Spanning the rooftop of Todd A. Lee Senior Residence, Washington, DC’s new all-affordable senior community, are dozens of solar panels working to meet the District’s ambitious climate goals. And it’s benefitting the building owners too. The clean energy generated by the solar on the rooftop — about 27,000 kilowatt hours — is now powering the building and lowering the building owners’ operating costs. Meanwhile, the residents are pleased to know that when they turn on the lights, it is the sun — not fossil fuels — providing their energy.
This project located in the Brightwood Park neighborhood is part of SaveSolar’s growing partnership with premier DC real estate group Dantes Partners, who co-developed the property with Gilbane Development Company. SaveSolar worked with Solar Energy Services, the oldest operating solar company in the region, to ensure the project was carried out with care and expertise.
In a truly bright story for the District, previously vacant land is now a 38-unit elderly affordable housing community, named after a housing official who worked passionately to expand affordable housing in the District. And thanks to SaveSolar, it is being powered with clean energy.
For multi-family developers with income-qualified residents, SaveSolar is one of the few companies able to submit projects to the DCSEU and deliver the energy at no-cost to qualified District residents. SaveSolar has been an active participant of the Solar for All program since 2018, having successfully developed over 2.5 MWs to the District’s Solar for All program to date.
At SaveSolar, I've worked to put solar on rooftops of many existing affordable housing communities, but to see a new affordable housing community built from scratch — with solar panels in the blueprints — was very special. The new era of clean energy is here and now everyone can benefit. Here, with the financial benefits from solar, we're helping ensure the long-term viability of affordable senior housing.
SaveSolar is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that specializes in developing community solar assets. We work with building owners to finance and build solar assets, then compensate the building owners with long-term revenue and generate that solar energy back into the utility. This energy is then provided at a discount to residential, low-income community subscribers. Our mission is to help the District reach its renewable energy goals and to lower the cost of electricity. The SaveSolar executive leadership team has over 60 years of combined experience in renewable energy markets in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. We have diversified experience across construction, finance, project management, technology and sustainability.