Residential Solar Investment Program (RSIP): Program Impact Evaluation and Future Recommendations

The Connecticut Green Bank (Green Bank) implemented the Residential Solar Investment Program (RSIP) from 2012 until the program achieved its statutory objective of facilitating the deployment of 350 MW-DC of residential solar generating capacity in Connecticut in 2022. This evaluation assesses RSIP's effectiveness in using ratepayer funds (as program incentives paid to residential customers) to accelerate residential solar adoption and offers recommendations for how the Green Bank may support the ongoing orderly and sustainable development of the state’s residential solar market.

To evaluate the success of RSIP, we consider metrics that demonstrate the impact of the program on energy production in Connecticut, on the state's economy and environment, and on Connecticut residential electric customers, with a particular focus on low and moderate income (LMI) households. We also compare performance metrics for RSIP and for the Connecticut residential solar market to residential solar programs and markets in other states in the Northeast and to national averages.