Design and Implementation of Community Solar Programs for Low- and Moderate-Income Customers

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Clean Energy States Alliance have released a new report, Design and Implementation of Community Solar Programs for Low- and Moderate-Income Customers.

The report reviews existing and emerging low- and moderate-income (LMI) community solar programs, discusses key questions related to program design, outlines how states can leverage incentives and finance structures to lower the cost of LMI community solar, and examines marketing and outreach considerations.

Community solar has the potential to vastly increase access to solar for low- and moderate-income communities, especially for renters, but programs need to be specifically designed with those customers in mind in order to have the maximum benefit. This report can help state program officials to design effective programs.

CESA hosted a webinar with report authors Jenny Heeter and Lori Bird from NREL in August 2018 to discuss the report’s findings – watch it here.

This report was produced for CESA by NREL and was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office.

This report is one of several resources prepared for CESA members participating in the State Energy Strategies project. Through this three-year effort, CESA is helping the states of Connecticut, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Rhode Island and the District of Columbia to develop and implement low- and moderate-income solar programs. Webinars and case studies highlighting the work the states are doing through this project will be forthcoming later this year.