Sunrun completed a solar project that will serve 70 rental homes in San Jose, California. Residents of the Don de Dios Apartments will receive solar credits on their electric bills for the next 20 years.

The multifamily housing solar installation required no upfront payment from renters and will generate an immediate 54% in energy savings at the facility, freeing up $1,800 annually in the property budget.

“We’re dedicated to democratizing energy and increasing access to affordable, reliable, clean power for everyone — whether you rent or own your home,” said Mary Powell, CEO of Sunrun. “Our efforts are supporting over 500 solar projects on affordable housing units, which we anticipate will deliver $13.5 million in annual solar savings directly to tenants, as well as thousands of hours of solar job training to residents in disadvantaged communities.”

In 2018, Sunrun committed to developing 100 MW of solar on affordable multifamily housing in California by 2030 via the state Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program. Additionally, in 2021, Sunrun pledged to bring at least 500 MW of low-income solar to people across the country by 2030.

“Our team has aspired to install solar on the Don de Dios Apartments rental community for over a decade. We are thrilled to partner with Sunrun to make this a reality for our residents,” said Laura Hall, President, and CEO of EAH Housing. “Making the switch to clean energy on our properties will bring needed utility bill savings to residents and significantly reduce the community’s carbon emissions for the planet.”

SOMAH currently has 470 active projects comprising over 38,000 households, which equates to over 100,000 low-income renters. These active projects, once fully realized, will provide 90 MW of power, produce almost 115 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, worth over $25 million, or approximately $55 per household per month, and 34% are in designated frontline Disadvantaged Communities.

News item from Sunrun