Membership Community Solar Resiliency Program
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has nearly two decades of experience with renewable solar energy systems. First with on-campus arrays and then branching out to community projects with the Red’s Community Fund installs in 2019.
The Zoo’s Community Solar Resiliency Program (CSRP) was formalized in 2023. The CSRP utilizes revenue from Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECS) from solar energy generated on the Zoo’s campus each year to share the benefits of renewable energy locally and globally. The program allows the Zoo to purchase and donate solar panels while sharing sustainability expertise with non-profits, schools, and houses of worship.
The CSRP has contributed to nine solar installs, including the annual Reds Community Fund projects. Combined, the Zoo has helped facilitate the installation of over 222 kW of solar in the community, both on-grid and off-grid. More projects are coming soon in 2026.
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Community Solar program recently contributed to a unique project, this time at the Boone County Conservation District’s (BCCDKY) main educational and equipment barn in Kentucky. BCCDKY complements the Cincinnati Zoo’s values, working to promote the protection and wise use of resources in Kentucky through education and services to the community.
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Community Solar program recently contributed to a unique project, this time at the Boone County Conservation District’s (BCCDKY) main educational and equipment barn in Kentucky. BCCDKY complements the Cincinnati Zoo’s values, working to promote the protection and wise use of resources in Kentucky through education and services to the community.
“BCCDKY is thankful to be working with Cincinnati Zoo staff on this project. In the short term, this will give us access to electricity; in the long term, we look forward to partnering with the Zoo on more projects that help conserve our local natural resources. ” Mark Jacobs, BCCDKY Director of Conservation Programs
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is pleased to support BCCDKY with the installation of an off-grid, small-scale solar array and battery that will ease basic operations in the education barn and increase capacity for connecting communities with wildlife.
This installation will serve community members and conservation missions in the region via additional capacity for educational workshops in the BCCDKY barn. Through awning-style solar paneling installed at the south end of the barn, this project plans to ensure access to resources like reliable electricity for lighting and charging equipment.
This solar installation also serves as a great maintenance-focused educational opportunity for Cincinnati Zoo maintenance staff, who are getting hands-on experience installing paneling on site in Boone County. Opportunities like these allow the Zoo to train staff and build capacity for assistance in future off-grid solar installations. Unique opportunities like this are made possible through the collaboration with Dan Divelbiss of North Hadrian LLC. He brings sustainable solutions to life and makes installs a learning opportunity.
Building Capacity for Off-Grid Solar Installs Globally
Training Zoo employees to install off-grid solar plays an important role in helping local organizations to solarize around Cincinnati. However, the impact of this training has the potential to span much further, as the Zoo aims to support global conservation partners in reaching their solar goals through various pathways of support. For global conservation partners like SORALO in Kenya, communities living alongside wildlife, access to reliable energy can improve safety, strengthen livelihoods, and reduce pressures that contribute to human-wildlife conflict. Starting in 2025, the Cincinnati Zoo’s to exchange technical knowledge and assist in implementing “train the trainer” programs. At SORALO in the South Rift Valley Region in Kenya, wildlife rangers are given the training necessary to install and maintain solar charging systems, a resource that is invaluable to their everyday field work and ability to communicate animal tracking information with communities. Through this training and mentorship, 40 rangers gained access to dependable power at 6 upgraded ranger stations for the tools they use in daily coexistence work. Cincinnati Zoo staff maintain communications with SORALO rangers via WhatsApp, allowing for real-time troubleshooting and fulfilling our commitment to long-term, consistent partnership.
Rather than following the industry norm of purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from our energy supplier, with intangible environmental impacts, the Zoo is selling SRECs generated directly from its on-site solar arrays. Revenue from SREC sales is reinvested right back into the Zoo’s positive impact initiatives, including the CSRP, where they will offset emissions by cleaning the grid in Cincinnati and increasing access to renewable energy and the right to develop globally. Together we can help facilitate practical solar solutions that support people, wildlife, and the landscapes they share.
Call to Action: Boone County Conservation District
If you are interested in learning more about Boone County Conservation District and the projects they will be up to with the help of their newly improved solar-powered education barn, check out their website here. The organization has many opportunities to get involved, from summer camps for the kiddos to educational outdoor family programs and even job openings.
Future Community Solar Resiliency Program Projects
The Zoo’s Community Solar Resiliency Program aims to expand solar accessibility for community benefits organizations who provide vita, mission-driven services. Several new projects are on deck, after collaborating with partner organizations that are ready for solar. Four new projects will be facilitated in the next 2 years in collaboration with trusted Zoo partners and solar installers.
