Guest Blog: Bridging the Gap Between Community Solar and Public Housing Authorities

Chad M. Whittaker, J.D. is the founder of Pure Source Consulting, specializing in community solar procurement and public housing authority engagement across the Northeast.

Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) play a critical role in supporting low-income communities across the United States. Through direct property ownership and administration of programs such as Housing Choice Vouchers and Section 8, PHAs collectively serve millions of households, including the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and families earning below area median income.

As community solar programs expand across the Northeast, many states have prioritized or incentivized the inclusion of low-to-moderate income (LMI) participants. On paper, PHAs appear to be ideal partners—offering scale, stability, and alignment with program goals. In practice, however, engaging PHAs in community solar has proven to be more complex than many developers initially expected.

While many developers attempt to engage PHAs through direct outreach or informal discussions, these approaches rarely result in executed agreements. Participation in this segment of the market typically requires a formal, compliant procurement process that allows housing authorities to evaluate providers in a transparent and structured manner.

In New Hampshire, this dynamic is currently playing out as public housing authorities begin to more actively evaluate community solar through structured procurement processes.

Why PHAs Are Difficult to Onboard

Community solar providers often encounter several structural challenges when working with PHAs:

Administrative Constraints

PHA leadership teams frequently operate with limited staff while managing multiple programs and compliance requirements. Energy procurement is rarely their sole focus.

Governance Structure

Even when executive staff support a project, final approval typically rests with a Board of Commissioners, adding additional layers to decision-making.

Federal Oversight and Compliance

Many PHAs receive funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), requiring adherence to federal procurement standards, including the HUD Procurement Handbook and applicable federal regulations. These requirements can significantly influence how agreements are structured and awarded.

Procurement as the Pathway to Participation

For community solar providers seeking to work with public housing authorities, procurement is not a procedural step-it is the pathway to participation. Unlike traditional commercial subscribers, PHAs must follow formal procurement processes to evaluate and award contracts. Without a structured and compliant framework, even well-qualified providers may never reach the point of contract consideration.

Effective procurement processes can:

• Provide transparency and confidence to Boards and executive staff 

• Ensure compliance with HUD and applicable regulations 

• Allow for meaningful comparison between developer proposals 

• Align project terms with both financial and operational goals of the PHA 

In New Hampshire, housing authorities exploring community solar are using formal RFP processes to evaluate qualified providers in a compliant and transparent manner.

As a result, successful participation in this segment of the market often depends on a clear understanding of public-sector procurement requirements and how they apply specifically to community solar agreements.

Aligning Community Solar with PHA Objectives

Beyond procurement, successful engagement also depends on understanding how community solar interacts with broader PHA priorities.

For example:

• Subscription agreements may influence operating budgets and utility expenses 

• Participation can intersect with existing initiatives such as Energy Performance Contracts 

• Certain program structures can influence how federal operating support is calculated, in some cases improving overall financial outcomes for the housing authority beyond direct utility cost savings when properly aligned 

By addressing these considerations early, community solar providers can better align their offerings with the needs and constraints of PHAs.

A Current Example in New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, the Manchester Housing & Redevelopment Authority (MHRA)—the largest public housing authority in Northern New England—is currently issuing a community solar-focused RFP as part of its evaluation process.

Serving more than 2,000 households through its housing programs, MHRA represents the type of scale and stability that many community solar projects seek, while also reflecting the administrative and regulatory considerations unique to public-sector entities. By utilizing a structured RFP process, MHRA is working to ensure that any selected partners can meet both the operational needs of the authority and the compliance requirements associated with federally supported housing programs. Opportunities of this nature are time-sensitive and require alignment with procurement timelines established by the authority.

Closing the Gap

As more housing authorities pursue community solar opportunities, one of the most important determinants of success is whether the procurement process is structured in a way that aligns with both the authority’s operational needs and its compliance obligations. Community solar presents a significant opportunity for PHAs and the low-to-moderate income communities they serve, but successful participation requires more than developer interest. It requires a process that allows housing authorities to evaluate proposals clearly, compare providers fairly, and move forward with confidence under the procurement standards that already govern them.

That is where Pure Source Consulting comes in.

Pure Source was established specifically to help public housing authorities navigate community solar procurement at a high level. By operating at the intersection of community solar, public housing, and HUD compliance, Pure Source supports PHAs through the full community solar RFP process—from education and strategy to RFP development, proposal evaluation, and contract execution.

This work is designed to help ensure that community solar RFPs are not only issued, but successful: structured to attract qualified providers, aligned with the authority’s objectives, and positioned to deliver meaningful value to the housing authority and the communities it serves.

As interest in community solar continues to expand, the quality of the procurement process will play a major role in determining which opportunities actually result in executed agreements. For housing authorities seeking to participate effectively, and for providers seeking to engage them successfully, that process matters.