Congratulations to Mayor-elect Helena Moreno and to all our newly elected leaders — JP Morrell, Matthew Willard, Freddie King Jr., and Eugene Green on the City Council; Sheriff-elect Michelle Woodfork; and Assessor Erroll G. Williams. New Orleans faces big challenges and even bigger opportunities, and your leadership will shape how we balance clean energy, affordability, and resilience in the years ahead.
When Good Intentions Meet Shifting Ground
As Chris Homberg, a board member of Resilience New Orleans, recently wrote in The Times-Picayune, clean energy programs work best when they’re built on solid ground. The City Council’s proposal to provide rooftop solar subsidies for 10,000 low-income households carries admirable goals like lower bills and smaller carbon footprints but it depends on a market model that’s changed dramatically.
The solar leasing industry that once dominated Louisiana’s residential market has effectively collapsed following the loss of federal tax incentives and the shutdown of PosiGen, which holds the vast majority of local lease contracts. Still, many reputable local installers continue to serve homeowners who purchase systems outright, a more transparent and sustainable approach that keeps money in the community and ensures long-term ownership.
A Smarter Way to Spend for the Public Good
As Homberg pointed out, every New Orleanian would contribute roughly $2 per month to fund the rooftop subsidy program, which is the same amount that would begin funding the proposed city-wide grid-hardening initiative. While rooftop solar benefits individual households, grid resilience investments benefit everyone.
Upgrading substations, burying critical lines, and strengthening circuits are the fastest ways to prevent widespread outages and directly helps the households most at risk: seniors, medically fragile residents, and families who can’t afford to lose refrigerated food or vital medication.
A Call for Balanced Leadership
As this new Council takes office, we encourage a balanced approach, one that champions clean energy while also prioritizing reliability. Solar and storage should be part of our resilience strategy, but the foundation of a just, affordable energy system begins with a grid we can trust.
Working Together Toward a Resilient Future
Resilience New Orleans looks forward to collaborating with the new City Council, community leaders, and utilities to design policies that protect residents, strengthen local businesses, and prepare our city for the climate realities ahead. Together, we can make New Orleans not only cleaner, but stronger, fairer, and truly resilient.