Solar for All
Project SunBridge
On April 22, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) with a $62.45 million grant under its Solar for All initiative, including $400,000 of in kind services from EPA in the form of technical assistance.
This competitive grant program through the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is aimed at expanding solar energy investment in "low-income and disadvantaged communities," as defined by the EPA. The grant competition is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Connecticut’s grant application was led by DEEP in close collaboration with the Connecticut Green Bank, the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, the Connecticut Department of Housing, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and others, making up the Connecticut Consortium. The consortium’s application is called, “Project SunBridge: Connecting Communities to a Solar Future.”
Project SunBridge will reach thousands of households, with a priority focus on multi-family affordable housing units. The project is designed to overcome current barriers for low-income and disadvantaged communities to access solar and storage energy technologies through a combination of financial and technical assistance.
Through greater access to distributed solar and storage installations, Project SunBridge aims to achieve a minimum household energy savings of 20% for all participants, and will further help Connecticut’s goal of a zero-carbon electric sector by 2040, as established by Public Act 22-5.
How will these funds be deployed?
Connecticut's Project SunBridge work plan and budget were approved by EPA on January 15, 2025. They include funding for both financial assistance and technical assistance and build on the success of the state's existing programs supporting distributed solar pv and energy storage system deployment: the Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (RRES) and Energy Storage Solutions (EES) programs.
DEEP's submission to the EPA included the following budget allocations for the financial and technical assistance items that will be funded through the program, in addition to a small portion of funding for personnel to implement the program over the five-year period:
Financial Assistance
• $5 million to the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority for a revolving loan fund for solar pv, energy storage, and enabling upgrades for affordable multifamily housing
• $43.05 million to the Connecticut Green Bank for loan and/or lease options for both single-family and affordable multifamily housing for solar pv, grants for co-installed energy storage and enabling upgrades, and additional funding for the Capital Solutions program
Technical Assistance
• $3 million for workforce development programs, to be determined after a workforce needs assessment is performed by the State’s Office of Workforce Strategy
• $3 million for tools and other technical support for local communities deploying solar pv, to be determined based on further stakeholder input
• $3 million to support customer outreach, engagement, and community-based organization work to be determined based on further stakeholder input
• $4 million, split between the Connecticut Green Bank and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, for building assessments and audits for solar pv and energy storage
DEEP anticipates multifamily housing financial assistance products will start to become available to customers by the end of June 2025, with single-family financial assistance products becoming available shortly after. DEEP expects the plans for technical assistance funding to be finalized by the end of 2025.
Where can I learn more?
On August 12, 2024, DEEP held a Project SunBridge Kick-Off Meeting. The meeting included an overview of the Solar for All competition, details about Connecticut’s Project SunBridge application, an explanation of existing programs for single-family and multi-family homes, DEEP facilitated discussions about the gaps and barriers that the Solar for All funding could address, a preview of some technical assistance that Project SunBridge may be able to provide and some stakeholder presentations related to Connecticut’s implementation of the Solar for All funding.
You can view a recording of the meeting HERE.
A copy of the presentation from the meeting is available HERE.
How can I get involved?
DEEP seeks stakeholder input regarding Project SunBridge implementation. Everyone is welcome to respond to the Written Comments!
On February 13, 2025, DEEP issued a Notice of Request for Written Comments. In this notice, DEEP provides updates on the Project SunBridge work plan that was approved by the EPA and gives an anticipated timeline for program rollout. Further, DEEP seeks comments on specific topics, including the new financing products being designed for single-family homes, enabling upgrades that allow solar to be installed on homes, and the technical assistance offerings.
The written comments are due by March 13, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Comments can be emailed to DEEP.EnergyBureau@ct.gov with the subject line "Project SunBridge Written Comments."
This page will be updated regularly to provide information on additional engagement opportunities.
If you would like to stay updated about these engagement opportunities, please email DEEP.EnergyBureau@ct.gov to be added to our Project SunBridge email distribution list.
Last Updated: February 2025