The facility is located in Ward 5 and will exclusively provide electricity to low-income local residents. The solar facility consists of approximately 4,000 modules installed both on the cap of the reservoir and on a south-facing portion of the property adjacent to it. What makes this project unique is the engineering required to build a solar facility on an active reservoir. The panel racking is supported by concrete structures designed to optimize the module configuration while remaining light enough to protect the 25 million gallons of water held in the reservoir. In the spring of 2023, the facility was selected by the Department of Energy for a visit by the then White House climate advisor, representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and various climate-focused businesses in the District of Columbia. The visit highlighted climate initiatives implemented under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

The picture above features two of SunLight’s founders, Stacey and Edouard, along with Erika Smith and Mark Helmka. Erika led the development of this facility from its origination during the pandemic, navigating multiple policy changes that affected solar equipment procurement nationally. Mark has done outstanding work managing the technical operations of several of SunLight’s operating assets, including this facility.