Yale-Led Project to Widen Access to Household Solar Receives Federal Grant

Over the past three years a Yale-led project supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) yielded key insights into the kinds of incentives that will make solar more competitive in the household energy market and the valuable role of peer groups in influencing wider adoption.

A new $1.35 million grant from DOE will extend the project, allowing partner organizations to explore how to further broaden the appeal of solar power to a mass market — including low- and moderate-income households.

Led by Kenneth Gillingham, assistant professor at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES), the program will specifically examine the potential value of adding solar power in places where the power grid faces the greatest challenges to accommodating demand and strategies to make solar a more accessible option for lower income communities.

The project is funded by the DOE’s Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies (SEEDS) program. The Yale-led SEEDS-2 project will involve several partners, including: the Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY); SmartPower, a social marketing firm; the Connecticut Green Bank; Duke University; and MySunBuddy, an online marketplace that connects solar owners with solar buyers. Read more…

Yale-Led Project to Widen Access to Household Solar Receives Federal Grant