The National Community Solar Partnership Summit - CleanTechnica

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The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office invites you to register for the annual National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) Summit on February 14 from 12:00–4:00 p.m. ET.

This year’s summit, “Community Solar – Deploying Benefits & Delivering Impacts,” will convene community solar stakeholders from across the industry, including community-based organizations, solar developers, utilities, federal, state, Tribal, and local government, financial institutions, philanthropic organizations, housing providers, and more to align efforts toward expanding access to the benefits of community solar to the equivalent of 5 million households by 2025. The summit will feature interactive sessions, led by industry experts that explore the technical potential of community solar, including its potential to deliver meaningful benefits to households and communities at scale.

This year’s event will be fully virtual with no fee to participate.  Register to attend.

“Community Solar — Deploying Benefits & Delivering Impacts” reflects on how the industry has proven its ability to deliver meaningful benefits through exemplary projects and programs that have leveraged innovative policies, business models, financing, and community leadership. The rollout of the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, the forthcoming announcement of funding for Solar for All programs nationwide, and the work of the National Community Solar Partnership and its members have all primed the industry to deliver meaningful benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities.

The 2024 NCSP Annual Summit will convene NCSP members and other community solar stakeholders to learn about new and expanded tools and resources to accelerate community solar deployment, engage with community solar leaders from across the nation, and explore the roles organizations can play in rapidly deploying community solar to deliver benefits for all.

Agenda 

Time (ET)	Session	Presenters
12:00 – 12:30 p.m.	Equitable Community Solar: Looking Back & Looking Forward Welcome & Keynote: With 2025 on the near horizon, we’ll check in on the country’s progress towards DOE’s target of 20GW of community solar and celebrate the progress made that can’t be measured in megawatts. Nicole Steele, head of the National Community Solar Partnership, will set the stage for the summit and call upon all stakeholders to seize the moment as we turn historic levels of funding into a breakthrough year for community solar.	Nicole Steele, Program Manager and Head of the National Community Solar Partnership, U.S. Department of Energy
12:30 – 1:00 p.m.	Achieving Scale: Community Solar’s Potential Presentation & Q&A: In this session, technical experts from the National Renewable Energy Lab and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab will discuss community solar’s nation-wide potential for scale and growth. There will also be time for Q&A.	Moderator: Anya Poplavska, ORISE Fellow, U.S. Department of Energy National Community Solar Partnership Speakers: Juan Pablo Carvallo, Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Miguel Heleno, Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Katy Waechter, Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
1:00 – 1:40 p.m.	Centering the Consumer Experience: Building Trust as we Scale Panel & Q&A: In an industry where it only takes one bad actor to breed community-wide mistrust, community solar developers, consumer advocates, regulators and government bodies, and community-based organizations must all operate with the consumer experience at the center of their work. Join this session to hear from a diverse set of industry leaders on centering consumer benefits, evolving best practices in consumer protections, and how, as an industry, we can ensure that we scale at the speed of trust.	Moderator: Miana Campbell, Policy Lead for Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit, Office of Energy Justice and Equity, U.S. Department of Energy Speakers: Fatima Ghani, Go Solar Specialist, Solar United Neighbors Kelly Hadayia, Senior Director, Client Solutions Operations, Pivot Energy Berneta Haynes, Senior Attorney, National Consumer Law Center Amir Yadzi, Deputy General Counsel, Solar Energy Industries Association
1:40 – 2:20 p.m.	Building Your Capital Stack with Federal Incentives & Programs Panel & Q&A: In the current market environment, federal incentives, programs and awards can help make or break a community solar project. In this session, we’ll hear from experts from across DOE about the role that tax credits, federal awards, and other programs can play in building a capital stack, and how to braid different federal funding sources to generate maximum impact.	Moderator: Vero Bourg-Meyer, Senior Project Director, Clean Energy States Alliance Speakers: JoBeth Delawder, Acting Climate Advisor, U.S. Department of Agriculture Ari Gerstman, State Energy Program Manager, State and Community Energy Programs, U.S. Department of Energy Gabriela Rodriguez, IRS Program Administrator, Office of Energy Justice and Equity, U.S. Department of Energy Anisha Steephen, Senior Advisor to the Counselor on Racial Equity, U.S. Department of Treasury
2:20 – 3:00 p.m.	Funding the Future of Community Solar: Resourcing the Full Development Ecosystem Panel & Q&A: Financing is the most persistent barrier to deploying more community solar around the US. This session will discuss strategies, learnings, and best practices of overcoming this barrier. Participants will hear about how to leverage the Community Power Accelerator and other resources to support a sustainable financing ecosystem.	Moderator: Allie Robins, Lindahl Reed Contractor, supporting U.S. Department of Energy National Community Solar Partnership Speakers: Chris Diaz, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Seminole Financial Services Sierra Jackovics, Government Affairs and Energy Policy Specialist, Mana Pacific Impact Company Emily Robichaux, Senior Vice President, Climate and Environment Programs, Opportunity Finance Network
3:00 – 3:15 p.m.	Forward, Together: Celebrating Successes & the Future of the Partnership Presentation & Closing Remarks: The community solar industry’s ability to scale deployment and access to benefits will be built on the successes of early leaders in equitable community solar and continued coordination and collaboration across the industry. This session will recognize the work of the National Community Solar Partnership and its members and identify top opportunities for stakeholders to get more deeply engaged in the Partnership and other federal efforts.	Anna Balzer, Lindahl Reed Contractor, supporting U.S. Department of Energy National Community Solar Partnership
3:15 – 4:00 p.m.	Topic Area Deep Dives More information coming soon!

For regular updates and access to exclusive NCSP resources and opportunities, register to join the partnership today. NCSP membership is free and open to any community solar stakeholder located or doing business in the United States.

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to communitysolar@ee.doe.gov.

Learn more about the National Community Solar Partnership.

Courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy.

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