US company Planet Solar has completed installation of photovoltaic (PV) panels on 863 units of social housing in California, US. The 2MW project is owned by the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara (HACSB) and will provide electricity for more then 1,000 low-income families.
The development consists of 21 sites around the county, 250 separate structures and 7,200 PV panels supplied by SolarWorld. The companies involved said the installation will offset 100 per cent of the resident's energy consumption.
Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas, said, 'SolarWorld is heartened to be part of a project that delivers the benefits of solar technology to low-income members of our community. Universally applicable, solar power holds the promise of putting clean, affordable energy in the hands of everyone everywhere.'
Paul Metzner, CEO of Planet Solar, added, 'We are honoured to have been selected by HACSB to perform this unprecedented project in our community based on our prior track record in affordable housing. HACSB is a recognised industry leader in its approach to affordable housing and the first to embark on a project of this magnitude. We are pleased HACSB trusted Planet Solar and SolarWorld to pioneer this together.'
Housing associations and local authorities are increasingly looking to solar as a way to lower household bills for residents and as a means to generate revenue by selling any excess electricity generated. A recent change to feed-in tariffs in the UK has made utility-scale solar projects economically unviable and the sector is now focused on micro-generation. Partnering with social housing operators is allowing solar companies to get large contracts that still qualify for the subsidy.