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Equitable Access to Renewables

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28 resources

Example Private Entities

DoubleGreen Solar Loan Program

The DoubleGreen Solar Loan is designed to serve households regularly marginalized by existing financing options by offering lower interest rates, longer loan lengths, transparent terms, and more flexi...
Resource States and State Governments

CELICA

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Energy for Low-Income Communities Accelerator (CELICA) toolkit provides an overview of tools, resources, and models for developing low-income energy efficiency an...
Example Public Utilities

Colorado Energy Office Low-Income Community Solar Demonstration Project

Colorado’s Low-Income Community Solar Demonstration Project saw the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) administer a $1.2 million grant to implement the development of eight demonstration models throughout C...
Resource States and State Governments

Low Income Solar Policy Guide

The Low Income Solar Policy Guide is a web-based resource dedicated to compiling best practices and resources for expanding solar access among low- and moderate-income communities. Fully enabling low-...
Example States and State Governments

Maine’s LD1682

Maine’s LD1682 adds reducing GHG emissions to meet reduction goals and addressing and mitigating disproportionate energy burdens on environmental justice populations, frontline communities, and utilit...
Example States and State Governments

Delaware Bill Expanding Community Renewables

In September 2021, Delaware enacted a law expanding eligibility for community-based solar photovoltaic systems in the State. The bill allows for multiple types of ownership models to exist and compete...
Example Local Governments

DC’s Solar for All Program

The Renewable Portfolio Standard Expansion Amendment Act of 2016 (D.C. Law 21-154) established the District of Columbia’s Solar for All program. Pursuant to the Act, Solar for All is funded by the Ren...
Example States and State Governments

New Jersey Community Solar Energy Pilot

New Jersey’s A3723/S2314 (2018) mandates the creation of the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities adopted rules establishing the Community Solar Energy Pilot ...
Example Public Utilities

FPL SolarTogether

In March 2020, Florida Power & Light Company got approval from the Florida Public Service Commission to launch FPL SolarTogether, the largest community solar program in the country at the time of laun...
Resource States and State Governments

Report, Equitable Community Solar: Policy and Program Guidance for Community Solar Programs that Promote Racial and Economic Equity

This 2020 report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance provides guidance for creating community solar programs that promote racial and economic equity. It defines what makes a community solar pro...
Resource States and State Governments

Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act

This 900-page energy and climate bill, passed in September 2021, covers a variety of subject areas, listed below: On electricity: The bill raises the renewable portfolio standard to require 40 percent...
Resource States and State Governments

Report, Community Solar Funding and Financing Options

This primer from the National Association of State Energy Officials outlines policy options to advance community solar in the low- and moderate-income market, including leveraging LIHEAP funds, variou...
Example States and State Governments

Maryland Resiliency Hub Legislation

In April 2022, Maryland adopted SB256 to provide grants for microgrid and community solar projects at resiliency hubs serving low-income and moderate-income households during extended grid outages. Pe...
Resource States and State Governments

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

This 2018 report from NREL draws from the literature and from interviews with representatives from low- and moderate-income (LMI) solar developers and state LMI community solar programs to provide exp...
Example Public Utilities

Arizona Public Service Company’s Solar Communities Program

In 2017, the Arizona Corporation Commission approved Arizona Public Service Company’s (APS) Solar Communities Program, a $45 million program that funds utility-owned PV system installations on low- to...
Resource States and State Governments

IREC Report, Shared Renewable Energy for Low- to Moderate-Income Consumers: Policy Guidelines and Model Provisions

IREC’s _Shared Renewable Energy for Low-to Moderate-Income Consumers:Policy Guidelines and Model Provisions_provides information and tools for policymakers, regulators, utilities, shared renewable ene...
Resource States and State Governments

Massachusetts STAR Program

The Solar Technical Assistance Retrofits program, or STAR, in Massachusetts has secured $10 million to invest in up to 3 megawatts of solar projects on affordable housing buildings. The program will o...
Example States and State Governments

Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program

The Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program incorporates an Energy Shared Storage Adder to a more traditional renewable incentive program. Solar projects that participate are eligible to ...
Example States and State Governments

Nevada’s AB465 (2019)

Nevada’s AB465 (2019) requires electric utilities to offer an expanded solar access program to residential customers and to certain nonresidential customers who consume less than 10,000 kilowatt-hours...
Example Private Entities

Resonant Energy’s Solar Equity Platform

A Massachusetts renewable energy company hopes to help low-income consumers nationwide access the financial benefits of clean energy with a new platform that allows homeowners to share excess solar cr...
Example Public Utilities

Con Edison’s Shared Solar Pilot

In 2017, New York’s Public Service Commission approved Consolidated Edison’s Shared Solar Pilot, allowing the utility to procure and install 3 MW of community solar generation on Con Edison’s property...
Example States and State Governments

California’s Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing Program

The SOMAH program will provide up to $100 million in rebates annually for the next decade to put solar on multifamily affordable housing in California, while allowing tenants to access the benefits. E...
Example States and State Governments

Oregon’s HB 2021 (2021)

In June 2021, the Oregon Legislature passed HB2021 to require that retail electricity providers reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sold to Oregon consumers 80% by 2030, 90% by 2035, ...
Resource Public Utilities

Report, Principles and Recommendations for Utility Participation in Solar Programs for Low-Income Customers

In considering the roles utilities can and should play in making solar available for low-income households and underserved communities, this 2020 report from Grid Alternatives, The Environmental Law a...
Example States and State Governments

Maryland’s Geothermal Pilots Law

Maryland’s geothermal pilots law, enacted in May 2024, requires gas utilities serving more than 75,000 customers to develop proposals for network geothermal pilot projects by July 1, 2025. The proposa...
Example States and State Governments

Connecticut’s SB356

This bill directs the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to use available federal or other funds to establish an energy efficiency retrofit grant program. The program must a...
Example Public Utilities

National Grid’s Fruit Belt Community Solar Pilot in Buffalo, NY

National Grid’s Fruit Belt Neighborhood Solar Demonstration Project consisted of installing 74 rooftop solar PV systems totaling 500 kW of generation capacity within a single low- and moderate-income ...
Example States and State Governments

Oregon’s SB 1547

Oregon’s SB 1547 boosted the state’s renewable energy mandate to 50 percent renewables by 2040. Section 28 of SB 1547 requires the Oregon Public Utility Commission to establish a program for the procu...