The Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation (WCDC), a nonprofit organization based in eastern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has announced the commercial operation of a rooftop solar project that has been three years in the making.

A 23.4-kilowatt solar array comprising 39 panels was installed on the WCDC's roof and has been operational since the beginning of summer. Local contractor EIS Solar carried out the installation. In its first month of operation, the array generated 7% more electricity than originally projected.

The WCDC began exploring solar energy for its building in 2023. The Pennsylvania Solar Center, a nonprofit organization, assisted the WCDC in developing the project, navigating policy obstacles, and selecting a qualified solar contractor through its GET Solar program, which provides advisory support to nonprofits, small businesses, and municipalities seeking to adopt solar.

"It's really common for organizations to need a lot of support," said Leo Kowalski, director of transformation at the Pennsylvania Solar Center. "Solar can be complicated. It doesn't have to be, but often it is, and financing is a huge piece of it. But it's also a democratizing force. What's so exciting about solar is that we can really get our hands on it as people."

The project was financed through multiple sources. Mahesh Sabhnani, a Google employee and local resident, contributed $10,000 to the effort, and Google matched his donation with an additional $10,000. The Neighborhood Community Development Fund, an equity-focused financier, created a custom financing program for the project's loan. The installation also qualified for a state energy efficiency rebate, the federal investment tax credit, and the domestic content bonus adder — the latter two incentives having been expanded under the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which increased the tax credit value for projects using U.S.-made components.

While the array is expected to reduce the WCDC's electricity costs, Gordon Manker, the organization's director of business development, emphasized that the project serves as a demonstration for the broader Wilkinsburg neighborhood, a community that has been the focus of ongoing economic and neighborhood revitalization efforts.

"Let the WCDC be the trial run to see how it goes, to see how it get more people involved, more businesses involved in getting solar on their roof," Manker said.

The WCDC leads development and restoration initiatives throughout Wilkinsburg, including housing rehabilitation and the preservation of historic buildings. With the solar array now operating on its own roof, the organization plans to host local workshops aimed at encouraging other businesses and community organizations to adopt rooftop solar.

"Hopefully in the next couple years, we'll be doing so much more," Kowalski said. "Maybe it's new partners, maybe it's new folks. But we'll find we'll the community and build the new project."