State Leadership in Clean Energy Awards: Advancing Clean Energy Progress in the Past, Present, and Future

The Clean Energy States Alliance’s State Leadership in Clean Energy Awards, established in 2008 and held biennially, highlight the continuing progress and achievements by state clean energy programs across the U.S. Past award winners have included state programs that supported the first Solarize program in the country and created thermal renewable energy certificates (RECs), as well as solar lease programs, commercial PACE, solar RECs, and business incubator programs, to name a few.

The 2018 award winners continue a tradition of innovation and practical solutions. The six winning programs have shown vision, perseverance, and creativity. They have helped establish new markets for offshore wind, energy storage, and solar financing. They also have stimulated community-level clean energy actions and made solar PV more accessible. The awardees illustrate the wide range of clean energy activities that states are pursuing as they continue to transform clean energy markets.

One of the award winners highlighted in the report, the Connecticut Solar for All program is a ground-breaking public-private partnership between the Connecticut Green Bank and PosiGen. The program offers a low-to-moderate income (LMI) targeted solar lease paired with energy efficiency measures for homeowners, regardless of income or credit. Since the partnership launched, solar penetration in Connecticut’s low-income communities has increased 188 percent and 970 low-income verified households have signed up to go solar with PosiGen. Solar for All is an exemplary model of how to bring LMI energy solutions to scale and achieve inclusive prosperity in the clean energy economy.