MA Affordable Housing Solar Initiative Enters Fourth-Year Running

Boston, MA - The Boston branch of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Resonant Energy, and the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) are pleased to announce the participants in the fourth phase of the Solar Technical Assistance Retrofit (STAR) program. The STAR program, first launched in 2021, provides technical and financial assistance to affordable housing organizations with sites in Massachusetts to catalyze the exploration of solar photovoltaic (PV) potential and break down existing barriers to adoption. This phase of the STAR program is providing an additional 12 organizations with grants to perform solar feasibility studies.

In the past three years, the STAR program has analyzed the portfolios of 44 affordable housing providers, encompassing more than 1,700 buildings. In the first three phases of the program, housing providers have committed to a total of 7.9 MW of solar PV across nearly 200 rooftops. These projects represent more than $30 million in lifetime savings for owners and reduce carbon emissions equivalent to taking 1,400 cars off the road.

The STAR program offers housing providers support filing for tax credits through the new laws introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act. Last fall, Resonant Energy helped clients submit 102 applications to the Department of Energy, the majority of which were STAR participants. If all are awarded, these tax credits would represent $7.4 million in additional funding for projects. Thus far, 68 of the 102 applications have been approved.

“2024 stands to be a watershed moment for solar and affordable housing,” said Isaac Baker, Co-CEO of Resonant Energy. “New state and federal resources are being rolled out that prioritize solar for affordable housing, making it easier for housing organizations to afford the upfront cost of solar and unlock meaningful savings for both the buildings’ and residents’ budgets.” The state of Massachusetts has applied for $250 million in funding from the EPA’s Solar for All program, $65 million of which is earmarked for affordable housing. The EPA plans to announce the award decision in March 2024; if the state is awarded funding, the state agencies will roll out programming in the following months.

The STAR program is made possible by generous funding from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s (MassCEC) EmPower Massachusetts Program, the Jampart Charitable Trust, and the Lauenstein Family Fund.

“The STAR program’s impact can be seen on rooftops of affordable housing properties across the region,” said Dr. Emily Reichert, CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, “LISC’s technical assistance model and emphasis on helping housing organizations address their unique needs have been instrumental in ensuring clean energy reaches underserved populations. MassCEC looks forward to seeing this nonprofit expand its reach through support from our EmPower Massachusetts program – because everyone deserves access to the benefits of clean energy.”

Homeowner’s Rehab, Inc., Cambridge, MA - STAR Phase I Participant

Phase IV Participants:

• Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA)
• Commonwealth Land Trust (CLT)
• HallKeen Management
• Harborlight Homes
• Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services (MHNHS)
• Peabody Properties
• Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH)
• Rural Development, Inc. (RDI)
• Supportive Living, Inc.
• Urban Edge
• Valley Community Development
• Way Finders

Read the Full Press Release [+]

Media Contact:
Emily Jones
Senior Program Officer, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
ejones@lisc.org 
www.lisc.org/boston

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About LISC

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Boston is a national nonprofit working to forge resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity in the US; great places to live, work, visit, do business, and raise families. Since 2009, LISC Boston’s Green Homes Initiative has helped drive resources to Massachusetts’s affordable housing sector, align incentives to help owners maximize the energy efficiency of their properties, integrate appropriate clean energy technologies, decrease carbon emissions, improve climate readiness and healthy housing, and provide residents with a higher quality of life through these improvements.

About Resonant Energy

Resonant Energy is a community-based solar provider that believes that everyone has a right to clean affordable solar. We help under-invested communities take their place at the forefront of the global transition to clean energy. Through partnerships with local nonprofits, we deliver high-quality solar arrays for houses of worship, affordable housing providers, and homeowners — regardless of income. Thanks to our network of local investors, we are making solar power accessible for low-income households and nonprofits at no upfront cost, and in some cases, at no cost at all. We currently serve communities in Massachusetts, New York City, and Long Island.

About MACDC

The Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) is a membership organization that seeks to build and sustain a high-performing and adaptive community development sector that is supported by private and public investment and sound public policies. We advance racial and economic equity by creating healthy communities where everyone lives in housing they can afford, benefits from economic opportunities, and can fully participate in the civic life of their community.

About MassCEC

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is a state economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the climatetech sector across the Commonwealth to spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits, and secure long-term economic opportunities for the people of Massachusetts. MassCEC works to increase the adoption of climate technologies while driving down costs and delivering financial, environmental, and economic development benefits to energy users and utility customers across the state.