Last Updated on November 17, 2025 by Anne Brock
Here at Solar Alliance, we are, of course, always bullish on solar as the ideal long-term investment to hedge against rising energy costs. We are big fans of free, clean, abundant energy from the sun that our clients can enjoy for years after we design and install their systems. In addition, we take pride in the way solar photovoltaics, and sometimes energy storage, fits into the bigger picture for businesses and nonprofits. We’ll share here just a few examples of our work and what it means in the bigger scheme of things for our clients.
McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects (MHM) is showing leadership by example in downtown Knoxville through its N Broadway project that will become home to the new MHM Headquarters. This once busy and then vacated Sanitary Laundry Building was a commercial dry cleaning business until the early 90s. It took a combination of public and private investment to clean up the brownfield site, with help from the City of Knoxville and Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation. The handsome 30,000 square foot brick building is undergoing a thoughtful restoration that will allow the healthy, sustainable space to house MHM as well as some other tenant businesses. MHM sustainability efforts are what bring rooftop solar PV into the picture, offsetting a portion of the building’s energy use. Solar Alliance has designed and is installing that commercial PV system, which is featured in this recent MHM video where architects explain more about the project. In the video, Principal Margaret Butler says, “Sustainability is a core belief of our firm. Our office really needed to represent that. It is an element of every project that we do.”
A new space to house veterans in need in Knoxville has also become a shining example of sustainability along with its other positive attributes. KCDC has been awarded two prestigious recognitions for Liberty Place housing development, which also has rooftop solar from Solar Alliance to offset a portion of its energy usage. The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) chose KCDC’s Liberty Place for Community Innovation Awards for affordable housing and for its client services work. Liberty Place provides homes for 32 veterans in need, along with on-site services for them.
Faith and stewardship are the motivation behind another clean energy PV project in West Knoxville, where the headquarters for The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee is showcasing solar along with energy storage. Solar Alliance was tasked with designing energy storage to pair with a rooftop PV system, adding a layer of resilience to the headquarters. Please see the Diocese story here where Brother Andrew Morehead explains how solar is an important step on the journey to carbon neutral. This project stems from work of the Carbon Neutral Task Force and a goal to reach carbon neutrality for the parish by 2030. The faith motivation behind this goal is “to live out God’s command to be stewards and caretakes of creation.”
Solar Alliance is honored to work alongside nonprofits as well as businesses to see how solar or solar + storage can help achieve specific goals and become part of the bigger picture for your organization.
Let us know here how we can help your business or nonprofit plan for its solar solution!