A community development corporation is hoping to leverage solar energy, energy efficiency, and other renter-equity tools to provide stable, affordable housing and build wealth for tenants around Highland Park in Detroit, Energy News Network reports. The project could “build a hedge against gentrification,” Debbie Fisher, the executive director of Hope Village Revitalization, the nonprofit spearheading the project, told EEN. Using a community solar exemption for affordable housing units, the project would use solar energy and energy efficiency upgrades to keep tenants’ rent low, along with five-year leases and other incentives to minimize turnover and other issues often associated with renting in low-income areas. “If you’re in a low-income neighborhood then you don’t get to see many examples of solar, so it’s a matter of community education and showing what’s possible,” said Hope deputy director Stephanie Johnson-Cobb, who grew up nearby. “It’s about showing how solar can benefit and change the trajectory of a family because they can save money in an area where a high percentage of their income goes to rent, food, and gas and electricity.” (Energy News Network)