

Community Reinvestment

Local Scholarships and Education

Recent Articles...

FedEx Express Eckington Place

University of Illinois

Microsoft Impact Portfolio

Bowdoin College

Project Impacts

Pollinator and Site Management Education with Students

Community Investment Through Scholarships

Recent Articles...

FedEx Express Eckington Place

University of Illinois

Microsoft Impact Portfolio

Explore sustainable energy solutions with Sol Systems

Explore sustainable energy solutions with Sol Systems