Construction begins on community-owned ‘resilience hub’ in Atlanta

Groundswell, in partnership with Community Church Atlanta, Stryten Energy, InterUrban Solar, the City of Atlanta, Wells Fargo Foundation and GM, celebrated the start of construction on one of the first community-owned resilience centers in the South-East.

The 34.1 kW solar installation at the Vicars Community Center at Atlanta Community Church will use 320 kWh of battery storage to provide community members with a place where they can safely gather following an emergency or severe weather event. to enable the community to recover safely and effectively. Outside of emergency situations, this community resilience center will support Community Church’s ongoing service to the community. The church provides meals to 400 families per week and serves as a meeting place for local organizations.

Groundswell works with community partners to build Resilience Centers in centralized, reliable community locations where community members can access reliable power for their essential devices, continue to receive information as emergencies develop, and store temperature-sensitive medications when their neighborhoods face natural hazards and emergencies. Centers like the one at Community Church are a critical precaution against the effects of climate change that are already being felt across the country and around the world. Through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Vicars Community Center project leverages elective salaries to ensure community ownership. The project also applied for and received a low-income bonus tax credit allocation associated with IRA Section 48e.

As the developer of this Community Resilience Center, Groundswell worked with Community Church leaders to address the neighborhood’s greatest needs while building on the foundation laid by the Breaking Barriers Project. Stryten Energy designs, manufactures and installs the battery, enabling the resiliency hub to provide three days of backup power for critical uses in the event of a power outage.

This Community Resilience Center will be owned by the Community Church through the dedicated efforts of Church leaders in partnership with Groundswell and financial support from the GM Foundation, a donation from Stryten Energy and the Direct Pay Solar Tax Credit of the IRA.

The Wells Fargo Foundation provides ongoing support to advance community ownership of resilience hubs like Community Church Atlanta. Wells Fargo has been a key partner in Groundswell’s work in designing and implementing a financial model that leverages the IRA’s direct payment provisions to ensure community ownership. The GM Foundation also provides financial support to this community resilience hub. InterUrban Solar is leading engineering, procurement and construction alongside SunCatch Energy.

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