WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Jim Himes today congratulated Jessica Bailey of Norwalk on being recognized by President Barack Obama as one of ten “Champions for Change” for their efforts to promote and expand the deployment of solar energy in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Bailey is the director of Commercial and Industrial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) at the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA), Connecticut’s “green bank.”
“Congratulations to Jessica Bailey on being named a Champion for Change for her dedication to expanding the use of solar energy in Connecticut,” said Himes. “The success of Connecticut’s Green Bank in making our state more carbon neutral is a testament to the positive impact public-private partnerships can have, and I am pleased that Bailey’s work at CEFIA is gaining national recognition.”
CEFIA was established in 2011 to leverage public and private funds to drive investment and scale-up clean energy deployment in Connecticut. The first state “Green Bank” in the nation, CEFIA has served as a model for other states’ Green Banks. The statewide program Bailey designed as director of C-PACE allows building owners to access financing to perform clean energy improvements on their properties. In the first year, this program brought $20 million in financing to clean energy projects in Connecticut, resulting in the deployment of over 3 megawatts of solar energy and millions of dollars of energy efficiency savings across 2 million square feet of buildings.