EDPR NA Distributed Generation LLC (EDPR NA DG), the distributed business unit of EDP Renewables, has completed a community solar+storage facility located in Westchester County, N.Y.
Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples Development Corp. (CCPOPD), the affordable housing developer of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens Inc., and its low-to-moderate income (LMI) residents will receive the benefits of the renewable electricity generated from this community solar project.
The 1.2 MW rooftop project, coupled with a 1,000 kW battery storage system, is the fourteenth community solar project for EDPR NA DG in New York. PowerMarket will be providing customer acquisition and management services for the project.
“Our efforts with EDPR NA DG go hand-in-hand with our commitment to affordable housing and climate change,” says Msgr. Alfred LoPinto, CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and affiliates. “This collaboration brings us one step closer to our goal of preserving affordable housing for low-income neighbors, reducing our carbon footprint and our energy costs, and investing capital savings into resiliency options and direct services for future generations.”
EDPR NA DG developed the project in strategic collaboration with PowerMarket and CCPOPD to fulfill Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens mission to alleviate energy poverty in Brooklyn and Queens, and beyond.
“This deal serves as a reminder that effective state policy can be a powerful tool to enact social change,” states Candice Michalowicz, COO at EDPR NA DG. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens in their mission to prevent homelessness and to brighten and empower countless New Yorkers’ futures through the development of this project.”
The project, coupled with the upcoming completion of a neighboring EDPR NA DG community solar project, will allow CCPOPD to pass on approximately $1 million in savings to its LMI buildings and households over the course of 20 years.
“We believe in making renewable energy more equitable,” comments Jason Kaplan, COO at PowerMarket. “Community solar allows people who might not have had the opportunity to support clean energy to not only take part in it but also receive direct financial benefits from it. We are proud to have facilitated this partnership with EDPR NA DG and Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and are thrilled to work with like-minded organizations that are shaping the industry.”
As one of the first community solar + storage projects being rolled out in the state, this project contributes to New York’s upgraded goal to deploy 10 GW of distributed solar generation capacity by 2030, against an earlier target of 6 GW. The state also seeks to achieve 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040 and cut its CO2 footprint by at least 85% by 2050, as compared to 1990 levels.
