Commercial, Solar  -  April 25, 2023

DOE Increases Investments for Community Solar Programs

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced several new solar energy investments to lower pollution and electricity bills for consumers.

These community investments are part of President Joe Biden’s goals of a 100% clean electricity grid by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

The DOE’s National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) chose 25 teams to participate in the $10 million Community Power Accelerator Prize competition to create a nationwide network of community solar project developers. 

The teams that were chosen have the potential to deploy as much as 150 megawatts of community solar, which is equivalent to enough power for 30,000 homes. These teams can also can access $5 billion in private-sector financing through the Community Power Accelerator. 

The DOE also launched the 2023 Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar which provides $200,000 in awards for community solar projects and programs that increase access and ensure benefits such as greater household savings, jobs and increased energy resilience.

All of these programs contribute to the administration’s Justice40 initiative that calls for every community to receive benefits from the clean energy transition.

“Ensuring every community has access to the benefits from affordable clean energy resources like solar is key to President Biden's vision of an equitable clean energy future,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in a statement. “With today’s announcements, DOE is providing an exciting new set of tools and important assistance to support solar deployment across the nation so that all communities can enjoy the economic and critical public health benefits that come with deploying renewable energy.”

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