Solar Helping Ignite Neighborhood Economies (SHINE)
The clean energy transition is happening all around us. Billions in state and federal incentives are flowing into clean energy sources, electric vehicles, and improvements to buildings and appliances. Many corporations are starting to roll out climate-friendly products and services.
But there’s a problem: The transition to clean energy is not occurring equitably. Low-income and marginalized communities are adopting it more slowly than wealthier ones, partly because government incentives favor those who can afford the upfront costs and benefit from tax credits. Market-based approaches to clean energy tend to benefit those who can pay, rather than those who need it most.
Rare’s Solar Helping Ignite Neighborhood Economies (SHINE) initiative makes the clean energy economy and its benefits accessible to Boston’s environmental justice communities.
SHINE in
These Climate Solutions Aim to Boost Clean Energy and Address Poverty–
September 4, 2023Op-Ed: How to bring solar energy to low-income communities–
May 13, 2024
About SHINE
Rare’s Solar Helping Ignite Neighborhood Economies (SHINE) unites a coalition of organizations to bring clean energy and economic development to Boston’s historically marginalized areas. By linking community economic development with greenhouse gas reduction, SHINE, in collaboration with Boston’s leading anti-poverty agency, Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), and other local partners, aims to deliver tangible benefits to environmental justice communities while supporting federal, state, and municipal climate goals.
SHINE supports environmental justice communities in Boston, focusing on high-poverty and minority areas such as Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, and Hyde Park. Our solar training facility is on Chauncy Street in downtown Boston, and our Community Powerhouse solar sites are spread across Greater Boston.
SHINE addresses equity through two streams of work:
1 Solar Careers
SHINE recruits, trains, and supports underemployed and unemployed residents in Massachusetts, helping them pursue technical solar careers.
2 Solar Development
SHINE supports the development of community solar systems, also known as shared solar, on the roofs of local nonprofits. SHINE also ensures the nonprofit hosts and qualifying low-income households share the system’s financial benefits.
Our Partners
The SHINE coalition comprises local solar businesses, community organizations seeking to address environmental justice, organizations hosting solar projects on their roofs, and solar workforce trainees and the organizations who support and train them.
Learn more about the coalition
For more information, please contact our team at shine@rare.org.