Fourteen historically Black colleges and universities have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to become members of the HBCU Clean Energy Consortium. The goal of the consortium is to create an innovative model that would bring solar access to the Black community for low to moderate income households. The department of energy has made available up to $5 million for this project, which includes $2 million in seed funding and another $2 million available for technical assistance.
Over the next 18 months, the consortium will work on developing new and innovative financial and business models that would increase solar energy adoption, expand workforce development training for jobs in the solar field particularly for African-Americans, improve energy affordability, and help low-income communities overcome the financial barriers to solar access. The team would develop and implement the program with a range of partners, including solar developers, utility companies, cities, financial institutions, and community groups.
The 14 members od the HBCU Clean Energy Consortium are Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University, University of the Virgin Islands, Florida Memorial University, Benedict College, North Carolina A&T University, Johnson C. Smith University, Claflin University, Tennessee State University, Morgan State University, Coppin State University, Norfolk State University, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Below is a video about the project.