Talbert House’s Hamilton County Crisis Center in Avondale serves as a centralized hub for addiction and mental health crisis intervention, stabilization services, and treatment—creating a streamlined system of care for those in need.
The Cincinnati Zoo’s Horticulture team installed a wellness garden at this Talbert House site in 2025, and the Sustainability Team looks forward to revisiting this fall for the solar installation with 110 donated Zoo panels.
Winner of the Seeds of Change Grant via the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Environment and Sustainability (OES), Washington UCC is now solar-ready. Located in the Camp Washington neighborhood of Cincinnati and is dedicated to creating a community that is safe and clean, where people have enough food, decent housing, opportunities for education and work, and live in an environment that nurtures all families. In collaboration with Faith Communities Go Green, an organization that supports houses of worship through energy-efficiency and sustainability programming in Southwest Ohio.
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is committed to donating 26 panels and several thousand dollars toward additional equipment needed for the project.
Learn more about the Cincinnati initiative “Faith Communities Go Green” allies with houses of worship to put diverse religious teachings into practice with sustainability.
Valley Interfaith is a community resource center in Wyoming, Ohio that provides emergency resources, crisis intervention, financial literacy classes, and other seasonal programs. The Zoo is looking forward to seeing the 153 donated panels installed on the roof this year.
Bethany House Services in Bond Hill empowers homeless and at-risk families with the solutions to achieve housing stability and long-term self-sufficiency. The Zoo is eager to see this 425-panel donation up and running. This project will save Bethany House $3 million in operating expenses, allowing them to redirect those savings right back into the community.
This is an upcoming pop-up tool shed opportunity to add a small-scale off-grid power source in Bond Hill.
Cincinnati Energy Bills Rising
“Cincinnati-area electric bills jump 66% in one year”(The Enquirer), and costs are expected to rise. With news emerging of a potential 38% increase in electric distribution charges for Ohio Duke Energy customers (WLWT), pending approval by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, solar energy will continue to save organizations like Boone County Conservation District major dollars on utility bills. The increase comes as Duke works to maintain infrastructure that delivers electricity to most customers, which means that “some customers could pay an extra $18 each month for electricity” (WLWT) starting next Spring.
As prices for Duke Energy continue to increase, solar energy remains an option that, after initial installation, is saving the Cincinnati Zoo hundreds of thousands of dollars every year on operating expenses. Savings are reinvested back into partnering organizations and neighbors of the CSRP. Furthermore, the emissions generated by the production and installation of photovoltaic cells are far less than those continually released by natural gas and electric energy. Studies have shown that a photovoltaic (PV) system can produce energy equal to the energy used to manufacture it within 1 to 4 years. Most PV systems operate for 30 years or more, which means they continue to operate long after the initial energy investment is repaid (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Solar Nonprofits – City of Cincinnati Office of Environment and Sustainability
The word is spreading around town about the benefits of solar energy. Partners of the Zoo, the City of Cincinnati – Office of Environment and Sustainability (OES), historically have been instrumental in the CSRP project success, helping identify, fund, and support CSRP projects. The City of Cincinnati’s OES is striving to engage Southwest Ohio nonprofits to join their solar co-op program, which launched in June. Solarize Nonprofits is a program providing technical assistance to local nonprofits, schools, and houses of worship on going solar, including financing, bulk-purchasing power to reduce system installation costs, guidance on filing for the federal solar tax credits, and more. The program is open to all nonprofits across Southwest Ohio, and is a collaboration with partners Solar United Neighbors, RE-volv, Faith Communities Go Green, and the City of Dayton. OES is encouraging interested nonprofits, schools, and houses of worship to schedule an intake meeting at the program’s website, www.southwestohiosolar.org ASAP to be able to take advantage of the 30-70% tax credits on solar, which are set to expire by the end of 2027. Larger facilities especially need to get started now to have their projects completed by the deadline.
Webinar: Register Now
August 26, 12pm: Solarize Nonprofits Webinar #3: Advanced Topics – Net Metering, SRECs, Battery Back-up, and more!
For more information on solar energy and the mission to Solarize Nonprofits across Southwest Ohio, visit Solarize Nonprofits to learn about the ways organizations are benefiting from switching to renewable energy, and how your nonprofit organization can get involved with the help of federal solar tax credits and technical assistance.