Portland General Electric’s Renewable Development Fund Supports Solar and Battery Storage to Power City’s Nonprofits
Portland, Oregon-based nonprofits Northwest Housing Alternatives and Urban League of Portland have started construction on a new solar and battery storage-powered senior housing development at the M Carter Commons building currently under development.
The solar and battery storage will be supplied by local utility Portland General Electric’s (PGE) Renewable Development Fund.
PGE’s Renewable Development Fund is enabled by Green Future participants, one of several voluntary renewable power programs offered by PGE to customers. Participants pay more on their energy bill in support of renewable energy resource projects for local municipalities and organizations like Urban League of Portland and Northwest Housing Alternatives.
“We want to thank those PGE customers for participating in the Green Future’s program, which provides the revenue for Renewable Development Fund projects like the one here at M Carter Commons,” said Trell Anderson, executive director, Northwest Housing Alternatives.
The two nonprofits are partnering to build the 62-unit M Carter Commons affordable senior housing complex in the Overlook neighborhood. The complex, which is on land donated by healthcare group Kaiser Permanente, is due to be completed in 2026, according to reports.
While Northwest Housing Alternatives builds new homes and new opportunities for seniors, families, veterans and people with disabilities across Oregon, Urban League of Portland is one of Oregon’s civil rights and social service organizations offering culturally specific programs and services for Black communities in Oregon.
With awardee funding from PGE’s 2023 Renewable Development Fund, the building will be equipped with solar panels and battery storage devices, providing reliable, clean, and low-cost energy to seniors with backup renewable energy to be used in the case of an outage. Construction for the building is scheduled to be completed in late Spring 2026.
2024 Renewable Development Fund awardees include the city of Tualatin, which will receive micro-hydropower. Other receiving solar panels and battery storage include College Housing Northwest in Portland, Eloheh Eagle’s Wings in Yamhill, Just Compassion of East Washington County, Tigard, and Parrott Creek Child and Family Services in Oregon City.
