Solar on Staten Island affordable housing serves community and tenants Solar Power World’s Projects of Impact

A rent-stabilized apartment building on Staten Island, run by the Sisters of Charity of New York, now has a 279 kW solar system split into two parts: one array feeds the building directly (net-metered, meaning excess power sent to the grid offsets the building's electric bill), and a separate array is set up as community solar, where nearby residents can subscribe to get credits on their own bills without installing panels on their own roof. The building has 75 units, and more than 50 tenants signed up for the community solar subscription after an outreach campaign last fall.

Tenants are expected to start seeing savings on their electric bills in August 2026, with a projected 10% discount. The project was financed partly through a nonprofit subsidiary that owns the solar system separately from the building, and partly through stacked incentives: a federal tax credit that reached 50% for both arrays, plus New York's solar grant program, which paid $1.60 per watt for behind-the-meter solar generally and $2 per watt for affordable housing projects specifically.

The Sisters of Charity say they plan to keep adding solar to their properties. A separate project is underway in Rockland County, New York, using state grant money to add solar panels and battery backup to a property in an area that has had storm-related power outages. For homeowners, the takeaway is that community solar subscriptions, which let you benefit from a shared solar array without panels on your own roof, are increasingly available in New York and worth checking for in your area.