U.S. Energy Department Announces Initiatives to Fast-Track Community Solar Deployment

The U.S. Energy Department on Jan. 25 announced various initiatives to advance the deployment of community solar, at the National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) Annual Summit. The initiatives are expected to help achieve the partnership’s target of reaching a deployment level that can the equivalent of 5 million homes and generate about $1 billion in utility bill savings by 2025. More than 80 solar providers have pledged to install over 20 gigawatts of community solar capacity by 2025 to meet clean energy targets, create jobs, and improve grid resilience. The agency has also set up a “Clean Energy Fund,” a recurring source of funding to integrate the initiative into state energy plans. The fund intends to support stakeholders to find various ways to advance customer access to zero-carbon energy.

Community solar projects allow multiple customers to benefit from the revenue generated by a solar array, which can be a great way of getting solar energy to more people in the United States. The agency noted that community solar is a vital component of growing reasonably priced solar-based energy access and reaping the advantage of clean energy.

The summit also included a discussion on Pathway to Success, an NCSP plan that addresses the various hurdles to impartial access to solar energy. The plan has five focus areas: enhancing knowledge about community solar, growing state-level plans, better access to capital, improving customer acquisition, and spreading benefits of solar programs awareness.

Among the programs supporting this pathway are:

• A new States Cooperative, growing new community solar plans, comprising state energy officials and program administrators to offer best practises, technical assistance, and peer-to-peer learning;
• The Credit Ready Solar Initiative to provide access to project capital to solar developers by bringing together financial and philanthropic institutions;
• A $2 million technical assistance program to help fast-track and improve the project and build capacity for upcoming community solar expansion.