Resilient Solar: Powering and Empowering Communities

Institute for Sustainable Communities

This publication shares the stories of trailblazing resilient solar projects in New York City, Baltimore, Duluth, and San Francisco, and connects readers to tools, resources, and lessons learned that they can put to use in their own communities.

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Communities across the U.S. are exploring how resilient solar can help strengthen resilience, advance renewable energy goals, and best serve vulnerable neighborhoods during disasters. Our latest publication showcases efforts in four U.S. cities—New York City, Baltimore, Duluth, and San Francisco—as promising examples of how resilient solar can power, and empower, communities. With strong leadership provided by community-based organizations, universities, and municipalities, these collaborative projects are demonstrating the power to profoundly improve the health, safety, and well-being of communities, particularly those who are historically underserved and often most vulnerable to disaster.

We worked closely with each of the communities featured in this publication to advance their projects, confront obstacles, develop innovative strategies, and create models for others to adopt and adapt. This publication shares the stories of trailblazing resilient solar projects and connects readers to tools, resources, and lessons learned that they can put to use in their own communities.

The paths to advancing resilient solar are different in each of the showcased cities, yet across all projects, we observed that successful approaches were adaptable, created strong partnerships and opportunities for engagement, learned from those with experience, and considered the ongoing operation and maintenance of the resilient solar project.

Read our report and watch our recorded webinar to learn more about these resilient solar projects and what made them successful.

This webinar highlights how cities play an important role in advancing individual projects and developing resilience strategies.

• Learn from Kathryn Wright, senior associate at Meister Consultants Group, about New York’s citywide energy storage strategy, which aims to create a more resilient energy system for residents during times of emergency.
• Hear from Jessica Tse, the distributed energy resources specialist for the San Francisco Department of the Environment, about how San Francisco found opportunities to support resilient solar for emergency preparedness and created tools and opportunities for other cities to do the same.
• Learn from Living Classrooms Foundation‘s John Huffington, director of workforce development, and Krystle Starvis, workforce development program manager, how this community-based organization is collaborating with city government to use resilient solar to provide emergency support and jobs for the low-income communities they serve in Baltimore.