Sunset Park residents celebrate completion of community solar project
SUNSET PARK, Brooklyn (PIX11) — Sunset Park residents are celebrating a new solar project designed to cut utility costs and bring environmental benefits to the community.
Saturday’s celebration marked the completion of construction on Sunset Park Solar — a rooftop solar project at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. A live band set the tone as community members gathered to celebrate the completion of the 725-kilowatt rooftop solar installation.
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The project is expected to generate more than $1 million in revenue for a Community Resiliency Fund supporting long-term neighborhood investments, according to organizers with the nonprofit Uprose. It is also projected to lower energy costs by 20 percent for participating residents, including Julio Peña III, chairperson of Brooklyn Community Board 7.
“I am not immune to the skyrocketing electric costs, and each year, I even do balanced billing, and even that’s becoming too expensive — and I think this is going to be an opportunity to lower my own electric bills but also be able to support and invest in green solar energy,” he said.
Organizers are calling this a historic moment for Sunset Park as the solar array is expected to begin generating power in the coming weeks. The project represents nearly eight years of planning, partnerships, and community advocacy. Executive Director Elizabeth Yeampierre said this moment represents a step toward addressing long-standing environmental inequities in the community.
“In Black and brown communities, we are the ones that are surrounded by environmental burdens,” Yeampierre said. “Power plants, waste transfer stations, lead, all of the toxic exposure that creates health issues, and so it is important to level the playing field if you believe in justice. It’s important to invest in infrastructure that makes it possible for people to breathe clean air.”
Sunset Park Solar is the city’s first community-led solar project — a model for equitable clean energy development. Congressmember Nydia Velázquez said Sunset Park knows first-hand what climate change looks like.
“Hurricane Sandy hit this waterfront hard,” said Velázquez. “Projects like this are how frontline communities build resilience on their own terms.”
Organizers hope this project can be expanded to other parts of Sunset Park and serve as a model for similar efforts across the city.
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