Lights on! BLOC celebrates Zoo-supported solar panels at equine therapy barn

Local faith-based nonprofit BLOC Ministries has solar panels powering its Horses on the Hill barn thanks to a new panel array designed and installed by Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and SonLight Power.

The project is part of the zoo’s Community Solar Resiliency Program. The program helps organizations in Avondale and other Greater Cincinnati areas save on their utility bills by installing solar panels, so they can in turn use those extra financial resources to further serve local residents.

To mark the official completion of the project, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, State Rep. Dani Isaacsohn and the project partners visited the barn on Ross Avenue in Price Hill for a ceremonial lighting of the panels.

“We’ve embraced solar power at the Zoo, covering both parking lots with arrays, and it’s important to us to share our expertise in that area with other organizations and neighbors so they can ultimately focus on their work,” said Mark Fisher, Cincinnati Zoo’s VP of facilities and sustainability.

Based in Price Hill, BLOC Ministries works to break cycles of poverty in Cincinnati through many services and programs. One of these is Horses on the Hill, which has operated a six-stall horse barn and indoor riding arena since 2022. This program provides free equine-assisted therapy to at-risk urban children, teens and adults.

To support the HOTH, Cincinnati Zoo worked with SonLight Power to provide panel materials and technical work, and B&J Electric provided electrical wiring and permitting services. The project also received grant funding from the Johnson Charitable Gift Fund and the City of Cincinnati Office of Environment & Sustainability’s inaugural Seeds of Change grant program, part of the Green Cincinnati Plan.