State Leadership in Clean Energy: Award-Winning Programs in Connecticut and Oregon

This webinar highlighted two winning programs from CESA’s 2016 State Leadership in Clean Energy Awards: The Connecticut Green Bank’s Solar Lease 2 Commercial Program, and the Energy Trust of Oregon’s Irrigation Modernization Program.

The Connecticut Green Bank’s Solar Lease 2 Commercial Program offers a new financing tool for commercial customers, municipalities and nonprofits to go solar. Through this project, the Green Bank has leveraged ratepayer funds with significant private capital, in a scalable and replicable manner, in order to finance and deploy solar projects for “mid-market” commercial and nonprofit organizations that have traditionally been excluded from the solar financing market.

The Energy Trust of Oregon, working with the nonprofit Farmers Conservation Alliance, has developed a coordinated and comprehensive program to help irrigation districts and the farmers they serve to develop modern irrigation systems. The resulting irrigation systems will reduce energy use and operating costs; generate income from renewable energy production; increase agricultural production, quality, and diversity; reduce water use; and enhance environmental conditions.

In two very different ways, each program is successfully advancing renewable energy deployment in their state. Guest speakers from the Connecticut Green Bank, the Energy Trust of Oregon, and the Farmers Conservation Alliance presented.

Guest Speakers 

• Fiona Stewart, Senior Associate, Clean Energy Finance, Connecticut Green Bank
• Ben Healey, Director, Clean Energy Finance, Connecticut Green Bank
• Jed Jorgensen, Program Manager, Energy Trust of Oregon
• Stacy Lowery, Program Manager, Farmers Conservation Alliance

This webinar was moderated by CESA Project Director Val Stori. Each presentation was followed by a Q&A with the audience.