Revision energy6/19/2023 Low-income populations often suffer from a high energy burden, meaning that a larger share of their household income goes towards energy expenses lessening a household’s energy burden would free up much needed funds for other important expenses. The main benefit for manufactured housing residents in going solar is cost savings. It also means that “solar contagiousness” could play a big role in spreading solar in these communities: a recent study by Scientific Reports found that the single greatest predictor of going solar is proximity to other homes with solar, and that this is especially pronounced in lower income areas. This creates an opportunity for targeted outreach campaigns because the homes are clustered together. Most manufactured homes are located near other manufactured homes. This means that they are likely to live in their property longer than renters, they can make physical changes to their property, and they can build home equity through improvements to their property, all good indicators of solar readiness. Unlike the broader low- and moderate-income population, most manufactured housing residents are homeowners. Most manufactured homes are situated in rural areas. Median income in these households is typically half that of people in other housing types. In some states, the percentage of households in manufactured homes reaches as high as 17%t. Manufactured homes, formerly referred to as mobile homes, account for 6.1% of the nation’s housing stock, totaling more than 8,500,000 residences. A new report by the Clean Energy States Alliance explores the opportunities and challenges of bringing solar to an often-overlooked market that is ripe with potential: manufactured homes. There is a growing movement in the clean energy field to bring the benefits of renewable energy to low- and moderate-income communities. 1 Rooftop Solar Installer in New England by Solar Power Industry magazine in September 2017.Mascoma Meadows Community Solar Array. In 2017, the company converted to 100% employee ownership. The designation means the business is trying to create maximum positive societal impact rather than the traditional approach of maximizing shareholder returns. ReVision became a certified B Corporation in 2015. We are genuinely trying to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of these organizations, while simultaneously reducing carbon pollution and accelerating the clean energy transition." He added, "Our nonprofits and municipalities are working hard to improve the lives of all Mainers and I think of our solar impact work as an extension of those efforts. When you’re doing this for a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter, the goal is to enable the nonprofit to better fulfill its mission.” “And we truly want it to be a great deal for them. “The nonprofits are buying the systems because the deal is incredibly good for them,” he said. He noted that the first projects built eight years ago through the PPA model are working their way through buyouts of the systems. The nonprofits include social service agencies, low-income housing communities, schools, churches and municipalities. That funding resulted in roughly 1.1 megawatts of completed solar arrays for 13 nonprofits and municipalities from Kittery to Bucksport, as well as in New Hampshire. ReVision Solar Impact Partners launched this year and has closed its first two inaugural funds, totaling $2.6 million. ReVision Solar Impact Partners “solves this problem by attracting tax equity investors who can 'monetize' the tax benefits in a way that benefits nonprofits and municipalities,” he said. The new company will allow nonprofits to acquire solar energy despite the fact they can’t take advantage of the 30% federal tax credit and an approximately 20% depreciation benefit available to tax-paying entities and homeowners, company co-founder Phil Coupe told Mainebiz. ReVision Energy has started an impact investment fund business, ReVision Solar Impact Partners, to help nonprofits and municipalities acquire cost-effective solar energy.
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