Are you interested in becoming a community solar developer?
The Center for Impact Finance offers a variety of trainings in community solar development as part of the Community Power Accelerator program at the U.S. Department of Energy. These trainings prepare community-based organizations, small or new solar developers, and others to develop, finance, and build "credit-ready" community-benefiting solar projects that benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities.
Introduction to Community Solar
The basics of community solar and community-benefiting solar projects.
Self-Paced
2–4 hours
Learning Lab: Community Solar Development
Develop a credit-ready proposal for potential investors in your community-benefiting solar project.
Instructor-Led
8 modules
Foundations of Community Solar Development
This self-paced, online course helps you develop a credit-ready proposal for potential investors.
Self-Paced
8 modules
The Community Power Accelerator is part of the National Community Solar Partnership, a national effort funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to capture the community benefits of community solar. By completing one or more of these trainings, you will become part of a national network of developers, financiers, and community organizations working to expand access to affordable community solar to households. Read more about the Community Power Accelerator Prize and its online marketplace that connects owners, developers, lenders, and philanthropists to support more equitable deployment of community solar.
Looking ahead, the Center for Impact Finance, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office plan to develop additional Foundations courses in:
- Community-facing non-residential solar (2025 Q1)
- Microgrids (2025 Q2)
- Virtual power plants and distributed energy resource aggregations (2026 Q1).
For more information, contact Center for Impact Finance Trainings, Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire.
