Solar with Justice: Connecting States and Communities
Four new reports and three videos released - view more here.
To ensure the benefits of solar are equitably shared, under-resourced communities need to be able to participate actively in solar development.
The best way to ensure LMI customers are represented in the solar development process is for state energy agencies (SEAs) to actively collaborate with frontline community-based organizations (CBOs).
CESA’s Solar with Justice: Connecting States and Communities project has worked with SEAs and CBOs in underserved communities so that they are better able to share the knowledge and information that is needed for solar to be developed efficiently, equitably, and cost-effectively. The project aims to create opportunities for SEAs to better understand the perspectives of CBO leaders , to identify and address solar information gaps, and to involve CBOs in solar initiatives. The project team aims to identify and share models of how states can uplift the knowledge and expertise of CBOs through solar program and project design. Since the project began in 2021, the project team has produced several case studies and reports, as well as organized national convenings of SEAs and CBOs on various solar topics.
In past years, the Solar with Justice project was supported through an award from the US Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and received early funding support from the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Under the SETO award, the core project team consisted of CESA, the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Energy Trust of Oregon, the Partnership for Southern Equity, Vote Solar, and Kim Wolske of the University of Chicago. An advisory committee of state officials and environmental justice leaders provided valuable input.
Resources Overview
Solar with Justice: Connecting States and Communities has produced a large number of reports, videos, and other publications. They are all listed and described in a Resources Overview webpage.
The Solar with Justice Report
In December 2019, CESA published a major report, Solar with Justice: Strategies for Powering Up Under-Resourced Communities and Growing an Inclusive Solar Market. With funding from The Nathan Cummings Foundation, CESA worked with the Jackson State University Department of Urban and Regional Planning, the Partnership for Southern Equity, PaulosAnalysis, the University of Michigan School for Environment & Sustainability, and The Solutions Project to research solar’s role in under-resourced communities and identify the most equitable and impactful strategies for advancing solar technologies in a way that benefits under-resourced communities. The report includes detailed recommendations for various key stakeholder groups, including state governments, community organizations, philanthropic foundations, the solar industry, and municipalities.
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This webpage is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Award Number DE-EE0009360. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.
Photo courtesy RE-volv.
There are no upcoming Solar with Justice webinars or events.