Homeowners along Southeast Portland's 82nd Avenue corridor are getting free rooftop solar panels through a program run by the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO).
The installations, funded by the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), target low-to-moderate income households in the Jade District that have historically lacked access to clean energy upgrades. The program is projected to cut each home's annual utility bills by an average of $680, according to The Bee, which first reported on the initiative.
"We applied for a grant to help provide renewable energy opportunities for the communities that we work with," said Madeleine Gefke, APANO's environmental justice program coordinator.
One installation took place on S.E. Carlton Street in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood during late summer. A crew spent the evening fitting mounting hardware to the roof and wiring the system while homeowners Carver Oblander and Keysa Lawrence looked on.
"It just seems like a really great opportunity," Oblander told The Bee.
Oblander and Lawrence bought their first house roughly three years ago, spending the bulk of their savings. After periods of unstable employment and a recent job loss for Lawrence, the couple was relying on a single income, according to a PCEF profile published in September.
Their solar array may nearly eliminate their electric bill, and excess power would flow back to the utility.
The exact number of homes in the program varies across sources. The Bee quoted PCEF representative Will Howell saying the program provides "nine solar panel systems" to qualifying homeowners. PCEF's own September profile stated installations were going on thirteen homes during August and September.
APANO's website lists 14 homeowners.
APANO hired Portland-based Upliftic Energy to handle the installations. Gefke said the choice was deliberate: "Our contractor on this project, Justin Lee of Upliftic Energy, is Korean."
The program aims to support minority-owned businesses alongside homeowners in communities of color, Gefke said.
Lee, a Woodstock resident who started his career as a social worker, told PCEF he is "driven by what we can do in the community serving people."
Upliftic partners with local subcontractors including Moon Roofing LLC and Gerryn Energy.
PCEF grew out of a voter-approved 2018 ballot measure that directs funding toward climate and equity projects in Portland.
Residents interested in APANO's clean energy programs can visit apano.org/cleanenergy or contact Gefke at 971-229-3884.
