Reactivate, a joint venture of Invenergy and Lafayette Square, and Solstice Power Technologies have entered into an agreement in which Solstice will provide subscriber acquisition and ongoing subscriber management services to Reactivate community solar projects across the United States over the next several years.
Reactivate and Solstice will unite to achieve their shared goals of delivering hundreds of megawatts of community solar projects to low-income, environmental justice and energy transition communities nationwide. The partnership will leverage Solstice’s expertise in community-building and LMI customer acquisition and Reactivate’s community solar project development and operation and workforce training to focus on communities that have been historically left out of the clean energy transition.
In January, Reactivate and Solstice held a successful open enrollment launch for three low-income community solar projects through the Illinois Solar For All: Community Solar program; these projects have now surpassed 75% of their subscription capacity.
Two new community projects in Illinois began enrollment last month, bringing the total projects to five. The Illinois projects will generate over 20 million kWh of renewable electricity annually with the capacity to serve more than 3,500 households statewide. Solstice has already enrolled more than 1,500 income-eligible households in the Illinois solar farms, partnering with community organizations and municipalities to simplify the process.
“We’re excited to announce that we will continue working with Reactivate on multiple projects over the coming years. Subscribers have already enrolled at record speed for the projects and we are honored to get to work with a mission-driven development partner who not only understands the energy burden excluded communities face, but is actively doing something about it,” says Steph Speirs, Co-Founder and CEO of Solstice.
Distributed solar energy and storage development is on the rise in the U.S., protecting many homeowners from rising utility rates, and that growth is expected to continue in the coming years. However, 77% of Americans are still unable to participate in rooftop solar. This includes renters and households who may not qualify due to credit scores, incomes below minimum thresholds, unsuitable rooftops, or inadequate sun exposure.
Community solar bridges that gap, providing the opportunity for more households to access local renewable energy with monthly savings on their electricity bill by subscribing to a portion of a solar farm. Community solar reduces electric bills, supports local businesses, fuels job growth, improves public infrastructure and increases property tax revenue – all crucial for strengthening energy transition communities.
“Our goal is to save low- to moderate-income households $50 million in energy costs by 2030,” says Utopia Hill, CEO of Reactivate. “By joining forces with Solstice, we’re not only investing capital, but fostering local economic development in communities that have been historically marginalized. This partnership will truly make a difference and create a lasting impact.”
