HPCSI

Welcome to the Hunting Park Community Solar Initiative! HPCSI is a collaboration of Hunting Park block captains, churches, and non-profits who are working together to do the following in our neighborhood:

Employment

Build a jobs training and employment pathway from HP into the rapidly growing solar installation industry
Empower Residents

Empower HP residents and businesses by making the long term benefits of rooftop solar accessible and compelling.
Improve Finances

Strengthen HP homes and finances by connecting neighbors with low-cost energy-efficiency strategies and weatherization grant programs.
Awareness

Build awareness on how to respond to climate change by reducing carbon emissions through expanding solar and increasing home energy efficiency.
Climate Justice

Build a revenue stream from regional solarization campaigns to HPCSI in order to subsidize climate justice work done in the neighborhood.

Next Event/Class

GET TRAINED AS A SOLAR INSTALLER!! HPCSI’s fourth Solar Installation Training Class finished in June 2024. Our new training season will feature a fall course beginning in October, a winter course with Spanish speaker accommodations beginning in January, and a spring course beginning in April. Our fall course will begin during the first two weeks of October, 2024 (exact date TBA). The course is 10 weeks long, meets Tues and Thurs evenings 6-8pm, and will make graduates OSHA 10 certified and job site ready to join a solar installer crew. We are currently accepting registrations – go to bit.ly/hpsolartrainingclass1
If you belong to a house of worship or other faith-based non-profit (such as a school), we invite you to consider solarizing your property through Solar Faithful (www.solarfaithful.org). Solar Faithful has an investor based model that allows faith-based non-profits to solarize for $0 upfront cost, guarantees savings of up to 10% against standard utility rates and provides free repairs and maintenance for the duration of the arrangement, offers ownership of the panels for free after 25 years, and allows the non-profit to buy out of the arrangement and own the panels at any point. Solar Faithful uses local installers, meaning local jobs - and we will be prioritizing work opportunities in these projects for our HPCSI solar class graduates. Check out Solar Faithful’s website or contact us at hpcsiphilly@gmail.com to learn more.
HPCSI is working on an exciting solar sharing project. HPCSI is working in partnership with First United Methodist Church of Germantown (FUMCOG) and One Hope Community Church in Hunting Park to build a 27.2 kW solar array on One Hope. With this solar array, we will share power with One Hope, another HP non-profit, and 3 low-income HP homeowners. We are nearly fully fundraised and are currently working on the best approach for effectively implementing our model.