The Equitable Solar Communities of Practice is hosting five virtual community convenings this summer. These events will bring together industry experts, community members, and stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities in scaling equitable solar across the U.S. Each Community of Practice is led by an expert organization who will share insights and gather participant feedback. Through these convenings, participants will learn about the landscape of each meaningful benefit category, explore and provide input on resource gaps, and identify best practices and potential solutions to bring equitable solar to scale. 

Equitable Solar Communities of Practice Convenings: 

Meaningful Household Savings Convening

Date: Tuesday, July 23 from 2-4 p.m. ET 

Host: Clean Energy States Alliance  

This convening will bring together stakeholders to explore how to define and achieve meaningful household savings with solar energy. Discussions will focus on barriers to savings, ensuring reduced bills for low- and moderate-income households, and effective communication strategies. Topics will also include verifying savings and broader wealth-building opportunities. 

Community-led Economic Development Convening

Date: Tuesday, July 30 from 3-5 p.m. ET 

Host: Cooperative Energy Futures  

This convening will focus on landscape analysis and recommendations on how distributed solar energy can best achieve community-led economic development. The event includes focused breakout rooms to dive deep into barriers and solutions, with the last hour reserved for questions and discussion. 

Access and Consumer Protections Convening

Date: Thursday, August 22 from 2-4 p.m. ET

Host: Solar United Neighbors 

This convening will address challenges and best practices for ensuring access to solar energy with strong consumer protections, particularly for low-income households. Discussions will cover contract terms, financial products, and inclusive outreach. 

Resilience, Storage, and Grid Benefits Convening

Date: Monday, August 5 from 1-3 p.m. ET

Host: Clean Energy Group 

This convening will explore best practices and opportunities in resilient power—solar energy paired with battery storage. Discussions will focus on household and community resilience, grid strengthening, and health benefits from mitigating power outages.

Solar Workforce Convening

Date: Thursday, August 15 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET 

Host: Midwest Renewable Energy Alliance 

This convening will include presentations on solar workforce development programs, policies for accessible jobs, and training opportunities. There will also be a stakeholder review and feedback session for participants to engage in discussion and provide insights.  

For questions, please contact community.solar@ee.doe.gov.