This month, CARITAS, located in Richmond, Virginia, started using solar energy to run its unique recovery and homeless services facilities. The solar energy system, which will be operated by Secure Solar, is anticipated to generate enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 39 ordinary households and to offset 310 tons of carbon dioxide pollution, covering a significant percentage of the new facility’s energy needs.
The CARITAS Center opened in 2020 during the pandemic, but it didn’t let that slow the organization down. In addition to its emergency shelter, workforce development program, and Furniture Bank initiatives, the center houses a new women’s rehabilitation program and a sober-living apartment complex. Along with a second facility at 700 Dinwiddie Avenue, the center employs over 100 people to assist the neighborhood round-the-clock.
The largest solar power system at any shelter assisting homeless persons in Virginia, and probably on the East Coast, was erected byof Staunton, which used 782 photovoltaic solar panels of the Heliene brand. It is anticipated that the 313 kilowatts of clean energy produced by the solar arrays on the CARITAS Center will save the organization’s electric utility costs by $224,358 over the next 25 years.
“Innovation is one of our core values at CARITAS,” says Stanley. “As we brought this bold vision for the CARITAS Center to life, it was important that we integrated new energy solutions into our project. We hope we can lead the way as other nonprofits bring solutions like this to life in their communities.”
How about the storage solution to the intermittency of solar?