The Solar in Your Community Challenge is a $5 million prize competition funded by the SunShot Initiative that aims to expand solar electricity access. Specifically, it focuses on low-and moderate-income (LMI) households and nonprofits that haven’t been able to take advantage of the booming solar market. Challenge participants are eligible to win cash prizes and technical assistance over the course of 18 months.
So how can you participate?
Lead a team. Teams can include a wide array of organizations like local governments, businesses, nonprofits, community serving organizations, utilities, banks, and citizen associations. Teams work together to either create either a portfolio of solar projects or a new solar program.
Be part of a team. Do you want to be part of a team, but don’t know where to start? Signing up as a supporter is your best bet. Supporters can be recruited to join a larger team, or can band together to start a brand new team.
Lend your expertise. Experts provide technical assistance to teams throughout the challenge. These experts can either be a consultant or a coach—consultants provide hands-on assistance, whereas coaches help guide teams through the process. Both coaches and consultants will be compensated for their efforts.
The early application deadline is January 6, 2017, so visit the Solar in Your Community Challenge webpage to learn more about the structure of the Challenge, the prizes participants can win, and read the official rules.
