Solar-Plus 
High-Value Resource Solutions

At Cliburn and Associates, LLC, we helped pioneer solar plus storage and solar plus load flexibility solutions, with benefits for utilities, their customers and the environment.  Today, we are focused on continuing innovation and increasing public understanding of the energy transition. We work toward policies that bring diverse interests together. We support large-scale project siting strategies that deliver equitable, enduring public benefits. We customize local community solar models with emphasis on low- and moderate income households. These solutions are complex, but not confounding. They are not only within our reach; they are within your reach, and we will show you how.

We offer coaching for today's innovators, drawing on expertise in change management, communications, and facilitation, as well as on our established professional network. 

Take a look at our work on the Solar Value Project site. There, you'll see archives and new work for the National Community Solar Partnership through Lawrence Berkeley Labs, the "SPECs" (Solar plus for Electric Co-ops) effort for the U.S. DOE Solar Energy Innovation Network, and work with business groups and non-profits that are all a part of the global energy transformation.

    Research

Cliburn and Associates research services range from emerging-market assessments to business and program plans, case studies, policy and training support. Contact us for samples of our award-winning work.

    Collaboration

Whether you are aiming to launch a new community solar program, shape outreach about the energy transition, craft a new policy, or procure solar plus storage, these efforts require collaboration. Cliburn and Associates is expert in collaborative planning and process coaching.

    Imagination

Cliburn has remained at the forefront of change. Our team can help you think "outside the box" and to move smartly beyond your limits. Our approach is exemplified by leadership of the Solar Value Project. It also takes place through consultation within your organization.
Cliburn is a frequent presenter at industry conferences and an a participant in innovation networks. Recently she presented to the 2026 annual meeting of the Texas Solar Energy Society, the National Solar Conference of the American Solar Energy Society, and the national conference on Behavior, Energy and Climate Change. Cliburn has been a board member of the American Solar Energy Society, and is a Fellow in that organization. She also served on the board of Solar Energy International and provided training and communications support to the Association of Energy Services Professionals.


News and Highlights

Strategic Communications Circumvent Siting Challenges 
Cliburn has applied technical expertise and leadership for authentic community engagement in large-scale solar and battery system siting challenges. She has published research and a noted article in Solar Today and presented on this topic at the Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change Conference in November 2025.

March 2026 News Short: Solar + Rural Vitality = Agrivoltaics
Through our work with the National Community Solar Partnership, we've been coaching innovators in southern Colorado with an innovative community solar project on a local farm. Benefits from the project will be shared with participants including both local ag-related businesses and farm workers. Since we recently added Illinois to our range of focus, we made a factsheet about agrivoltaics emerging in big-farm country in Illinois.

See Below: Cliburn Offers a New Short Video Introduction to
Solar Living as Part of the ASES 2025 National Solar Tour
This fall, Cliburn participates in the National Solar Tour, offering a 12-minute video tour of her energy-efficient and solar home near Santa Fe, NM. The home offers passive solar features, plus a 3.1 kW rooftop PV system. We also share a bit of the native landscape, which has flourished since various water-wise measures. See many other featured solar sites nationwide or preview our contribution below!

Cliburn Coaching Contributes to Broadening Access to Solar
The National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) is a coalition of community-focused solar stakeholders, working to expand access to affordable community solar to every American household by 2025. As a consultant to the NCSP in 2021-25, Cliburn has supported efforts in multiple states, ranging from help building inclusive participation or streamlining cost effective CRM and billing to supporting local technical innovations.

SPECs: Building a Value-Based Market for Solar Plus Storage
Solar-Plus for Electric Co-ops (SPECs) helped optimize the procurement and operations of battery storage projects at electric cooperatives and other local utilities. The project was competitively selected by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN). The project supported co-ops in three states and led to advanced work under contract to North Carolina State, Tri-State G&T, EUEC Training Center, and others.

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Publications for Public Power Utilities
The American Public Power Association offers new publications, developed by Cliburn and Associates to serve local utility needs nationwide. This is the third edition of Energy Matters for Your Home and Energy Matters for Your Small Business that Cliburn has produced for APPA and its members over the past 15 years . Altogether these publications have hundreds of thousands of copies in print. The work is also reflected in digital content on numerous public power utility websites. This edition introduces new concepts to utility customers, as many public power utilities have updated their business models. Today, public power utilities are often oriented towards preparing customers to participate in load flexibility, solar and EV programs, and ultimately in virtual power plants. In addition, the Home guide is now available in Spanish. If you are not an APPA member, contact us for other ways we can help to improve your customer and community service. 
National Solar Tour Preview: Our Own Home Adds to the National Narrative