IECE-J40 CBSC/PSEF PROJECT 2023 - 2024

                                                                  SOLAR FOR ALL

Communities of Color Building Solar Capacity

( CBSC)

 

Program Summary and Expectations

SUMMARY

CBSC is a program that seeks to build the capacity of communities of color to implement their own community-owned solar (COS) projects. The CBSC program will provide examples and case studies of community-owned solar projects already in existence, and share direct testimony from key players in those projects. Participating organizations will also receive online training which answers the following questions:

 

  • What is community-owned solar?
  • How can my community benefit?
  • What are some of the legal and policy challenges?
  • How might we access the new federal climate, environmental, energy, and health programs?

 

People’s Solar Energy Fund  has  provided financial support in the form of a mini-grant to Indiana Environmental Clean Energy Corporation up to $10,000  to assist their work. Uses for these funds can include: hiring contractors to support the organization’s efforts, budgeting for community events such as surveys,  training sessions, etc.

 

IECE-J40 has been provided staff support from Lee Bowers, CBSC Program Coordinator, as well as Destiny Garcia, a dedicated intern. PSEF will also connect all organizations with each other in the network, and with key Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) led regional and national resources.

 

IECE-J40's GOALS:

  • To promote awareness of new federal climate, environmental, energy, and health  programs
  • To increase IECE-J40's capacity and readiness to  develop, implement, and engage community buy-in
  • To empower IECE-J40 to begin preliminary research toward starting a community own-solar project
  • To strengthen a BIPOC ecosystem of growing community-owned solar to create jobs and wealth 

 

EXPECTATIONS

 

IECE-J40 is expected to maintain:

  • A strong interest in learning about community-owned solar and its potential benefits
  • A commitment for the organization to undertake learning about COS, and then to offer training (supported by PSEF) for its community
  • Active participation
  • Acceptance of support from a PSEF intern and agreement to foster a good working relationship by appointing 1 designated staff person as liaison
    • Liaison should devote at least an hour a week to engaging with the intern to enable mutual benefit
  • Engagement for the full 8-12 month term.