A strategic mix of grants and investments is needed to expand access to solar+storage solutions in low-income communities, a report from the Resilient Power Project, a joint project of the Clean Energy Group and Meridian Institute, finds.

Commissioned by the Kresge, Surdna, and JPB foundations, the report, A Resilient Power Capital Scan: How Foundations Could Use Grants and Investments to Advance Solar and Storage in Low-Income Communities (46 pages, PDF), found that while the market for solar+storage is growing, it does not exist in low-income neighborhoods, where it could lower utility costs, reduce harmful emissions, curb climate pollution, and strengthen communities' resilience. To ensure greater equity in the distribution of such solutions, the report argues, philanthropic interventions should address gaps and investment opportunities aimed at scaling the market for resilient power.

According to the report, barriers to a more equitable distribution of solar+storage include the  lack of an integrated development finance model; a lack of capacity among portfolio owners, advocates, and public officials working to develop solar+storage projects; inadequate data collection and analysis; and inadequate market rules, incentives and regulatory policies. To address these and other barriers, the report proposes more than fifty grant and investment interventions, including providing working capital to fund pre-development costs; investing in existing companies to expand project development into low- and moderate-income communities; and supporting mandated design standards and new housing incentive programs.

"The costs of solar panels and battery storage have declined to the point where resilient power systems can play a significant role in making low-income communities stronger and better able to weather the severe storms, floods, and other impacts of a changing climate," said Lois DeBacker, managing director of Kresge's environment program. "A concerted push in the form of strategic grants and capital investments may be all that is needed to generate unstoppable momentum that will spread these systems throughout our nation's urban centers."