Impact Spotlight
Installing a solar-powered agrivoltaic system on a reclaimed industrial lot in rural Ohio
Training up to 20 incarcerated students annually in PV1 and PV2 solar certifications
Reducing farm operating costs and emissions, expanding access to fresh food, and creating a community space
About
North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC) is a Black-led, grassroots organization transforming Mansfield, Ohio’s North End—a historically disinvested, post-industrial neighborhood—through food justice, local entrepreneurship, and community-driven development. Their Local Food Initiative has turned vacant land into vibrant gardens, markets, and farms that feed more than 14,000 people annually and offer dignified, green jobs to North End residents.
With deep roots in the community, NECIC centers residents’ voices in everything they do, from policy advocacy to soil remediation to workforce development. Their urban farm and social enterprise efforts are already a local model, and with agrivoltaics and solar job training, they’re cultivating a new kind of infrastructure: one that nourishes both people and the planet.
“When people hear ‘solar,’ they think about science fiction or corporate campuses. But this project shows that solar can be for working-class folks, people behind bars, and families just trying to eat. It’s about reclaiming land, resources, and opportunity.”
HF Partnership
NECIC is launching one of Ohio’s first agrivoltaic solar installations on a reclaimed industrial lot adjacent to its 10-acre urban farm in Mansfield’s North End. The system includes a 4.92 kW rooftop array with 5 kWh battery storage that will power farm operations, including irrigation systems, grow lights, a pavilion for public gatherings, and an electric vehicle used to distribute fresh produce throughout the community. Beneath the panels, NECIC will pilot shade-tolerant crop cultivation, using solar infrastructure to increase food production while reducing emissions and utility costs.
Simultaneously, the organization is expanding its partnership with Richland Correctional Institution, where a peer-led program trains incarcerated students to earn PV1 and PV2 solar installer certifications. Honnold Foundation support will provide updated tools and equipment—like multimeters, roof simulation gear, and NEC codebooks—needed to scale this training and improve job placement opportunities after release. By integrating agrivoltaics and solar workforce development, this project builds local food systems, creates pathways to green jobs, and reclaims land and opportunity in a region shaped by divestment.
In the News
