Funding Program: SuNLaMP
SunShot Subprogram: Soft Costs
Location: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO
SunShot Award Amount: $1,978,337
With thousands of state-level legislators and a range of state energy office models throughout the country, there are significant challenges to directly informing policymakers about solar policy and program support mechanisms. This project creates the Solar State Technical Assistance Team Network (STAT Network), which will multiply SunShot state policy and program technical assistance by partnering with, training, and deploying information through trusted government membership organizations. Combined, these organizations will provide non-advocacy solar information to every state-level government in the United States.
Approach
The project team will refine and maintain the current STAT website with high-quality, timely, and credible information for policy-making stakeholders, providing them access to laboratory and Energy Department resources in a digestible, quick way. NREL will also work with state-level organizations to broaden the solar technical assistance network, providing organizations will in-person training from NREL technology, market, and policy experts. This includes development of tailored, actionable strategies for specific audiences as well as a delivery plan. Additionally, technical assistance will be provided.
Innovation
The STAT Network will establish an NREL-educated representative at each of the partnering government membership organizations. By providing baseline support and tool training through these agents, NREL will enable a solar-knowledgeable voice within these organizations and radically increase the reach of SunShot's state technical assistance program. In addition, the program will reach a broad audience, including local jurisdictions, public utility commissions, regional planning commissions, advisory committees, industry professionals, and publicly-funded universities, through ongoing in-house outreach and impact measurement efforts that have proven successful in the past.