PowerMarket, a provider of community solar management services, and Fairstead, a purpose-driven, vertically integrated real estate firm committed to the creation and preservation of affordable housing, have partnered to make renewable energy more accessible to underserved communities in Rhode Island. The roof of the Echo Valley Apartment Complex, an affordable housing development in West Warwick, is now home to a 497-kW community solar project. This project is using underutilized space and giving it new life all while ensuring that affordable housing residents benefit from this opportunity.

“Clean energy should be for all and this community solar project truly represents that inclusion. We love that many residents of the Echo Valley Apartments are participating and will directly benefit from the solar panels on their roof,” said Jason Kaplan, COO of PowerMarket. “At PowerMarket, we have the opportunity to do more with our work and ensure that we support and strengthen underserved communities. We are proud to have worked with Fairstead to make this happen.”

Residents of the apartment complex as well as National Grid – Rhode Island customers are all able to take part in this project. Once enrolled, they will begin to receive a guaranteed discount on their monthly utility bill via a community solar credit that is applied to each bill. This is a utility customer opportunity that PowerMarket and Fairstead have worked hard to accomplish together.

“At Fairstead we see every project as an opportunity to bring a positive social, economic and environmental impact to the communities we serve, and Echo Valley is a perfect example of how we execute on that mission,” said Will Blodgett, founding partner of Fairstead. “The community solar program is a model for how developers can bring clean power onto the grid, while working to improve the lives of residents by lowering their monthly expenses. We are grateful to our partners at National Grid, RIHousing and PowerMarket for sharing in our vision and helping us turn it into a reality.”