Allume Energy | 03 Oct 2023

Allume US Partnerships – Quarterly Update Q3 2023

Welcome to Allume US’ first quarterly partnerships update!

Meeting with US Senators

Allume along with Elemental Excelerator, Dimensional Energy, and ConnectDER met with Senator Mark Kelly (AZ) and other US Senators to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Allume’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, Aliya Bagewadi, joined a White House roundtable in September and met with a number of US Senators and their staff to discuss the impact the SolShare is having in current projects, how the Inflation Reduction Act is enabling these projects, and opportunities for Senate offices to support Allume’s work. Aliya met with Senator Chuck Schumer (NY), Senator John Ossoff (GA), Senator Mark Kelly (AZ), and Senator Mark Warner’s office (VA), all of whom expressed strong interest in Allume bringing shared solar to renters in their states. Many thanks to our friends at Climate Power for inviting us to this event. 

Joining Coalitions as a Multifamily Solution for the EPA’s $7B Solar for All Competition 

Allume is collaborating with a wide range of green banks, state energy offices, community development finance institutions, and nonprofit coalitions to support Solar for All applications in multiple US states. Solar for All is a $7 billion dollar competition run by the Environmental Protection Agency to expand clean energy and unlock energy savings for low-to-moderate income communities across the country. 

Allume’s SolShare technology can provide a much needed behind-the-meter multifamily solution in locations where community solar is not possible. Our team is currently working on collaborating with Solar for All initiatives in Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio. 

In addition to supporting Solar for All applications, we are collaborating with lending institutions to develop low-interest financing options for building owners looking to provide shared solar for residents with the SolShare. With solar distribution data from the SolCenter, Allume’s software platform, building owners can tangibly demonstrate the energy savings they have passed onto their residents in accordance with EPA’s guidelines. 

If you would like to speak to us about your Solar for All application or act as a lender for shared solar projects, please contact us at info@allumeenergy.com. 

Speaking about Energy Equity at RE+ and Renewable Energy Markets Conference 

In the US, Allume is speaking at major solar and renewable energy conferences in the US. Our presence at these events helps to rapidly educate stakeholders about shared solar and its impact.

Allume’s Director of Strategic Partnerships spoke at RE+, the largest solar conference in the world, and REM 2023 about how Allume is embedding equity in solar projects with the SolShare. Aliya spoke about the unique value of unlocking direct solar consumptions for tenants, shared more about our efforts to create financing that ensures net benefits for tenants, and discussed Allume’s aspirations for the SolShare to increase savings in communities. Since these speaking engagements, two new utilities have approached Allume looking to learn more about how we can work together.

Allume’s Shared Solar Project Gets a Shout Out from Gina McCarthy! 

Gina McCarthy, the first White House national climate advisor, 13th EPA administrator, and general O.G. in the climate world gave Allume a shout-out at the America is All In event in Orlando, Florida. When discussing innovative community projects, McCarthy cited Allume’s shared solar project at Canopy Apartments with @Renu Communities, and even declared, “personally, I’m so excited about this one!” 

We are honored by McCarthy’s shout-out and look forward to creating more innovative shared solar projects focused on delivering community benefits in Florida. Thank you to our partners at Solar United Neighbors for giving us the inside scoop on this good news! 

Creating an Impact Video in Jackson, Mississippi

Allume met with stakeholders in Mississippi to create a video highlighting the impact the Solshare has had at our second project site in Jackson. The video will include testimonials from tenants, the building owner, the former DOE fellow at the Mississippi Public Utility Commission (PUC), and the PUC Commissioner. Here are just a few testimonials from tenants who are receiving solar at the site:

​​”I gotta say, it’s been a game-changer for my utility bills. I’ve seen them drop to less than 20 bucks some months! It’s seriously impressive how much money I’ve saved. Just wanted to give you a thank you for making this place energy-efficient and wallet-friendly. Keep up the good work, I like it here!”

“Now that my energy bill has been reduced, that’s less stress I have to worry about at the end of every month. Since I’m saving on my utility bills, that allows me to better invest into my own small business.”

We even learned that one tenant moved to the building because he wanted to lower his carbon footprint and was excited to have the opportunity to have solar with the SolShare! Keep an eye out for Allume’s release of the video in early October. 

Connecting at the Tribal Clean Energy Symposium and Black Owners of Solar Services (B.O.S.S.) Finance Summit

Allume’s Partnerships Director attended a training by the Tribal Clean Energy Symposium on collaborating with tribal territories to develop clean energy projects. Tribal communities face some of the highest energy burdens in the country and have among the least stable grid access. We are pursuing additional conversations on how Allume can partner with tribal governments to lower energy bills for renters in multifamily buildings in Indian country. 

We also attended Black Owners of Solar Services (B.O.S.S.) to learn more about B.O.S.S clean energy initiatives in the Southeast. We thank B.O.S.S for graciously inviting us to their summit and look forward to continued conversation on a path forward to collaborating together to unlock the multifamily solar market in the Southeast. 

Joining the Department of Energy’s National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP)

This DOE initiative partnership convenes multi-stakeholder teams around collective goals, provides technical assistance for local challenges, and develops an online community platform. Being eligible to participate will enable Allume to partake in these initiatives. 

The Department of Energy’s focus on meaningful benefits for low-to-moderate income (LMI) communities in their community solar programming enables Allume to participate in the National Community Solar Partnership. We have now joined the program, and look forward to submitting one of our projects for the DOE’s NCSP prize. 

We also met with high-level staff members at the Department of Energy to educate them about how the SolShare can provide immediate valuable in locations where community solar does not exist. We are thankful for the Department of Energy focus on the impact on LMI communities and its programs such as these for Allume to participate in. 

Reach out to our US team at any time on info@allumeenergy.com.