Duluth and Arrowhead Co-op wins award for inclusive outreach to low-income communities

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) awarded Solar United Neighbors’ 2021 “Share the Sun” campaign an Inclusive Solar Outreach in recognition of an effective communications campaign to reach underrepresented audiences about solar energy adoption. The campaign helped low- and moderate-income Duluth and Grand Marais homeowners go solar as part of a solar co-op.

The effort is being run again this year with the launch of SUN’s 2022 Share the Sun Campaign. This is a crowdsourcing effort to raise funds to install solar for low-to-moderate income homeowners in the Duluth and Arrowhead area.

The Share the Sun campaign raised funds to install solar on the homes of eight Duluth and Grand Marais moderate- and low-income families. The effort was a collaboration between Solar United Neighbors (SUN), Cook County Local Energy Project, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, and One Roof Community Housing.

“We wanted to reduce our carbon footprint at our home and contribute to our country’s transition to renewable energy,” said Nathan Holst, One Room homeowner who went solar with the program in 2021. “Share the Sun allowed us to do that while reducing our energy bill. I hope more One Roof homeowners will be able to benefit.”

The Share the Sun campaign engaged low-income families by partnering with One Roof Community Housing of Duluth. One Roof provides affordable home ownership opportunities to middle- and low-income families though a community land trust model. Through a covenant on the land, the home can be sold only to another middle- or low-income buyer, guaranteeing that those homes remain accessible in the future.

“We are proud to have the work of our coalition recognized,” said Bobby King, Minnesota Program Director at Solar United Neighbors. “Low-income homeowners want to contribute to the clean energy future and have a higher energy burden that rooftop solar can address. We’re demonstrating that solar can work for low-income homeowners while working for policy that can make more of this possible.”

Solar United Neighbors, the Cook County Local Energy Project, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, and One Roof Community Housing are partnering again to raise funds to help low-income families access solar this year. Donations can be made online at: www.mnipl.org/sharethesun. The 2022 Duluth & Arrowhead Solar Co-op is now open to new participants.

“The sun has the potential to benefit everyone, but only if we work hard to make sure it does,” said Bret Pence, Greater Minnesota Director for Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light. “We were excited by the success of our Share the Sun campaign and we hope to share the light with even more Northland families in this next round.”