Full Title: Catalyzing Community Solar: A Handbook for Municipalities
Author(s): Scott Sklar
Publisher(s): The George Washington University
Publication Date: October 1, 2017
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
A municipality seeking to develop community solar has a complex task ahead. This guide provides a blueprint to think through development of the project, with emphasis on decision points that could reduce project costs or harness resources that are uniquely available to help serve lower-income constituents. This Handbook identifies three obstacles to success — access to capital, expertise, and risk allocation — and includes suggestions on how to overcome these obstacles. Throughout, we have also included ideas gleaned from other community solar projects that appear particularly interesting or innovative. This Handbook is not meant to be a complete guide to community solar projects in general. There are numerous excellent references that already meet that need. Rather it is intended to look specifically at how a municipality or other governmental body can make community solar more accessible to lower-income residents. There are a number of additional resources available online like the U.S. Energy Department sponsored Community Solar Hub10 where municipalities can learn more about projects in their region or how other pioneering community solar projects were designed and implemented.