SunShot Program-Community Impact

The SunShot Program is seeking your input.  They have a new program that encourages teams across the country to compete to bring community solar programs to their communities.

It is widely believed that the biggest challenge faced by America in 2016 is that of moving our energy use away from fossil fuels in order to address climate change. As noted in a recent New York Times Blog (http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/06/the-biggest-challenges-of-2016/?_r=0) "There is overwhelming scientific consensus that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases due to use of fossil fuels is warming earth’s climate, and will result in sea level rise, loss of agricultural areas and increasingly severe weather events." They note that the challenge is to create the political will to take aggressive action consistent with this knowledge by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

The goal of this SunShot challenge is to enable the expansion of the solar market to a diverse array of new consumers, including low- and moderate-income customers. Competing teams will be eligible for cash prizes and technical assistance and legal help from the Department of Energy and other experts nationwide. They seek feedback on the structure of the competition, prizes, timelines, and the evaluation process of a community solar challenge

Many believe that the only way to achieve a greater reduction of carbon emissions is by creating incentives which work throughout the economy to encourage conservation and a shift to low-carbon energy. Can this competition include models for successful incentives such as carbon-tax revenues that are returned to households?  I would like to see us gear this competition towards the key issues that are most likely to result in large community fossil fuel reductions.