The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) hosts webinars and other events designed to serve as resources for partners, collaborators, and other stakeholders.
In addition to the events for the public, NCSP also holds members-only events. Join the Partnership to learn more.
Upcoming Events
April 25, 2024 | 3-4 p.m. ET | Webinar: National Community Solar Partnership 2023 Annual Update
The National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) is hosting a webinar to share progress on the partnership’s activities and key metrics on its impact. NCSP leadership will discuss the results of the annual update and ways to get involved in the partnership’s projects and activities.
Past Events
March 7, 2024: Interconnection Resources for Utilities and Regulatory Commissions: The LODGE Model and i2X Webinar
SETO hosted a webinar for utilities and public utility commissions where industry experts discuss DOE initiatives and resources available to assist with interconnection and siting challenges. The webinar includes a deep dive into SETO’s Least-Cost Optimal Distribution Grid Expansion (LODGE) Model and DOE’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X). Watch a recording of the webinar.
February 14, 2024: National Community Solar Partnership Annual Summit
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) hosted the fourth annual National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) Summit on February 14, 2024.
September 11-14, 2023: RE+ 2023
The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) hosted workshops and other events at RE+ 2023, a clean energy industry conference held in Las Vegas.
July 18-29, 2023: Community Solar Program and Subscription Design
Increasing numbers of municipal utilities are interested in offering a community solar option to their customers. There are many considerations when designing a community solar program and many ways that a program can be designed and implemented. This course taught public power utilities about the various elements of community solar program design, as well as ownership options relevant to municipal utilities.
January 19, 2023: 2023 NCSP Annual Summit: Community Solar's Time to Shine
The DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office hosted the third NCSP Annual Summit at the Bahia Resort Hotel in San Diego, California and virtually. The summit featured plenary sessions and interactive roundtable discussions, and covered how the efforts of NCSP and its partners, as well as the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, have unlocked a new potential for community solar. DOE leadership also announced:
- Community Power AcceleratorTM
- Community Power Accelerator Prize
- Winners of the Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar
- Connect the Dots Campaign
March 7, 2023: Webinar: National Community Solar Partnership 2022 Annual Update
NCSP released its first public annual update to share progress on the partnership’s activities and key metrics on its impact. In this webinar, NCSP leadership discussed the results of the annual update and ways to get involved in the partnership’s projects and activities.
May 9, 2023: 2023 Sunny Awards Informational Webinar
NCSP held an informational webinar to learn about the 2023 Sunny Awards and how to compete. The Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar is a competition that recognizes community solar projects and programs that employ or develop best practices to increase equitable access to the meaningful benefits of community solar for subscribers and their communities.
Multiple Dates: | Building with Benefits: Meaningful Benefits as a Foundation for Equitable Community Solar Webinar Series
NCSP hosted an informational webinar series to highlight best practices in developing community solar projects and programs that deliver meaningful benefits to subscribers and their communities. The webinars showcased the winners of the 2022 Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar and were moderated by leading industry experts. View the recordings and download the slides.
September 1, 2022: Webinar: Municipal Utility Community Solar Workbook Launch
The U.S. Department of Energy National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) hosted a webinar to launch the Municipal Utility Community Solar Workbook. This resource, created by the Municipal Utility Collaborative, provides guidance and resources to municipal utilities considering community solar. NCSP, the American Public Power Association, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory invited municipal utilities and other community solar stakeholders to join the webinar to learn more about the workbook and how organizations have used these resources to develop community solar in their utility territory.
August 25, 2022: Webinar: Community Solar Resources for Multifamily Affordable Housing Providers
As part of an initiative to support Multifamily Affordable Housing (MFAH) providers in their efforts to accelerate deployment of community solar, the National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) convened a group of MFAH providers from across the United States to understand and address barriers. Project partners including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Urban Ingenuity, and Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) facilitated peer exchange, provided technical assistance, and developed resources to support the sector more broadly. This webinar explored these resources.
August 18, 2022: Webinar: NCSP Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar
The Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar, a prize program hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP), will recognize community solar projects and programs that develop or employ best practices to increase equitable access to the meaningful benefits of community solar for subscribers and their communities. These meaningful benefits include energy burden reduction, low- and moderate-income household access, increased resilience, community ownership, and equitable workforce development. Up to $100,000 in prizes and a number of special recognition awards will be shared with prize winners. Participants joined NCSP to learn more about the prize program, the awards to be given, and how to nominate a community solar project or program for a Sunny Award.
August 2, 2022: Webinar: NCSP Low-Income Community Solar Subscription Platform
The National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) provided an overview of the goals of the new Community Solar Subscription Platform. The goal of the platform is to increase low-income customer access to community solar that lowers energy bills, while supporting low-income customer acquisition and accelerating low-income community solar development. The webinar featured an overview of the intended outcomes of the platform, spotlighted the states that will be piloting the platform, and highlighted opportunities for stakeholders to engage in the development of the platform.
March 17, 2022: Getting to 5 Million: Current Community Solar Deployment and Pathways to Reach 5 Million Households
This National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) webinar provided a first look at the 2021 community solar deployment data and a deep dive into the modeling on market drivers that demonstrate how new NCSP initiatives will enable community solar to power the equivalent of 5 million households by 2025.
January 25, 2022: National Community Solar Partnership Annual Summit
The theme of the summit is ‘To 5 Million and Beyond: Community Solar’s Pathway to Success,’ which reflects the National Community Solar Partnership’s new target goal to power the equivalent of 5 million households with community solar by 2025, realizing $1 billion in energy bill savings for subscribers. This event provided information on how the National Community Solar Partnership is supporting equitable community solar deployment and how your organization can help bring affordable community solar to 5 million households, and beyond.
October 26, 2021: Three Gigawatts and Growing: Trends in the Community Solar Market
Recording
Kaifeng Xu and Jenny Heeter from the National Renewable Energy Lab, and Gabe Chan from the University of Minnesota, discussed the findings of a new market report, Sharing the Sun: Community Solar Deployment, Subscriptions, Energy Burden, and Affordable Housing Benefits. The webinar covered deployment trends across the United States and a review of the policy and deployment status of programs targeting low- and moderate-income subscribers.
September 29, 2021: Tools for Equitable Community Solar - Convening for Community-Based and Community-Focused Organizations
NCSP Slidedeck | Justice40 Slidedeck | Recording
This convening for community-based and community-focused organizations highlighted the resources and initiatives the National Community Solar Partnership and Office of Economic Impact and Diversity provide to support the equitable development of community solar. The event included an overview of the Partnership’s new, rolling Technical Assistance program and detailed instructions on how to apply.
May 20, 2021: Balancing the Benefits of Community Solar in Multifamily Housing
Slidedeck | Recording
May 18, 2021: Unleashing the Power of Community Solar in Multifamily Buildings
Slidedeck | Recording
March 17, 2021: Technical Assistance Webinar
Slidedeck | Recording
February 24, 2021: Expanding Community Solar Access and Affordability Webinar
Recording