The Kenzi Apartments: Resilient Solar+Storage for Low-Income Seniors in Boston

By Zareen Reza for Clean Energy Group

Power outages can be life-threatening for people whose access to electricity is a medical necessity. Elevators, refrigeration for food and medication, lighting, outlets for charging cell phones or medical equipment, heating and cooling systems—all of these services are essential for medically vulnerable people.

Seniors can be particularly at risk during power outages due to increased medical and mobility needs. If there is no backup power in an electricity-dependent senior resident’s home, they may have to relocate to another facility for their medical and mobility needs, which is even more difficult when facing limited mobility or inclement weather.

This case study by Clean Energy Group profiles the Kenzi apartments, an affordable housing building for residents aged 55+ located in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Developed by the Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), the Kenzi prioritized the electricity needs of its residents by installing clean, reliable backup power in the form of battery energy storage paired with rooftop solar (solar+storage). It is Massachusetts’ first all-electric building greater than four stories with a city-permitted solar+storage system, demonstrating how a battery energy storage system can be code-compliant while negating the previously unavoidable need for a diesel generator. The 60-kilowatt solar array, coupled with a 440-kilowatt-hour battery storage system, provides reliable backup power to emergency loads and communal areas. With energy production from the solar array recharging the battery, the system can run indefinitely. This enables residents to shelter in place during a power emergency. Clean Energy Group supported the Kenzi project by providing a solar+storage feasibility assessment, which found that a solar+storage system would be cost effective.

Read the full article and access the case study here via Clean Energy Group.