Solar For All
North Carolina’s Solar for All Program: EnergizeNC
On April 22, 2024, the EPA awarded the EnergizeNC coalition with a $156,120,000 Solar for All grant.
North Carolina will kick off the one-year planning period by revising the proposed EnergizeNC program from the initial application requesting $250 million. The updated program will achieve the same goals as outlined below, with adjustments in how many residents this program will serve. Please check out the EnergizeNC.com website for more details on the revised program details.
Background
On June 28, 2023, EPA released the $7 billion Solar for All Notice of Funding Opportunity, part of the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund authorized by Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act. The overall goal of the Solar for All competition is to expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities that are primed for investment in residential and community solar. The competition will provide up to 60 grants to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofit recipients ranging from $25 million to $400 million across the country.
North Carolina’s Proposed EnergizeNC Program
To maximize the benefits to North Carolina's low-income and disadvantaged communities, the EnergizeNC coalition plans to design programs that have the greatest impact with a focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lessening energy burdens, and improving quality of life. Specifically, the coalition will focus on four goals:
Goal #1: Create a comprehensive project management approach over a one-year planning period to include input from low-income and disadvantaged communities.
Goal #2: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs, and foster environmental justice through the installation of rooftop solar at low-income single-family and multifamily units across North Carolina, including community solar access.
Goal #3: Foster and develop a trained workforce to deploy solar in all regions of the state, especially in minority and tribal communities, while working to ensure transparent ethical and business practices that protect consumers from potential market abuses.
Goal #4: Provide robust community engagement to ensure that project benefits flow to disadvantaged communities and individuals.
To bring the highest impact to North Carolina families, EnergizeNC will focus its financial incentive programs on providing meaningful household energy savings in three priority areas:
Rooftop solar (and, in limited cases, storage) installation in single-family homes;
Behind-the-meter solar installation at multifamily housing owned and operated by nonprofit and public organizations;
Community solar pilot programs, many with municipal utilities and electric co-ops, which will lower energy costs for participating households.
What is Solar for All?
Solar for All is a grant opportunity for states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities and eligible nonprofits to expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities that have access to residential and community solar. Solar for All is managed by the EPA and authorized by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in the Inflation Reduction Act.
In accordance with EnergizeNC’s second program goal, the program aims to benefit communities and foster environmental justice by lowering utility costs for residents and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using zero-emission technologies.
How will the program work?
North Carolina’s Solar for All program aims to reach low-income households in disadvantaged communities across the state providing access to solar power. Households will see an average 20 percent financial savings on their utility bill. During the one-year planning period, the EnergizeNC team will create a comprehensive project management approach with input from low-income disadvantaged communities (goal 1). Within this period, EnergizeNC will also work collaboratively with key stakeholders to determine program development such as launch, community and home selection process, and income requirements.
Key activities will include:
- Developing a suite of financial programs to address the variety of community needs
- Developing a vetted contractor network
- Establishing a community advisory board to include representation from a broad set of interests, regions and demographics.
- Working with community organizations for deployment
- Engaging with affordable housing developers
What is the timeline for the overall program, including for resident, contractor and stakeholder participation?
EnergizeNC received the award announcement on April 22, 2024, and plans to kick off a one-year program planning period in October 2024, following EPA’s approval of the revised program plan. While all timelines are subject to change, EnergizeNC anticipates the program will launch statewide in Fall 2025. At that time, the program will begin serving communities and residents and will continue to do so through 2029. As EnergizeNC’s goal 4 states, the program will provide robust community engagement through consistent communication, public meetings and public comment periods to ensure that project benefits flow to disadvantaged communities and individuals. EnergizeNC also plans to engage with contractors and other key stakeholders during the program planning period.
Will there be job or workforce development opportunities?
Yes, one of the goals of EnergizeNC is to “foster and develop a trained workforce to deploy solar in all regions of the state, especially in minority and tribal communities, while working to ensure transparent ethical and business practices that protect consumers from potential market abuses” (goal 3). North Carolina will include and request public comment on this topic as part of stakeholder engagement.
What projects will be eligible to be funded?
