Solar Micronics, Inc., an Illinois-based solar integrator firm has been selected to participate in the ‘Solar in Your Community Challenge’ program of the Department of Energy. As part of the Sunshot initiative, a $5 million budget has been set aside for this competition, aimed at expanding solar access to low- income communities.
Over the next year and a half, the Solar Micronics team will develop innovative project ideas to bring solar to residents of low income housing projects. “We are obviously very excited about the news”, said, Dr. Vish, President, and CEO of the firm. “We hope to make solar affordable for all, as we do not believe solar must be the rich man’s playground only; apart from developing business models for making solar affordable for low income residents, we also hope to teach them skills in solar installation and safety so that they can carve for themselves a path out of poverty via employment is this growing field”, said Dr. Vish, an electrical engineer. Solar Micronics specializes in commercial, and industrial solar projects.
In this project, to be located in Bessemer City, North Carolina, there are multitudes of local non-profit partners such as the city of Bessemer City, North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, Northwest Regional Housing Agency, Gaston county, and Carolina Council of Governments. The project will serve 175 low income residents, and once succeeded on a pilot scale, it will be replicated on other low income housing projects. In a recent national survey, Charlotte area was noted as among the top ten places in the country with an acute shortage of affordable housing options. Such shortage results in an increased percentage of their income being spent by the low income residents on rent payments. If utility costs are added to the already overburdened budget of the residents, this results in an undue strain on the budget. Thus, a successful pilot here will pave the way for a nationally implementable plan for low income residents.
