Veritel Energy has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for their project aimed at addressing energy injustice in the multifamily residential sector. The initiative involves developing an integrated energy management system to enable equitable access to renewable energy in multi-tenant properties, particularly focusing on workforce housing in at-risk communities.
Despite the significant environmental and health benefits of renewable energy, its adoption rate in multifamily properties falls significantly behind that in single-family homes. With the aim of bridging this “solar energy gap”, Veritel’s project presents an opportunity to bring clean energy solutions to a larger demographic, enabling communities that were previously disadvantaged to enjoy the same health and environmental benefits as those in single-family homes.
Tony Keslinke, Founder of Veritel Energy, highlights the broader impact of the project on local communities: “Implementation in communities with a high concentration of workforce housing will provide a number of local community benefits. Each project site installation will significantly reduce the demand on the regional electrical grid and will have a demonstrable positive impact on air quality, specifically by lowering PM 2.5.”
Keslinke’s statement underlines the project’s commitment to energy justice, pointing to the reduction in harmful emissions and associated health burdens that disproportionately affect below-poverty and non-white subgroups. By reducing the demand for electrical generation from traditional sources, Veritel’s initiative contributes to the reduction of these burdens and the creation of a more equitable energy grid.
In addition to its immediate environmental benefits, the project will improve the resilience and security of the electric grid through the introduction of more distributed power generation and storage. This aims to mitigate the vulnerabilities related to central generation and transmission, which can range from sabotage and wildfires to inefficiencies inherent in grid-supplied power.
Veritel’s innovative technology holds potential for widespread application across the forty-four million multifamily units in the US, as well as any property type where multiple tenants share a single electrical feed. By bringing clean energy solutions to these traditionally underserved communities, Veritel Energy is paving the way for a more inclusive and sustainable energy future.