SUNY Poly and Department of Energy lead Solar Challenge

SUNY Polytechnic Institute is overseeing a $5 million community solar contest that will look for ways to expand solar energy production to underserved populations.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative, 48 teams from 23 states and Washington, DC have been selected from the early set of applicants to participate in the “Solar Your Community Challenge.”

Cash prizes of $5 million and technical assistance over an 18 month period are offered by the challenge, supporting teams across the country and enabling them to develop projects and programs that expand solar power access to all Americans, especially underserved segments of the population, such as low and moderate income households, state, local, and tribal governments, and non-profit organizations. At the same time, teams will prove that these business models can be widely replicated.

Participation in the challenge is open to teams working to develop a portfolio of solar projects in their communities as well as those that are creating new solar programs that extend solar access to LMI households and nonprofits, in addition to technical assistance providers that assist teams by providing the coaching and resources they need to create new and innovative business models.

“These 48 outstanding teams have proposed projects or programs to expand solar access to underserved groups in their communities using innovative financial and business models, with the aim of ensuring that the clean energy revolution does not leave anyone behind,” said Dr. Pradeep Haldar, Vice President of Entrepreneurship Innovation and Clean Energy Programs at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. “SUNY Poly has been an administrator of several SunShot Initiative programs over the past ten years, including the SunShot Prize and Race to 7-Day Solar, and is pleased to once again partner with the DOE on the innovative Solar in Your Community Challenge to inspire clean energy expansion and adoption.”

Selected teams are eligible to receive up to $60,000 in seed funding and/or $10,000 in technical assistance vouchers. Teams will compete to win $1 million in final prizes, including a $500,000 Grand Prize for success in demonstrating a replicable and scalable model for low income solar. Teams will be evaluated based on their innovation, impact, expertise, team composition, plan, and progress over the course of the 18-month performance period, which starts in May 2017.

These projects must directly benefit low- and moderate-income households, with at least 20% of the energy and benefits assigned to LMI households or 60% of the energy and benefits going to local governments or non-profits. Portfolios of solar systems must aggregate to be between 25 kilowatts and 5 megawatts in size.

Thirty-six experts and coaches were selected in the early application round to provide specialized one-on-one assistance to help teams work toward their goals. Teams can select the qualified consultants for their needs on the online “Solar in Your Community” marketplace.

“SUNY Poly has developed a revolutionary online expert marketplace for the program that streamlines the application process and connects consultants to teams across the country,” said Dr. Haldar. “All teams will have access to general resources, including toolkits, reports, guides, and webinars that will assist them with their project and program implementation.”

More information about the selected teams and the Solar in Your Community Challenge is at www.solarinyourcommunity.org.