Technical Assistance

The National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP), is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiative, that strives to make community solar accessible and affordable for every U.S. household, by enabling communities to realize supplementary benefits and other value streams from community solar installations.

NCSP partners can apply for technical assistance, in the form of tools, information and support, to assist state, local, territory, and tribal governments as well as utilities and other community solar stakeholders (financiers, businesses, non-profit organizations, affordable housing providers, etc.) in designing and implementing affordable community solar models. Register on our community platform to become a partner.

Technical Assistance applications are due on March 31.

Technical assistance is provided by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or third-party experts on various topics, including:

  • Customer acquisition, subscriber management and billing
  • Integration with existing state/NGO/utility energy programs (e.g., weatherization)
  • Integration with other technologies (e.g., storage)
  • Outreach and engagement with governments and public officials
  • Outreach and engagement with low-income communities/households
  • Outreach and engagement with utilities
  • Program and project evaluation, in particular existing pilot programs
  • Program design
  • Project finance (e.g., cost-benefit analysis, subscription structures, finance considerations and modeling incentives structures for low- and moderate-income communities/households)
  • Project planning and development
  • Regulatory issues
  • Resiliency of energy systems, grid impacts and interconnection queue
  • Solar modeling, analysis and tool development
  • Workforce development

Currently, 40 partners have received or are receiving technical assistance, representing 18 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

To be eligible for technical assistance opportunities, you must first join the partnership by registering with the community platform (see above). Technical assistance opportunities will be available at multiple times throughout the year. Application instructions can be found on the community platform, and more details about the opportunity can be found in the technical assistance webinar slide deck.

Learn more about how partners have benefited from NCSP Technical Assistance.

Partners who received or are currently receiving technical assistance are:

  • Michigan Energy Options
  • Bluestem Energy Solutions
  • Solarize St. Thomas
  • Glass City Community Solar
  • Menco
  • Cooperative Hidroeléctrico de la Montaña
  • New Columbia Solar
  • YSG Solar
  • People Power Solar Cooperative
  • Solar Synergy LLC
  • Community Renewable Energy
  • Bonneville Environmental Foundation
  • Grove Park Foundation
  • Norfolk Solar
  • Metro Justice
  • Appalachian Voices
  • Sol Purpose Development Company
  • Community Renewable Energy
  • 2C Mississippi
  • Puget Sound Energy
  • Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources
  • Solarize Rogue
  • MTR&C LLC
  • City of Dallas – Office of Environmental Quality & Sustainability
  • Shake Energy Collaborative
  • Litty Solar LLC
  • X Utility
  • Hawaii Public Utility Commission
  • New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department
  • Energy Office, South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff
  • Hawaiian Electric
  • Spark Northwest
  • Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute
  • ICAST
  • SEEK / Arizona University
  • Trinity River Community Solar
  • Solstice Initiative
  • Austin Energy
  • Borough of Madison, NJ
  • Sol Purpose Development Company