The project received a 20% investment tax credit for selling its electricity to low-income communities, according to developer, Renewable America.
A solar project that provided jobs to low-income residents and will provide renewable energy to another, is operational according to the project’s developer, Renewable America.
The 2.93 MW West Tambo Clean Power II project sits on 8.5 acres in an area designated as both a low-income and a disadvantaged community in Livingston, California. The project will provide renewable energy to San Jose, California, about 100 miles east of the project.
Renewable America told pv magazine USA that the project, which did not qualify for the domestic content bonus, includes 2P single-axis trackers made by FTC Solar and Chint inverters.
The project is selling its electricity to low-income households, for which it received a 20% investment tax credit under the Department of Energy’s Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program.
The project combines environmentally low-income and disadvantaged communities in one project, “creating a powerful cycle of shared benefits—jobs, cleaner air, and economic growth for one, while delivering affordable renewable power to the other,” said Ardi Arian, Renewable America’s president and CEO. “We also celebrate several important milestones with this development, such as a promising new collaboration with San Jose Clean Energy, a successful union labor contract, and expanded access to solar for underrepresented populations.”
With the project located in a low-income community, Renewable America integrated the local union labor hall, especially those enrolled in apprenticeship programs, to ensure it employed workers from within the region during the project’s development.
Renewable America, which provides distributed energy resources, small utility-scale solar-plus-storage and community microgrids in California, developed the West Tambo Clean Power II project using in-house resources, which included parcel scouting, lease negotiations, engineering, permitting, design and origination, the company said.
