Developing local clean energy sources brings significant economic and community benefits. These projects create more local jobs than traditional power plants and keep financial resources within the community, fostering entrepreneurship and workforce development. Clean energy reduces costs by eliminating the need for expensive, inefficient long-distance power transmission and offers benefits such as lower energy bills, reliable power, and greater energy security. Decentralized systems are more resilient to outages and reduce blackout risks by diversifying the energy supply. They also come online faster than large, centralized power plants. A report highlighted the economic value of locally owned solar, estimating $5.7 million in lifetime community benefits per megawatt. Additionally, community hosts can gain economic stakes in renewable energy projects, further boosting community prosperity and sustainability. bit.ly/41SGTi1