Bronzeville Community Microgrid

From Bologna Research to Chicago Reality

Proving Justice40 capital can deploy at scale in LMI communities—with the right implementation partner

The Vision

In 2015, Faustina and Van Vincent won an international climate competition in Bologna, Italy, designing community-scale solar for underserved populations. That research wasn't academic—it was the foundation for transforming Chicago's South Side.

The question: Could Bologna's 120kW concept scale 6x to serve a real American community?

The Challenge

$25 million project. 750kW solar. Five major partners. Zero precedent.

Among 80+ respondents, VLV Development won the bid to build Chicago's first utility-scale community microgrid serving 1,000+ customers and 660 CHA families at Dearborn Homes. It required coordinating U.S. Department of Energy, ComEd, Chicago Housing Authority, Illinois Institute of Technology, and City of Chicago—each with competing priorities.

Then COVID-19 hit.

When the pandemic shut down construction nationwide, Faustina made a defining choice: self-fund implementation to keep moving forward. While larger firms paused, VLV invested their own capital because 660 families needed this infrastructure.

"We were paid 40-60% of fair market value to prove what larger firms wouldn't risk. Through COVID. When the choice was stop or honor our word. We honored our word."

Our Approach: Research Meets Implementation

Multi-Stakeholder Orchestration Nearly a decade of international research translated into strategies that harmonized five partners with different success metrics. Faustina navigated technical requirements, regulatory frameworks, and community needs simultaneously—bi-weekly coordination meetings, custom reporting, proactive conflict resolution.

Community-First Leadership

  • Zero tenant displacement during construction

  • Hired locally: 25% workforce from Bronzeville/adjacent neighborhoods

  • First FEJA cohort employed—proving training-to-employment pipeline

  • Monthly community meetings with transparent timelines

Technical Excellence + Authentic Connection Female-led, MBE-certified, veteran-owned expertise brought international research credentials and South Side roots—a combination impossible for outside developers to replicate.


The Impact

Results That Matter to Funders

Energy & Environmental

  • 750kW serving 1,000+ customers

  • ~900,000 kWh annual generation

  • $70-90K annual resident savings

  • 8% above projected performance

Economic Impact

  • $4M DOE grant secured and managed

  • 6:1 leverage on federal funds

  • 50+ construction jobs created

  • 30% spending to South Side vendors

Community Benefits

  • 660 families with 15-20% lower energy costs

  • Infrastructure upgrades improving housing quality

  • Grid resilience during outages

  • DOE "Community of the Future" recognition

Why Grant Managers & Investors Choose VLV

The Problem You Face: "We have Justice40/CRA capital to deploy but need proven implementation partners who know how to work with LMI communities."

How we solve this:

✓ Research-backed implementation — Bologna to Bronzeville: international study scaled to U.S. reality

✓ Complex stakeholder navigation — Five partners, competing priorities, zero dropped notes

✓ Sustained commitment — Self-funded through COVID when it mattered most

✓ Federal grant expertise — $4M DOE administration with rigorous reporting

✓ Measurable outcomes — Energy savings, job creation, community impact, national recognition


Scaling the Model: 50 Microgrids, 50 Wards

Bronzeville proved the concept. Now Faustina is replicating across Chicago—Englewood, Austin, Roseland, South Shore—and building toward a city-wide resilience network.

Vision: 50 microgrids serving 50,000+ customers with $100M+ infrastructure investment in historically disinvested communities.

Partner With Proven Expertise

For Grant Program Managers: Justice40-qualifying projects delivered on time, on budget, with rigorous reporting

For Impact Investors: Measurable impact + returns at scale

For CRA Officers: Qualifying investments with proven community benefit

Contact:

  • Faustina Roman for consulting/advisory

  • VLV Development for project partnerships

  • Visit https://www.vlvdevelopment.com

"Keep doing your work. People need it." — Dearborn Homes original resident to Faustina