Twenty-seven affordable housing developers and service providers across the nation have committed to installing more than 150 megawatts of on-site renewable energy. The effort would more than double the amount of renewable energy on multifamily buildings assisted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), according to federal officials.

The announcement came on a day that the White House announced 300 private and public sector commitments to expand the use of solar and other alternative-energy sources and create thousands of jobs in the industry. The plan includes making $2 billion in energy-efficiency investments in federal buildings, strengthening standards for appliances and building codes, and promoting community college programs that will train workers for the solar industry.

Across the country, affordable housing developers, public housing authorities, financial institutions, and service providers are committing to install and use solar energy on affordable and market-rate multifamily properties because it reduces their long-term energy costs and creates jobs that are helping boost local economies. Responding to the President Barack Obama’s call to action on solar deployment, the following companies and organizations made commitments that will install more than 150 megawatts of on-site renewable energy, create jobs, and reduce carbon pollution:

  • Affirmed Housing Group, a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 550 kW of on-site solar across two projects;
  • Bayview Community Development Corp., a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 400 kW of on-site solar across one project;
  • Black Rock Solar, nonprofit clean energy organization, has a goal of installing 11 MW of solar across housing and community facilities by 2017;
  • Chelsea Investment Corp., a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 6.5 MW of on-site solar across a total of 20 projects;
  • Community Advancement Corp., a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 255 kW of on-site solar across a total of seven projects;
  • Community Housing Works, a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 3.5 MW of on-site solar across a total of 22 projects;
  • Community Power Networkis setting a goal of 1 MW of solar installed across 200 projects in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., by 2015;
  • The Core Cos., a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 1.6 MW of on-site solar across a total of four projects;
  • Denver Housing Authority recently installed 2.5 MW of solar and continues its commitment of adding solar to every new phase of redevelopment as evidenced by its installation of another 100kW on Mariposa Phase VI starting construction in the fall of 2014. The housing authority is also developing a comprehensive districtwide energy design program for PV and geothermal energy under a micro-utility structure for Denver's 100-acre Sun Valley neighborhood;
  • EAH Housing, a California nonprofit housing development and management corporation, has 3.1 MW of on-site solar in their affordable housing portfolio and is committed to an additional 20 projects—a total of nearly 10 MW;
  • Enterprise Community Partners, which facilitates affordable multifamily housing across the country, is announcing a 16 MW target totaling $40 million in investment by 2020 in Boston, Chicago, Denver,  Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.;
  • Global Green USA is setting a goal to install 1 MW of solar nationally by 2017;
  • GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit organization, will help install 100 MW of solar on affordable single-family and multifamily housing across the country by 2024; GRID Alternatives has also launched a new Tribal Solar Initiative to ensure that American Indian tribes have access to the benefits of solar power;
  • Hispanic Housing Development Corp., through its subsidiary Affordable Community Energy, a financial innovator providing housing and energy services to low-income communities across the Midwest, is on track to install 600 kW of solar by May and commits to add 530 kW of additional solar by the end of 2015;
  • Horizon Development/Preservation Partners, a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 450 kW of on-site solar across a total of two projects;
  • Innovative Housing Opportunities, a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 500 kW of on-site solar across a total of five projects;
  • LINC Housing, a nonprofit organization that builds, owns, and operates affordable housing, is committed to installing 826 kW of solar PV across more than 1,000 units in California by 2016;
  • Mutual Housing California, a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 800 kW of on-site solar across a total of six projects;
  • National Housing Trust, an innovative affordable housing developer and owner in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., will install 400 kW of solar PV and 15,000 therms of solar thermal this year; in 2015, it will add another 100 kW of PV and 5,000 therms of solar thermal;
  • Standard Property Co., a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 2.6 MW of on-site solar;
  • Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future and its 11 members will join together to reduce energy and water consumption nationwide by 20 percent by 2020 through their Big Reach Initiative.  These efforts have the potential to contribute 500,000 therms and 4 MW of solar PV;
  • The Reliant Group, a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 800 kW of on-site solar across a total of 6 projects;
  • Urban Housing Communities, a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 300 kW of on-site solar;
  • Vitus, a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 450 kW of on-site solar;
  • Wakeland Housing and Development Corp., a multifamily affordable housing provider, will add 542 kW of on-site solar across a total of four projects;
  • WinnCompanies, the largest manager of affordable multifamily housing in the nation, has developed more than 1 MW of solar and is setting a goal of an additional four MW by 2020, focused on Massachusetts and the Northeast; and
  • Yolo County Housing Authority in California is setting a goal to install 900 kW of solar by 2016.