Solar energy is becoming more and more accessible to a wider\nrange of Connecticut residents \u2014 including Latinos and blacks, according to an\narticle in solarbuildermag.com.<\/p>\n\n\n
The increase is due in large part to Connecticut Green Bank\u2019s\nsuccessful efforts to make solar energy not only more accessible but also more\naffordable to homeowners in communities of color and low-to-moderate income\n(LMI) households by engaging these underserved communities.<\/p>\n\n\n
While the number of rooftop solar installations in the country\nhas increased more than 50 percent each year over the past seven years,\ncommunities of color in many states are not adapting to solar power. According\nto a 2019 Tufts University study, majority Latino and black neighborhoods have\ninstalled less rooftop solar panels compared to no majority race neighborhoods\nby 61 to 45 percent. Majority white neighborhoods installed 37 percent more.<\/p>\n\n\n
In an attempt to address this disparity, Green Bank launched the\nResidential Solar Investment Program (RISP) as a way to make rooftop solar\ninstallations more affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n
In 2015, Green Bank and its board of directors addressed an observed income disparity in solar adoption by adding special incentives for low and moderate-income households. This quickly accelerated solar adoption in low and moderate income communities.<\/p>\n\n\n
Currently, there are 86 percent more RISP installations in majority black neighborhoods and 18 percent more in majority Latino neighborhoods as compared to white neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n