New York unveiled the Marcus Garvey microgrid this week, a project that brings the first microgrid to the city’s affordable housing stock.

The microgrid was installed as part of a $190 million refinancing and renovation for Brooklyn’s Marcus Garvey Apartments.

In addition to new kitchens, bathrooms and other upgrades, the 625-unit apartment complex now has a solar plus storage microgrid.

A 10-city block complex, Marcus Garvey Apartments was an architectural innovation when it was built in the mid-1970s. Its designers abandoned the monolithic high-rise that then characterized affordable housing in favor of 32 low-rise buildings designed as a neighborhood.

Now 21 of its rooftops have solar panels that make up a 400-kW array, coupled with a 400-kW fuel cell and a 300-kW lithium battery.

Undertaken by the NYS Homes & Community Renewal and the New York State Energy and Redevelopment Authority (NYSERDA), the project was developed by L+M Development Partners.

This article was originally published on Microgrid Knowledge.