Community Land Trusts make home ownership affordable
Constructed in 2023, HolliWalk is a permanently affordable neighborhood development in Friday Harbor, Washington. It was developed by the San Juan Home Trust, a local non-profit Community Land Trust (CLT). The solar project, completed in April 2026, provides solar panels and battery storage for each of the 8 units.
HolliWalk is home to first-time homebuyers that are low- and moderate-income families. These homes are kept affordable through large subsidies and the Community Land Trust model.
The project provides 10 solar panels for each HolliWalk residence, totaling 80 panels across all homes. Swiftwater Electric and Solar designed and installed the 35.2 kW system that’s capable of producing 40,029 kilowatt-hours per year. The system is estimated to offset the energy consumption of each residence by 49%.
Friday Harbor is a rural, remote location that often finds itself without power. In addition to the decreased costs for homeowners and environmental benefits that solar provides, the project contributes to sustainable infrastructure on the San Juan islands and supports the resiliency of low-income community members.
Olympia Community Solar supported HolliWalk by assisting with their request for proposal process and helping to select Swiftwater Electric as a trusted installer. We also secured a grant from the Washington Department of Commerce to cover installation costs.
The solar project will reduce the annual energy burden for HolliWalk residents by $4,003 within the first year- this works out to about $500 per home. This will save HolliWalk residents over $180,480 on power costs across the next 30 years. The installation is projected to produce 40,029 kWhs per year of clean, renewable electricity- which, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas equivalencies, will offset 63,946 pounds of CO2 emissions annually. That is equivalent to 73,864 miles not driven or 32,220 pounds of coal not burned.
Special thanks to Lily Goldberg, San Juan Home Trust, Swiftwater Electric and Solar, Olympia Community Solar, and Washington Department of Commerce.
The project was funded from a grant from the WA Department of Commerce Clean Energy Community Grants program, which is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.
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