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<br /> <br />P a g e 6 o f 1 5 <br />Project Information <br />*Please submit for each project if applying for funding for more than one project. <br /> <br /> <br />6. Project Name: Rooftop Solar Panels for Affordable Habitat Homes <br />7. Please briefly describe the <br />proposed project and the target <br />population to benefit from the <br />program. How many people will <br />benefit? (100-300 words) <br />Orange County Habitat proposes to use $112,000 in Orange <br />County Community Climate Action Grant funds to install rooftop <br />solar panels on fourteen newly constructed affordable Habitat <br />homes. The benefits of solar will be distributed across Orange <br />County with installations planned in Hillsborough, Chapel Hill’s <br />historic Northside community, and in Weavers Grove, Habitat’s <br />innovative new mixed-income community in Chapel Hill. <br /> <br />Habitat serves individuals and families who live or work in Orange <br />County and earn between 30% and 80% Area Median Income <br />(AMI). With an average homebuyer family size of four, <br />approximately 56 people will directly benefit from the solar <br />installations. However, the benefits of residential solar expand <br />beyond the individual homebuyer. By decreasing the amount of <br />fossil fuel burned, our entire community benefits from cleaner, <br />healthier air, and decreased carbon emissions. <br /> <br />The proposed project creates an opportunity for national impact. <br />East Chapel Hill Rotarians, working through the national <br />Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG), are <br />helping to write a manual for Habitat for Humanity International <br />(HFHI) to provide guidance for Habitat affiliates to incorporate <br />solar into their new home construction. HFHI plans to launch this <br />manual to its affiliates across the US, highlighting Orange County <br />as an affiliate that has effectively utilized public-private <br />partnerships to bring the benefits of solar to homebuyers and the <br />broader community. ESRAG is also encouraging Rotarians across <br />the US to duplicate this Orange County initiative and partner with <br />their local Habitat affiliates to encourage the addition of rooftop <br />solar nationally. An investment in Habitat’s local solar initiative by <br />Orange County can create the momentum needed to expand solar <br />access for low-income families across the country. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 9E4C108B-9C5C-4E75-9AF1-C4CA2E16CEC5