Abingdon, Va., retiree community to host ribbon-cutting for solar installation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2026

CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist, (276) 289-1018, dan@appvoices.org 

ABINGDON, Va. — Elderspirit, a diverse, mixed-income community of about 45 retirees and other older adults, is hosting a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the completion of a solar installation that will save residents more than half a million dollars in electricity costs over the project’s lifetime.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Tuesday, July 14, at 10:30 a.m., at 125 Elderspirit Court in Abingdon, Virginia. The event will feature remarks by Linda Mashburn, President of Elderspirit; Dan Conant, the founder of Solar Holler, the company that installed the project; Autumn Long, Director of the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund at Appalachian Voices, which supplied grant funding and technical assistance for the project; Mae Humiston, Director of Operations for Invest Appalachia, which provided project financing; local officials and others.

Light refreshments will be provided, and there will be an opportunity for press interviews.

ElderSpirit is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The unique community includes both renters and homeowners aged 55 and older. 

Project Background

Elderspirit worked with the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, Invest Appalachia and Solar Holler to create a financing package that enabled the community to replace the aging roofs on two residential buildings and the Common House and to install a nearly 90-kilowatt solar system estimated to produce $685,000 in savings over its lifetime.

The community took advantage of tax credits made available by the Inflation Reduction Act that lowered the project cost by 40%.