Community Power Accelerator Prize
The American-Made Community Power Accelerator Prize is a $10 million prize competition designed to fast-track the efforts of new, emerging, and expanding solar developers and co-developers to learn, participate, and grow their operations to support multiple successful community solar projects.
The goal of this prize is to grow a robust ecosystem of community solar project developers that incorporate meaningful benefits into projects across the United States.
Structured to Accelerate Community Solar Investments
This three-phase prize aims to increase the number of equitable community solar projects by providing funding and resources for developers and co-developers throughout the project pre-development process, including:
- Tools and Resources to connect developers with private sector project financing for community solar projects using a standardized process.
- Training to understand the full cycle of community solar development, including site acquisition, community relations, customer acquisition, securing financing, costs, and the unique challenges and benefits of a community solar model.
- Free consulting services to competitors on the steps necessary to get a community solar project financed.
- Coaching on expanding developers' solar customer markets to include low- and moderate-income populations, disadvantaged communities, and local workforce development, as well as increase resilience to power outages and household savings to make community solar projects attractive to the widest range of customers possible.
By the end of the prize, competitors will be ready to engage with the Community Power Accelerator online platform, which provides a place for competitors to shop their credit-ready projects around to verified project developers, investors, and philanthropic organizations.
Join the PrizeCommunity Power Accelerator Prize Phases
| Prize Phase | Duration | Anticipated Number of Awards | Dollar Amounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Ready! | 2 Months | Up to 25, with an expected range of 15-25 | $50,000 per winning competitor (total prize pool: $1,250,000) |
| Phase 2: Set! | 6 months (anticipated) | Up to 25, with an expected range of 15-20 | $200,000 per winning competitor (total prize pool: $5,000,000) |
| Phase 3: Grow! | 6 months (anticipated) | Up to 25, with an expected range of 10-20 | $150,000 per winning competitor (total prize pool: $3,750,000) |
The Five Meaningful Benefits of Community Solar
One of the key goals of the Community Power Accelerator Prize is to support and grow a robust ecosystem of community solar project developers that incorporate meaningful benefits into projects across the United States. These benefits provided by community solar subscriptions can build consumer trust and ensure that everyone can participate in the clean energy transition.
The Community Power Accelerator Prize provides funding and resources to empower developers to deploy community solar projects that provide at least two of the following five meaningful benefits to subscribers and their communities:
- 1. Low - to moderate-income (LMI) household access
- 2. Greater household savings
- 3. Resilience and grid benefits
- 4. Community ownership
- 5. Equitable workforce development
Powering Change Beyond the Prize
This prize is part of the larger Community Power Accelerator program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy National Community Solar Partnership. It brings together investors, philanthropic organizations, developers, community-based organizations, and technical experts in one online ecosystem to accelerate the deployment of the funds needed to drive a more equitable clean energy transition.
The Community Power Accelerator online platform will create a pipeline of credit-ready community solar projects—particularly those that provide benefits to underserved communities—and connect them with mission-aligned investors and philanthropic organizations to get funding.
The prize supports this initiative by providing funding and resources to stand up or expand community solar project development practices and develop a pipeline of multiple projects for new community solar project developers.
Who is Eligible to Compete?
The Community Power Accelerator Prize is open to U.S. community solar developers, including new developers, co-developers (organizations who are partnering with a project developer), or developers who are expanding their community solar operations.
The prize encourages organizations who are new to community solar development to apply to this prize, including (but are not limited to):
- Multifamily affordable housing providers
- Community and economic development organizations
- Intermediary organizations such as community development financial institutions
- Community-based organizations that have real estate portfolios and/or are in construction
- General contractors with roofing and/or electrical experience
- Traditional solar project developers who are looking to expand into the community solar space
- Socially and economically disadvantaged individual (SEDI) demographics-related business and women- and minority-owned businesses
- Other large real estate holders that could be available for solar deployment
View the official prize rules for eligibility requirements.
Solutions that help shape the future
Are you a community solar project developer looking to grow your impact? You belong here. Join the American-Made Community Power Accelerator Prize to get started!
Start Competing