Clean Energy States Alliance releases report on supporting solar, storage technologies

Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) recently published a report on the tools that state and municipal energy agencies can use to support the deployment of solar and storage technology in the low- and moderate-income (LMI) market.

The study, Solar+Storage for Low- and Moderate-Income Communities: A Guide for States and Municipalities, is one of six program guides CESA is creating as part of its Sustainable Solar Education Project, which is supported the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative.

One of the guide’s conclusions suggests that adding electric energy storage as an eligible technology under existing programs that support solar PV may be faster and more effective than establishing new programs
to support the technology. Many of the solar incentives, energy efficiency programs, and renewable or alternative energy portfolio standards that are already in place would also work well for energy storage,
the report said.

The report also found that supportive financing is important for solar and energy storage deployment. In LMI communities, states and municipalities may need to use public resources to provide financing directly or lower the risk for other financiers. Innovative financing options like bond finance, clean energy financial institutions such as green banks, public-private ownership structures, and credit enhancements may be employed.

Another conclusion of the report was that utilities play an important role public clean energy policies and programs due to interconnection requirements, utility resources, project development capabilities and their ability to create markets through net metering, demand response programs, and contractual partnerships with customer- and third-party-owned solar and storage systems.