Collaborating With Utilities To Meet Underserved Community Needs

May 23, 2024 by Erifili Draklellis and Ben Proffer, RMI

RMI provided process support to Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN) teams, writing about supporting teams representing historically underserved communities in its latest report.

The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of NREL, the U.S. Department of Energy, or the U.S. government.

Two people study a large poster that mentions community priorities for solar energy development. — The Solar Energy Innovation Network brings multistakeholder teams together to compare notes and collaborate on solutions for innovative and equitable solar development. *Photo by Werner Slocum*

Elevating equitable solar energy adoption was the topical focus of SEIN Round 3, in which multistakeholder teams explored various approaches to increase distributed on-site solar access in Black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and low- and moderate-income communities. As a partner of the SEIN program, RMI (founded as Rocky Mountain Institute) supported the SEIN Round 3 multistakeholder teams with facilitation and technical assistance to overcome barriers to equitable adoption. RMI developed a report available on its website—Collaborating With Utilities To Meet Underserved Community Needs: A Guide to Equitable Commercial Solar and Solar + Storage Deployment—to identify challenges and successes of these multistakeholder teams while providing guidance other communities may use across the country to unlock the potential benefits of solar for small commercial buildings.

A Frontiers in Public Health study shows that power failures disproportionately impact the economic health and safety of ethnic minority and historically underserved communities, and it typically takes longer for service to be restored compared to majority white and more affluent communities. Commercial solar-plus-storage installations can be designed with utility support to improve resilience in these communities.

Through collaboration and facilitation with multistakeholder teams, it was important for utilities and communities to have effective communication. Facilitated communications designed with and for underserved communities about existing utility programs can help them access the economic benefits of solar. Utilities can support more equitable deployment with financing assistance, intentional rate design, and technical assistance for system design, interconnection, and operation.

Other important considerations and tips for effective collaboration include:

Appraising utility deployment program design to assess if relevant community needs being addressed
Collaborating to design and deploy programs to meet these needs
Building relationships with trusted community partners to reach eligible small businesses or building owners in historically underserved areas.

RMI's report for utilities and key stakeholders outlines how cleaner energy resources may be more successfully deployed in historically underserved communities and recommended practices for collaborations to meet community needs.

The report also includes success stories of community leaders who are part of the SEIN teams and have shown the importance of engaging with stakeholders in historically underserved communities.

Read the full report on the RMI website: Collaborating With Utilities To Meet Underserved Community Needs: A Guide to Equitable Commercial Solar and Solar + Storage Deployment.

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