Community-Owned Resilience Hub Unveiled at Critical Time for West Atlanta Community

Groundswell, a community power nonprofit, unveiled one of Georgia's first community-owned resilience hubs at Community Church in West Atlanta. This hub, powered by solar energy and battery storage, can provide up to three days of backup power for critical services during power outages and severe weather. The project was completed in partnership with several organizations, including Stryten Energy, InterUrban Solar, and the City of Atlanta’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience. The hub's financing leveraged federal tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act, ensuring the church's debt-free ownership. This initiative aims to enhance local resilience and reduce energy burdens in the community.

The community resilience hub, powered by a solar installation connected to battery storage, will provide a safe, reliable source of power for community members to use during sustained power outages, severe weather events, and other times of need. The financing for the project leverages the federal Investment Tax Credit and an additional 10% low-income bonus adder tax credit enabled by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Thanks to the IRA’s new “Direct Pay” option, the value of these tax credits will be paid directly to the Community Church Atlanta as the project’s nonprofit owner.