As we enter a new year, we are excited to share several updates. From the launch of the LIFT Toolkit to being selected for the DOE Renewables Advancing Community Energy Resilience (RACER) grant to our CEO Michelle Moore joining the Tennessee Valley Authority board, our team is building community power and advancing resilient energy futures.
In recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which we observed this month, we echo his sentiments about the importance of community and that social justice goes hand in hand with environmental justice. In his 1967 Christmas sermon, King said, “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
This idea of interconnectedness drives the environmental justice movement, and it is intrinsically tied to the work we do at Groundswell. The LIFT Toolkit was developed by our Labs team to promote the development of equitable community solar projects by providing resources for non-profits and developers. Likewise, the Energy Futures webinar series has successfully shared insight into the best practices and innovative features within the toolkit.
Additionally, this month members of the Groundswell team attended the 2023 National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) Annual Summit. During the conference, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) chose SharePower™ Community Solar at Monastery of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel from a competitive selection of entries from across the country as a Special Recognition Winner for Greater Household Savings in Sunny Awards' Meaningful Benefit Category. Groundswell also received a shout-out at the Sunny Awards for providing subscriber management for the DC Solar for All program, which was named a Grand Prize Winner in recognition of the program’s delivery of meaningful benefits to subscribers.
Lastly, the behind-the-meter solar installation at the Zakat Foundation of America in Bridgeview, Illinois, is now energized and provides clean, locally generated energy through the Illinois Solar For All program. This 83 kW behind-the-meter solar installation will reduce electricity supply costs at the Zakat Foundation by roughly 65 percent, supporting the global nonprofit's ongoing humanitarian mission. Additionally, this rooftop array contributed to local career training efforts, with nearly 28% of the work hours for the installation performed by qualified job trainees.
We look forward to working toward a just and equitable energy future in the New Year, and we are deeply grateful for the support from our partners, community leaders, and solar subscribers.