About This Site:

The Solar Value Project was initially developed to serve outreach needs for the Community Solar Value Project, co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO), initially under DOE's Solar Market Pathways Program, Award Number DE-EE0006905. The CSVP was led by Extensible Energy, Inc. with support from Cliburn and Associates, LLC, Olivine Inc., and Navigant Consulting (now Guidehouse). Utility participants include the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Public Service of New Mexico, and other utilities nationwide. The project aimed to increase the scale, reach, and value of utility-based community solar programs by using strategic solar technologies, siting, and design, and by integrating suitable companion measures, such as demand-response and storage. Most products from that effort are found under the Shared Solar Tab. Based on the site's Blog and other resources, it grew in popularity as a forum covering all types of community-scale solar innovations.

The Solar Plus for Electric Cooperatives (SPECs) project is led by Cliburn and Associates, LLC, under Subcontract No. AGR-2020-10205, as part of the Solar Energy Innovation Network. SPECs aims to increase the pace and impact of local solar-plus-storage development by electric co-ops. Core team members include Cliburn and Associates, LLC, North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC), and three leading electric co-ops: Cobb EMC, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative and United Power. Details are provided under the Solar-Plus tab. The Innovation Network is a collaborative research effort administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. In keeping with the Disclaimer below, the views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, the DOE, or the U.S. Government.

Products developed with support from these funding sources are clearly identified. Other products and commentary have been developed by Cliburn and Associates, LLC or identified guest authors, in order to further the work initiated under those agreements.

Acknowledgment

Extensible Energy  initiated the Community Solar Value Project in 2015, with Cliburn and Associates and partners from Olivine and Navigant Consulting (now Guidehouse). The team worked with SMUD and other utilities that wanted to "make community solar better."  Our path led to ground-breaking work in solar-plus-storage and load flexibility. Today, Cliburn manages this website, including a broader range of resources and tools related to increasing the value of distribution-scale solar and related technical strategies, under the Solar Value Project banner.

Disclaimers

The information, data, or work presented herein was funded in part by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.

This web site contains findings that are general in nature. Users are reminded to perform due diligence in applying these findings to specific needs, in specific policy environments. It is not possible for the site contributors under Cliburn and Associates, LLC to have sufficient understanding of any specific situation to define or ensure applicability in all cases. Neither the site sponsors nor specific contributors herein assume liability for how users may interpret or apply the information, analysis, templates, and guidance presented here, or with respect to the use of, or damages resulting from the use of, any information, apparatus, method, or process contained herein. Site sponsors and contributors make no warranty or representation that the use of these contents does not infringe on privately held rights.

The Early-Stage Decision (ESD) modeling tool, developed as part of the SPECs Project has specific disclaimers for software use, which are included on the product landing page.

This site is under copyright. All material is available for free public use, with appropriate citation and references to the Solar Value Project and specific authors cited herein.