First State Community Green Energy Coalition, an alliance of seven Delaware-based organizations was one of 23 teams nationwide to be awarded a $100,000 Community Energy Innovation Prize from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Designed to promote equitable access to clean energy resources among underserved communities, this award will help enhance Delaware’s future as a national model for sustainable energy solutions, according to a release.
Led by BASEStud.io – a Delaware public benefit corporation dedicated to producing climate resilient community lighting – the First State team also includes Delaware Prosperity Partnership, New Castle Prevention Coalition, Coming Clean, the Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment (FREE), the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew & Matthew, and the American Sustainable Business Network.
The goal is to build a solar-powered clean energy hub for disadvantaged communities along the Route 9 Corridor between Wilmington and the City of New Castle.
As BASEStud.io CEO Heidi Adams said, “In creating this alliance, we wanted to focus our shared vision around the transformative power of clean energy when it comes to building safer, healthier and stronger communities, particularly in areas that have long been marginalized. So we have chosen to launch our project in partnership with New Castle County residents, who have experienced more than their fair share of economic and geographic, health and environmental challenges. And from there, we will move into other parts of the state with similar issues.”
