Rural Electrification 2.0

Solar energy is booming across the United States. Today, solar energy could cost-effectively generate 10 percent of the total power needed in 25 states. By 2016, 43 states will be able to meet that benchmark. While residential and commercial rooftop solar deployment has received substantial policy attention at the state and local levels, many of the benefits in jobs, affordable clean energy, and new investment have flowed to urban and suburban communities. Rural communities represent a strong market opportunity for rapid growth in solar power, but financing solar projects in rural communities can be challenging for a host of reasons. However, this issue brief identifies a key program that could radically accelerate new solar deployment in rural America and proposes an innovative mechanism to unlock this new investment.