Distributed Energy Access and Equity
Enabling greater access to clean energy in low-income communities and communities of color.
Distributed energy technologies, such as rooftop solar and battery storage, represent an opportunity to democratize the energy system, transitioning from an aging, vulnerable, centralized system to a flexible and adaptive decentralized grid.
However, today’s policies, programs, and financial systems have led to an inequitable allocation of clean energy incentives and an unequal deployment of resources, with fewer clean energy projects being developed in low-income communities and communities of color. Clean Energy Group provides independent analysis and policy support to assist policymakers, state and federal energy agencies, nonprofit advocates, and other key stakeholders in the design and implementation of programs and policies that prioritize investment in historically marginalized communities.
Explore Our Initiatives
Clean Energy Incentive Navigator
A nationwide network of solar+storage learning hubs advancing affordable, renewable, and resilient power resources in communities that have historically been left out of the clean energy transition.
Climate Resilient Energy Codes
Resilient energy technologies such as solar, battery storage, and efficient heating and cooling can allow residents to safely shelter in place during power outages and reduce energy costs throughout the year.
Energy Storage Policy and Regulation
Tomorrow’s clean and renewable electric grid will be built on a foundation of flexible, responsive energy storage technologies. Supporting the equitable scale-up of those technologies, and the development of applications and markets, is the task of state policy and regulation.
Resilient Power Project
As extreme weather and prolonged power outages become more frequent and severe, clean energy solutions like solar+storage can provide reliable, life-saving backup power during emergencies, as well as cost savings and broader grid benefits during times of regular grid operations.
Virtual Power Plant Acceleration
Tapping into the potential of millions of behind-the-meter, customer-sited devices —such as solar, battery storage, electric vehicles, and flexible loads— is essential to accelerate the shift away from an electric grid designed around large, power plants and toward a flexible, decentralized energy system powered by clean resources.
Photo Credit: Dennis Schroeder/NREL