(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU), DC Green Bank, Flywheel Development, and SunStyle, alongside Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George and other District elected and government officials, celebrated the completion of the first solar shingle project under the District’s Solar for All program. The project is a community renewable energy facility (CREF or community solar) located in Ward 4 and is one of nearly 200 community solar installations that are part of Solar for All, which is designed to bring the benefits of solar to 100,000 income-qualified DC residents by 2032. The partners released a video today highlighting the new installation and the benefits these projects are bringing to the District.
This community solar installation is the first of its kind in the Solar for All program and is also the first project in the DC area to use the SunStyle solar shingle. Solar shingles and roofing like SunStyle’s are unique in that they produce electricity like a traditional solar panel but also serve as the actual roofing material. This solar roof will produce enough electricity to serve six income-qualified DC families through Solar for All Community Solar subscriptions.
Flywheel Development, a DC-based solar developer and participant in the Solar for All program since 2019, has worked closely with the DCSEU and DC Green Bank to make the project a reality. Since 2019, Flywheel has completed 24 Solar for All Community Solar installations and expects to complete another 11 working with both organizations this year.
“The DCSEU and DC Green Bank are critical partners for these projects,” said Jessica Pitts, co-founder and CEO of Flywheel Development. “The incentives the DCSEU provides through the Solar for All program and the affordable financing provided by DC Green Bank enable us to build our business, bring solar to buildings where it may not have been an option, and to be a part of the District’s transformation to a clean energy economy.”
DC Green Bank, established by DC Council and Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2018, has been working closely with Flywheel Development on Solar for All projects for the past two years to provide construction financing. To date, the DC Green Bank has committed more than $25 million in financing to support local businesses and advance the District’s clean energy, environment, and equity goals.
“Flywheel brought us our first financing project back in 2020 and we are incredibly proud to continue to work with them to bring these Solar for All projects to life that will serve low- to moderate-income families here in DC,” said Eli Hopson, CEO of DC Green Bank. “DC Green Bank is a key piece of the puzzle to provide access to capital for smaller and growing companies, and we want to work with more businesses like Flywheel that are seeking to expand in sustainable industries across the city.”
This year under Solar for All, the DCSEU, who manages the program on behalf of the District Department of Energy & Environment, is providing more than $11.5 million in incentives to local solar contractors and developers to install solar systems on single-family homes of income-qualified DC families, as well to develop larger community solar systems like this one in Ward 4. In total, this work is expected to help more than 2,600 income-qualified DC families cut their electricity bills by about 50 percent, up to $500 per year, for the next 15 years.
“Solar for All is making a significant impact here in the District by creating opportunities for local contractors, creating jobs for District residents, and most importantly, creating lasting electricity bill savings for income-qualified DC families,” said Ted Trabue, Managing Director of the DCSEU. “Local contractors like Flywheel Development are bringing innovative technologies like this to the program and are critical to ensuring the District meets its clean energy and climate goals.”
Read the Full Release Below
Press-Release-62722-Community-Solar-Ribbon-Cutting