Over four days, 80 volunteers and 20 villagers contributed over 800 hours of service and successfully installed 200 modules on 31 roofs for a total of 60 kW of solar for the community of Dignity Village, a self-governed community of tiny homes serving 60 Portland residents experiencing homelessness.

The goal of this project is to improve the living conditions and safety of 60 low-income village residents by providing access to electricity and replacing reliance on propane lights and heaters. In partnership with K2 Systems, a team of electricians, solar installers, dedicated volunteers, and Dignity Village residents, Twende Solar wired 43 homes and the village Commons Building with electricity and interconnected the system to the grid, ensuring every resident has access to electricity for lighting, charging, cooling, and heating, and that each home is equipped with a smoke and carbon monoxide detector.

Twende Solar coordinated the installation of 200 solar modules distributed across the community's rooftops, providing a reliable and sustainable energy source that will offset the anticipated increase in electricity usage resulting from the additional electrical loads.

Dignity Village is a self-governed and self-funded community of 60 people working to move from houselessness to permanent housing. Established over 20 years ago, it is the oldest sanctioned program of its type in the United States.

With its 48 tiny houses, this community serves many people in transition and does a lot with very little. Many of the residents work and they raise additional funds for community expenses by selling firewood and recycling metal. However, bills for water, sewer, and electricity for the communal buildings continue to rise and must be shared by the members.


This solar project delivers impact in three areas:

  1. Create electricity access for 60 Portlanders by connecting power to each unit

  2. Reduce utility bills for the communal buildings ($3,000 annual savings)

  3. Increase safety by replacing propane lanterns with electric and adding smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

 
 
 

PROJECT SPONSORS