Workshop for State Officials: Bringing the Benefits of Solar to Low- and Moderate-Income Residents

Through the Sustainable Solar Education Project, CESA conducted a full-day, in-person workshop for state officials on planning for bringing solar to low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents. Representatives from sixteen different states attended the workshop, which was held in Washington, DC on June 14th. During the workshop, state participants engaged with leading experts and peers from across the country in discussions on such topics as financing for LMI solar, using community solar to advance solar for LMI households, LMI solar+storage as a strategy to reduce lifecycle costs, and harnessing existing low-income and housing programs for solar. The workshop included sessions for state officials to work together to generate and develop program ideas and strategies to bring the benefits of solar to LMI residents.

Workshop attendees: We ask that you please fill out a post-workshop evaluation form. We will conduct at least two additional all-day, in-person Sustainable Solar Education Project workshops, and your feedback will help us refine the structure and content of those trainings. Please complete this form by Friday, June 30. Travel reimbursement for attendees is contingent upon submission of an evaluation form.

Workshop Materials:

• Agenda
• Worksheet
• Presentation slides: State Planning to Bring the Benefits of Solar to Low- and Moderate-Income Residents: Available Resources (Presentation by Nate Hausman, CESA)
• Presentation slides: DOE’s Better Buildings Clean Energy for Low-Income Communities Accelerator (CELICA) project (Presentation by Krystal Laymon, US DOE)

This workshop was conducted through CESA’s Sustainable Solar Education Project, which provides information and educational resources to state and municipal officials on strategies to ensure distributed solar electricity remains consumer friendly and accessible for LMI households. The Sustainable Solar Education Project is managed by CESA and is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative’s Solar Training and Education for Professionals program.