Designing Publicly Supported Solar Loan Programs

States and municipalities can play an important role in spurring local lending for residential rooftop PV installations. To help inform state and municipal officials about best practices and the various approaches to opening up the lending marketplace for residential solar, CESA has published a guide titled Publicly Supported Solar Loan Programs: A Guide for States and Municipalities. The guide, authored by Travis Lowder of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), describes general factors state and municipal governments should consider when assessing whether to launch a public solar loan program, explains various loan program design elements, and offers several case studies.

In this webinar, Travis Lowder provided an overview of the new program guide. Benjamin Healey, Clean Energy Finance Director at the Connecticut Green Bank, also presented. These presentations were followed by a Q&A with the audience.

This webinar was a presentation of CESA’s Sustainable Solar Education Project. This project, funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative Solar Training and Education for Professionals program, is helping state and municipal officials to ensure distributed solar electricity is equitable and consumer friendly. The project assists states and municipalities improve consumer information, implement consumer protection measures, and find ways to make solar more accessible to low- and moderate-income households.

Webinar Materials: Publicly Supported Solar Loan Programs: A Guide for States and Municipalities