Client: SpyRock Real Estate
General Contractor: KBS Construction
Location: Henrico County, VA
System Size: 988 kW DC (rooftop + ground mount hybrid)
Completed: Summer 2025

The Challenge

SpyRock Real Estate set out to build something extraordinary: Virginia’s first fully solar-powered affordable housing community.

The site was a long-abandoned motel on Chamberlayne Avenue. The vision: to use solar to completely cover the projected energy usage of 186 modern, energy-efficient homes designed for families earning under 60% of the area median income. 

The Solution

Commonwealth Power designed and built a hybrid solar system that now powers the entire Helios community.

System highlights:

• Rooftop + ground-mounted arrays across 1.9 acres

• Engineered to meet Virginia Energy Ready Home and EarthCraft Gold standards

• Reduces operating costs while lowering residents’ monthly utility bills

This design made Helios one of Virginia’s most ambitious private solar arrays and one of the first to directly power an affordable housing development.

Our Role

As the EPC partner, Commonwealth Power managed the full lifecycle of the project, from system design to installation.

What made it work:

• Tight collaboration with stakeholders  to align design, construction and schedule

• In-house tradecraft that ensured consistency and precision across multiple building types and system interconnects

• A shared belief that solar should serve people and communities while also providing financial benefits

The Results

Helios is now generating clean, reliable energy for every unit — offsetting 100% of its power needs and dramatically lowering lifetime operating costs.

Community impact:

• 186 affordable homes powered by clean energy

• Lower operation and utility costs for residents

• Revitalization of a long-vacant site

• New local jobs created during construction

Shared Values

Helios represents what’s possible when affordable housing and clean energy pull in the same direction.

Everyone involved believes in:

• Investing locally

• Building for long-term value

• Creating systems and communities that last for decades

Behind the Build

“At one point we had a really tough wire pull we had to complete, and we brought all of the office guys out into the field just to maximize the manpower we could use to pull. It was a great team-building moment and we definitely gained a higher degree of appreciation for our teammates that day.”
-Ian Picard, Commonwealth Power

“The Helios is a pioneering affordable housing project, entirely powered using a large private solar array. To our knowledge, this hasn’t been done before in Virginia.”
-Andrew Basham, Principal, Spy Rock Real Estate Group

“This collaboration will benefit our community by providing more high-quality, affordable housing in Henrico. This development creates both jobs and housing for our residents, and it supports the broader reinvention and strengthening of the Chamberlayne corridor. The developers' vision to provide affordable yet modern housing with sustainable initiatives is truly commendable. This will create a long-lasting impact in both Henrico and greater Richmond.”
-Supervisor Roscoe D. Cooper III, Fairfield District