The Hill District gets federal money to develop a renewable energy plan focused on vacant lots
The Hill District could be a new location for renewable energy creation in Pittsburgh. A grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will help fund projects that will examine how vacant public land could be used for renewable energy generation sites.
The grant comes from the DOE’s Communities Local Energy Action Program (LEAP) pilot program, which is meant to help low-income communities that have disproportionately faced the harmful effects of fossil fuel use.
The Green Building Alliance, the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning, the Energy Innovation Center and Duquesne Light Company will work on the Hill District grant projects.
The exact amount going to the Hill District has not been announced, but a total of $16 million dollars will be distributed to 22 projects across the country.
The money will help fund technical assistance, such as hiring renewable energy experts to evaluate Hill District lots as potential spots for energy generation.
The GBA and its partners also plan to establish a “neighborhood-scale clean energy plan” and identify older homes that could be retrofitted to make them more energy efficient.
