Journal of Science Policy & Governance
Volume 25, Issue 01 | October 28, 2024

Policy Memo: Shining a Light on Equitable Solar Energy: Addressing Challenges and Enhancing Opportunities for Business Participation in Community Solar

Atif Mohammed Ashraf1, Matthew A. Boehm2, Aida Davila3, Melinda Paduani4, Wesley I. Schnapp5
  1. Texas A&M University, Wm Michael Barnes '64 Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, College Station, TX, USA
  2. University of Maryland Global Campus, Department of Biological Sciences, Adelphi, MD, USA
  3. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Bronx, NY, USA 
  4. Florida International University, Department of Earth and Environment, Miami, FL, USA
  5. University of Arizona, Department of Neuroscience, Tucson, AZ, USA
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​Corresponding author:  [email protected]​​
Keywords: community solar; non-residential solar; energy equity; solar incentives; clean energy transition; business participation
https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG250102

Executive Summary

Solar energy plays a vital role in achieving the United States’ decarbonization goals. Enabling community solar projects is an underutilized strategy for increasing renewable energy generation and offers potential solutions for addressing disparities in solar energy distribution. Although community solar use has been initiated through utility-scale platforms, less attention and efforts have gone into facilitating community solar programs that collaborate with businesses who use distributed solar (i.e., rooftop) panels. Engaging businesses in community solar programs provides opportunities for commercial buildings to expand solar energy panels, maximizing use of available space for solar installations and decreasing land-use for solar farms, increasing use and energy resiliency at the residential level, and improving equitable access. We propose three policy recommendations: (1) Renewing and expanding the Sunny Awards recognition program; (2) Modifying tax incentives for businesses to reduce costs of solar installation and encourage energy distribution; and (3) Introducing a new business model for energy distribution. These recommendations provide strategies and insights for encouraging businesses to implement community solar on a broader scale.

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Background header image courtesy of sustain.org
Atif Ashraf is an Industrial and Systems Engineering doctoral student at Texas A&M University. His research examines work-as-imagined vs. work-as-done for safety and efficiency insights. Atif combines process safety and human factors expertise to understand the complex interplay between technical systems and human behavior. In 2021 he was selected as an Emerging Talent by the Resilience Engineering Association. Recently as a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow, he worked with the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Science working on safety issues related to the offshore industry in the Gulf of Mexico. Atif plans a career advancing impactful safety research and participating in initiatives to enhance safety and performance after earning his Ph.D.

Matthew Boehm received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Brown University in 2023. He performed his graduate research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) working to develop PET imaging applications for gene therapy technologies. After graduating, Matt completed the Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellowship at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine. He now teaches biology courses as an adjunct assistant professor at University of Maryland Global Campus, and he's also an executive branch AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Aida Davila received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her graduate research focused on relating sensory perception to neural activity in the visual cortex. As a recent Mirzayan Fellow, Aida worked with the Committee on Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine to implement findings of consensus report: “Transforming Trajectories for Women of Color in Tech” onto an Action Collaborative. Outside of the lab she is interested in outreach and equity issues in STEM education.

Melinda Paduani received her Ph.D. in Earth Systems Science from Florida International University. Her research focused on the role of coastal mangrove forests in trapping microplastics (plastic particles < 5 mm in size). She also engaged with the South Florida community through citizen science and stakeholder interviews to gain a more holistic understanding of plastic pollution and ways to manage it. Dr. Paduani received a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Environmental Studies from the University of Central Florida where she discovered her passions for coastal ecology and science communication.

Wesley Ilana Schnapp received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Arizona, where she investigated how neural circuits in the amygdala regulate eating behavior and energy balance and, more specifically, their role in development of the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. Wesley completed a BA at Cornell University, majoring in Neurobiology & Behavior and minoring in Psychology and Spanish. Beyond the bench, Wesley is an advocate for bridging the gap between scientific research, societal impact, and public engagement through science communication, outreach, and policy. As a recent Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellow, she looks forward to continuing to immerse herself in the science policy, government, and non-profit sectors.

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