DC Solar Flare

DC Solar United Neighborhoods and the Ward 7 Solar Cooperative present the
DC Solar Flareon Saturday, June 16, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., at H.D. Woodson High Science, Technology, Engineering and Math classes -- including a solarized exhibit tent, solar cooking and a solar-powered WiFi network.


DC SUN’s host for the event, H. D. Woodson SHS, is DC Public Schools’ latest STEM school.



“Our message is that there are renewable energy options that save money” said Ward 7 Solar Coop President Dr. Daanen Strachan, a solar homeowner and alternative energy entrepreneur. “The jobs at Pepco, Washington Gas and in the energy sector that were here when I enrolled at Howard are gone. We are creating a green economy powered by DC businesses that hire DC residents and invest in the local economy. We’re about building an energy infrastructure for the future that keeps people in their homes and keeps the doors of churches and nonprofits open; one other thing,” Strachan continued, “I refuse to bequeath my daughter a legacy of devastation from global warming, pollution, poverty, disease and war.”


DC SUN comprises 11 Solar Coops in DC’s eight wards. Since 2006, they’ve helped develop and lobby for legislative, regulatory and financial platforms to make solar accessible, and affordable, to all DC residents.


The Ward 7 Solar Coop’s latest members are its most recent solar homeowners: best friends and next-door neighbors Darlene Williams and Monyna Dorsey, of of 48th Place, NE. Dorsey is a Woodson graduate as are her children; Williams’ children
and grandchildren are Woodson graduates and she is part of an army of avid Woodson High supporters. “We both waited for over a year for our (solar) rebates but they finally came and the panels went up on our roofs last Monday,” explained Ms. Williams, “I’m telling all my neighbors and my pastor to do like I did. The electric bills were killing me. You know, there are people just waiting to buy up these neighborhoods, tear down the homes and churches and move us out. Solar is a way to keep our community together. Maybe solar will bring jobs for some of our young people.”