Equity & Community

Preserving History, Embracing Progress: A Solar Solution for Richmond’s Atchison Village

  • May 1, 2015
Five people in safety gear and harnesses install yellow solar panels on a roof under clear blue sky

The Atchison Village community in Richmond’s Iron Triangle is no stranger to the value of practicality. Built by the Richmond Housing Authority in 1941, this public works project was originally constructed to provide affordable housing to the families of defense workers employed at Richmond’s nearby Kaiser Shipyards. Today, Atchison Village is a mutual housing cooperative comprising 450 affordable units, solidly built dwellings of one or two stories with plenty of open, grassy space for neighbors to enjoy.

Now, in partnership with GRID Alternatives, low-income Atchison Village residents can benefit from the efficiency and cost-savings of solar power while retaining the historic character of their neighborhood. This spring, GRID piloted the first of what will hopefully be many solar installations in this community, installing a 1.1 kilowatt system projected to cut utility costs for the residents by $9,300, and offset 30 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

This system – and those we hope will follow in the neighborhood – was designed to have a huge effect on homeownership affordability by targeting the residents’ utility costs. Additionally, recognizing the unique past of this historically preserved community, GRID and Richmond City Staff collaborated with Atchison Village leadership to design a system matching the home’s roof line and slope, resulting in a solar system with minimal visual impact to the home’s historic character.

“Installing solar at Atchison Village is an opportunity to preserve history and promote progress,” said Richmond Mayor Tom Butt. “I hope the entire village participates in the program to demonstrate the importance of both Richmond’s rich history and evolution to green energy.”

We here at GRID look forward to working with additional residents of Atchison Village, and are excited for this opportunity to offer savings to the community’s families. In Atchinson Village, solar isn’t a progressive step in an unfamiliar direction – it’s simply practical!

Click here to see more great photos from our pilot project in Atchinson Village!