Vote: Residential Project of the Year 2023

Here are the Residential segment nominees for the 2023 Solar Builder Project of the Year Awards, sponsored by Aurora Solar. Seize opportunities to grow your solar business & your career today. Learn more here.

The form is at the bottom of the page. You are allowed to vote once per day from now until Saturday, Oct. 7 at midnight (EDT). (FYI: Our voting widget will let you vote more than once a day, but we filter these out in the back-end. Sorry, ballot stuffers). Winners will be announced and prominently featured in the Q4 issue of Solar Builder magazine and online in December.

Be sure to vote in every category!

Vote: Commercial and Industrial Projects of the Year
Vote: Community Solar Project of the Year
Vote: Solar Microgrid Project of the Year
Vote: Utility-Scale Solar Project of the Year

Seneca Nation Residential Solar Program

Irving, New York (Cattaraugus County/Seneca Nation) | 200+ kW

The Seneca Nation received a grant to use toward renewable energy projects, and contracted with GreenSpark Solar, a Certified B Corp & Amicus Cooperative member-owner, to bring the benefits of solar to residences within the Nation. Through the partnership, the Nation has been able to subsidize residential solar arrays up to 10 kW for Nation members. Eligible members are able to receive 75% or 90% based on contract signing and/or income. For some members, this means a payback period of three years. Additionally, members are able to partner with the local Seneca Nation of Indians Federal Credit Union (SNIFCU) for financing, ensuring the accessibility of solar projects for as many members as possible, while keeping the economic benefits local to the Nation. Phase 1 of this unique partnership is ongoing, with 20+ homes committed to going solar and an anticipated 200 kW of installations by year-end. As of now, more than 80 kW has been installed, with more than 30 kW under construction and 11 projects completed. Phase 2 will begin in 2024.

Developer: GreenSpark Solar | EPC/Installer: GreenSpark Solar | Modules: Qcells | Inverters: SolarEdge | Storage: N/A | Mounting/Racking: IronRidge

University of Kansas Studio 804

Lawrence, Kansas | 6.4 kW

Studio 804 is a hands-on learning program at the University of Kansas for graduate students in their final year of studies seeking a Master of Architecture degree at KU’s School of Architecture & Design. Founded in 1995 by Professor Dan Rockhill, each year students design, procure and execute the completion of a building of great technical sophistication in just nine months. The 432 Indiana Street House is located in the historic Pinkney Neighborhood, one of the oldest in the city of Lawrence, Kansas. The 1800-square-foot home and adjacent 500-square-foot accessory dwelling unit are (wall-)clad in glossy black fiber cement panels and topped with a 24-gauge matte black standing seam metal roof featuring a 16-panel solar array of Q-Cell Q.Peak Duo 400W modules secured in place with the S-5! PVKIT. The PV system is expected to offset approximately 85% of the homeowner’s energy consumption. This house is the 16th consecutive LEED Platinum-certified project completed by Studio 804.

Developer: University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design | EPC/Installer: Studio 804 | Modules: Qcells | Inverters: Enphase | Storage: N/A | Mounting/Racking: S-5! PVKIT direct-attach, rail-less solar mounting solution

Bothell Solar Roof

Bothell, Washington | 19.08 kW solar + 27 kWh storage

In the words of Northwest Electric and Solar, this complete home energy management system project is “a testament to the renewable energy technologies available to homeowners today.” For starter’s this was the installer’s first Tesla Solar Roof project, and it involved removing the old solar array. It took quite some time to tear down the existing outdated solar system and the existing roofing structure (composite shingles). Once everything was torn out and repaired, the long installation process began. From the underlayment to the final solar tile, we coordinated with our roofing partners to get everything done right from the outset. This project also involved a battery backup system, the addition of a SPAN panel, plus an EV Charger. Northwest Electric and Solar is now installing a new tesla solar roof every 2 months, and this was a vital starting point.

Developer: Northwest Electric and Solar | EPC/Installer: Northwest Electric and Solar | Modules: Tesla | Inverters: Tesla | Storage: Tesla | Mounting/Racking: Tesla

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: https://solarbuildermag.com/projects/vote-residential-project-of-the-year-2023/]