Second Phase of Program to Provide Reduced-cost Solar Generators to Low Income Families Launches in St. Thomas, St. John

Low-income families on St. Thomas and St. John, beginning this week, have another opportunity to receive subsidized solar power generators, as the Share the Sun program begins Phase 2.

Community Action Now, a Georgia-based organization, is a nonprofit which in 2022 assisted over 55 families purchase solar generators at a reduced cost.

This year, the program has been expanded to low-income families on St. John. Eligible purchasers will receive a 100-watt solar panel on wheels that connects to a 60Ah sealed lead-acid battery, which is also on wheels, making the system fully portable. The battery unit also contains an 1800-watt pure sine wave inverter, so as to output AC power (110V). There is also a DC outlet and a USB port for more power options.

For greater output, a second solar panel and up to 4 battery/inverter units can be connected together.

The single panel and battery retail for $1200, but those eligible for the subsided price will pay “no more than $350”, according to Iffat Walker, Executive Director of Community Action Now. For that price, households will be able to sustainably generate their own source of power, thereby reducing their reliance on the grid and providing resilience in the face of potential natural disasters.

Units are also available at full price for interested persons whose incomes do not allow them to qualify for the subsidized price. Funds from retail sales in this regard are used to expand access to the Share the Sun program, “helping more families to gain access to solar,” according to a press release from Community Action Now.