Solar Landscape, Prologis Partnership Shines at Rooftop Community Solar Demonstration
To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together. A partnership between Solar Landscape and Prologis is bringing that saying to light. Together, the two companies are showing the power of working together to achieve a shared mission: to bring the benefits of solar to more people.
“At Prologis, we’re committed to sustainability, and to being a force of good in the communities we serve,” said Andrea Marín Monterrubio, Director of Origination, Americas for Prologis, at the event. “This community solar project is an example of what can be achieved when [we] come together for a more sustainable future.
Dozens of commercial real estate leaders recently joined Solar Landscape, Prologis and leadership from the City of Perth Amboy to see first-hand one of the companies’ rooftop community solar projects.
The event, which took place during NAIOP’s I.CON East conference, demonstrated to attendees how the 2.67-megawatt rooftop project is generating clean energy for the benefit of nearby residents. Several of Prologis’s team members in attendance heralded the event, noting how the project and partnership with Solar Landscape is “empowering families and our environment,” signaling how Prologis is “well on our way to 1 GW by 2025!”
The project has been nationally recognized with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grand Prize for equitable community solar, and is an example of how Prologis is dedicating many of its rooftops to fighting climate change.
“Commercial rooftops can be a game-changer when it comes to our clean energy transition, and Prologis is leading the way in leveraging these assets for the greater good,” said Shaun Keegan, Solar Landscape’s CEO and co-founder. “Generating energy closer to where it will be used while making it available to residents at a discount throws the doors open to a more affordable, equitable energy future.”
Sustainability and a commitment to communities are at the heart of Prologis’s ESG work and a broader goal of reaching one gigawatt of solar across its portfolio by 2025. Community solar – and its partnership with Solar Landscape – will play a major role in Prologis reaching that target.
Through the innovative community solar model, rooftop solar installations hosted on commercial and industrial rooftops generate electricity that is fed directly into the grid, for the benefit of local residents at a discount. Many of those families live in historically disadvantaged communities, and community solar makes the renewable energy source available to them for the first time.
Prologis has been committed to rooftop community solar for several years and the speed at which their portfolio has grown demonstrates another advantage of the new energy model. Rooftop projects can be built quickly, showing their promise to hasten our critical clean energy transition at the scale required to fight climate change. Prologis is already hosting 4 projects, has received approval to build 41 more, and is assessing yet another 49 buildings that could be dedicated to the rooftop renewable energy projects.
“Community solar has been a game-changer for our city that can be replicated in any other municipality. It has three benefits: Sustainability, economic growth, and community well-being,” said Lisett Lebron, Chief of Staff for Perth Amboy’s Mayor Helmin Caba. “We’re saving money for our low- to moderate-income families. This program currently helps about 1,200 households in our city, and that makes a big difference when it comes to energy costs.”
Rooftops Are Tops for Solar Siting
Industrial rooftops are ideal for community solar projects because they’re typically underutilized assets. When paired with onsite community solar, which sends the electricity directly into the grid, these assets become renewable energy power plants – generating clean electricity closer to where it can be used by local homes and businesses.
Community solar on commercial rooftops is a win-win; it provides solar benefits and cost savings to low-income communities, creates revenue-generating opportunities for property owners, and increases the use of clean, renewable energy.
Solar Landscape President and Chief Legal Officer Mark Schottinger reiterated those benefits at a NAIOP I.CON East panel the next day, along with Turner & Townsend’s Kat West and Greek Real Estate Partners’ Matt Schlindwein, moderated by NAIOP NJ President Dan Kennedy.
By expanding access to affordable clean energy, Prologis and Solar Landscape are making solar accessible to all, truly paving the way for a brighter tomorrow.
