A Decade of Technical Assistance: CEG Reaches $2 Million Milestone

This year, Clean Energy Group celebrates 10 years of supporting community-serving organizations in developing local, resilient, and renewable energy resources through the Technical Assistance Fund (TAF). Looking back on the past decade, it’s staggering to be reminded of the hundreds of severe weather events, millions of household power outages, and months-long recovery efforts communities face when their energy infrastructure fails. It’s eerie – the images taken in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which landed only two months ago, so closely resemble those taken after Superstorm Sandy twelve years ago.

What is inspiring is the self-determination of community-serving organizations in developing the resilient, reliable, and renewable power resources necessary to ensure that their communities have the resources they need, locally, in the event of an emergency and power outage. Over the past decade, the TAF has provided tailored technical expertise and small grant support to over 150 community-serving organizations, representing 375 facilities across 31 states, DC, and Puerto Rico, to build resilient power resources – solar photovoltaics paired with battery storage (solar+storage). Over 50% of 2024 TAF awardees are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) led organizations – meeting the goal CEG established in 2020 to ensure an equitable distribution of funds.

To date, 77 community solar+storage projects have been completed, and many more are in progress. Affordable housing developers have installed resilience hubs in community spaces, while simultaneously instituting community solar programs to reduce energy costs for their residents. Community health clinics remain open and operational through power outages, providing health services to a community that would otherwise have had to travel long distances to reach a hospital. Critical services providers and first responders have enhanced their ability to deliver emergency response resources during crises. During regular grid operations, each of these partners benefit from the economic advantages of solar+storage, such as utility bill savings and revenue generation from providing grid services.

Only three years ago, CEG was celebrating the milestone of distributing $1 million in TAF awards. It took seven years to reach the first million, but we set our sights high when establishing a new goal to double awards by 2024. Just last month, the TAF surpassed $2 million in awards, with $10,000 in support of Detroit-based Champ Nation Organization, working with Ryter Cooperative Industries, to advance resilient power at a multifamily affordable housing property.

To have reached $2 million in three years is to acknowledge that more and more local organizations are working to develop resilient power solutions in their community to counter the disastrous impacts of power outages. While TAF awardees and their projects vary – the TAF eligibility criteria has always recognized that a “critical community facility” is determined by each community – each partner organization has voiced their need for tailored, expert, upfront support in developing solar+storage. What community-serving organizations have been able to achieve when given this foundational support is truly astonishing. CEG has found that, for every $1 that the TAF has invested in predevelopment support, $120 has been generated in capital to build resilient solar+storage projects.

As we approach 2025, demand for early-stage technical assistance has never been higher. In 2023, the TAF started its first ever partner waitlist, as more communities sought resilient power predevelopment assistance than the TAF had funding to support. A waitlist isn’t acceptable – we need to be able to support every community partner in their mission to be climate resilient. The CEG team and partners are at the ready, but we’ll need more resources to meet the ever growing demand for our services. With support from our funders and donors, CEG is setting our most ambitious goal yet: another $1 million in TAF support over the next two years.

To our funders, partners, and grantees: thank you for leading resilient power efforts that directly benefit historically underserved and marginalized communities. Now more than ever, we need to work together to help the communities and people most impacted by climate change to weather the next big storm.

If you’re interested in supporting community-serving organizations in their efforts to local, reliable, and resilient power resources, please consider donating today.