Northwest SEED empowers community scale clean energy through technical support, community education and practical implementation to help communities achieve their sustainability and economic development goals.

Affordable Clean Energy for All

While the price tag of solar has fallen nearly 50% in the past five years, front-loaded installation costs mean that solar energy is still out of reach for many families and businesses. Simultaneously, those with lower incomes spend a disproportionately high percentage of monthly income on energy-related expenditures, while much of the housing stock available at lower rental prices is older and does not benefit from energy efficient appliances, insulation, and renewable energy generation. As clean energy technologies become more widespread and affordable, it’s important that the benefits are distributed to all members of our community.

Through our “Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) for All” project, Northwest SEED is working with local stakeholders to research, design and implement a pathway for affordable solar energy in Seattle. By uniting our expertise in solar deployment with partner expertise in multifamily housing development, we intend to create a model that will not only lower energy costs for those most in need, but also increase community resiliency in the face of climate change. Ongoing collaboration with low income housing providers, utilities, financing institutions, and foundations will inform our efforts to deconstruct complexities and suggest options for solar integration. Our efforts will focus on the following areas:

• Reforming our community solar production incentive to encourage solar on affordable housing
• Creating a commercial-scale incentive for solar on multifamily housing and commercial property
• Complementing state and federal funds for electric bill assistance with investments in efficiency and solar energy generation
• Tapping funds for the holistic benefits of solar deployment, including job creation, energy awareness, and community resilience

Resources:

• Affordable Clean Energy for All: A Guide to Installing Solar Photovoltaics on Multifamily Affordable Housing in Washington, published in March 2016, is a tool to explore solar feasibility, sources of funding, and project implementation.
• Our June 2015 Report, Solar PV for Multifamily Affordable Housing in Seattle, starts the discussion by providing a deeper understanding of the challenges to and opportunities for clean energy accessibility.
• Check out our visual demonstrating the “Green Divide” in solar incentive distribution.

To inform our work, we are actively recruiting for board members that are representative of minority and low-income communities. We welcome all backgrounds and strive to have a staff and board that reflects the diverse communities we serve.  Interested in learning more?