“CCSA congratulates and thanks the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on successfully obligating $27 billion in grants under the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF), the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA), and the $7 billion Solar for All program. These three programs will create a national financing network for clean energy and climate solutions across the country.
It’s no easy task to stand up — ahead of schedule — and administer a federal program of this magnitude that will make such a long lasting impact on our country and its transition to clean energy. Congratulations to EPA staff and hundreds of recipients for doing the difficult, time-intensive work to put these funds in motion.
We have three recommendations for states under the Solar for All competition, which features community solar and distributed solar as primary tools to serve disadvantaged communities:
- In states without open third-party community solar markets, give state legislatures time to pass effective legislation to ensure scalable, sustainable, and effective third-party programs can be implemented.
- Lean into the details of program design and take the time to get the framework correct from the start so EPA’s dollars can catalyze market creation.
- Keep in mind all of the potential benefits states can deliver with these grants — not just clean energy generation and customer bill savings, but enduring programs that open competitive markets, which maximize additional financing opportunities created by the Inflation Reduction Act.
With these recommendations in mind and the next stage of implementation quickly approaching, we’re excited to see the full strength of American clean energy innovation at work over the next decade.”