EnergizeNC will support residential rooftop solar installations in eligible single-family homes, multifamily housing owned and operated by nonprofit and public organizations, and residential-serving community solar pilot programs. EPA’s Solar for All guidance also allows up to 20 percent of the funding to be used on enabling upgrades to prepare residences for solar installations.
What factors will determine eligibility?
EnergizeNC will provide funding to projects that benefit low-income individuals and families, with a focus on serving disadvantaged and underserved communities. Per EPA’s definition, low-income and disadvantaged communities include Climate and Economic Justice Screen Tool (CEJST)-identified disadvantaged communities, EJScreen-identified disadvantaged communities, geographically dispersed low-income households and properties providing affordable housing. For more information on this, please visit EPA's Inflation Reduction Act Disadvantaged Communities Map.
EnergizeNC will also provide technical assistance to communities, small businesses, non-profit organizations and other stakeholders to help enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from residential solar and residential-serving community solar.
Are there any IRA benefits I can access now?
Federal residential energy tax credits (including both energy efficiency and solar power) are currently available through the IRS for certain qualifying projects. Visit DOE's Homeowners Guide to Residential Solar Tax Credits or consult your tax professional for more information. Additionally, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency to find other energy incentives that you may be eligible for.
Where can I learn more about Solar for All?
Read the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s FAQ to keep up to date on developments at the federal level, and for more detailed information.
If you have additional questions, email the State Energy Office at seo.solar@deq.nc.gov.
On October 11, 2023, the North Carolina EnergizeNC coalition, led by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s State Energy Office, in collaboration with Advanced Energy, the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, and the North Carolina Clean Energy Fund, successfully submitted our EPA Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Solar for All grant application.
In the application, the coalition requested $250,000,000 to develop and execute a robust and equitable program enabling the rapid deployment of distributed solar and associated storage with meaningful benefits to over 20,000 low-income and disadvantaged communities across the state, including state- and federally recognized tribal lands, resulting in at least 69.5 megawatts of residential solar by the end of the five-year program. Please see the grant application’s executive summary for additional detail on the proposed programs.
Read the Application's Executive Summary
Check out EnergizeNC’s Solar for All program fact sheet
Additional resources:
The Coalition's strength lies not only in the technical expertise of its four members but also in the multi-sectorial partnership of over 60 organizations that have offered letters of support for our Solar for All application. These organizations include:
350 Triangle | Appalachian Voices | Black Wall Street AVL | Black Owners of Solar | Buncombe County | Catawba Center for the Environment | Center for Energy Education | Center for Environmental and Resource Economic Policy| Center for Progressive Reform | City of Asheville | City of Charlotte | City of Greensboro | City of Wilmington | Clean Aire North Carolina | Climate Reality Project, Charlotte | DHIC | Duke Energy | Eagle Solar and Light | ElectriCities | EnerWealth Solutions | Environmental Justice Community Action Network | Generation 180 | Good Solar Organization | Green Built Alliance | Habitat for Humanity NC | Inclusive Prosperity Capital | Interfaith Creation of the Triangle | MDC Rural Forward | Mountain Housing Opportunities | NC 100 | NC Black Alliance | NC Business Committee for Education | NC Climate Justice Collective | NC Commission of Indian Affairs | NC Community Colleges / ApprenticeshipNC | NC Conservation Network | NC Council of Churches | NC Electric Cooperatives | NC Environmental Justice Network | NC Governor's Office | NC Housing Finance Agency | NC Interfaith Power and Light | NC Justice Center | NC League of Conservation Voters | NC League of Municipalities | NC NAACP | NC Sierra Club | NC Sustainable Energy Association | NC Works Commission | Raleigh Area Land Trust | Raleigh Housing Authority | Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster | Self-Help Credit Union | Southern Environmental Law Center |State Employees Credit Union | Thrive NC: Jobs and Climate Coalition | Town of Chapel Hill | Town of Davidson | Toxic Free NC | United Way Cape Fear Region | United Way North Carolina
Timeline
Notice of Intent Deadline: July 31, 2023
Full Application Deadline: October 12, 2023
Announcement of EPA Awards: April 22, 2024
Program Planning: Spring 2024 -Spring 2025
Target Application Period: Mid-2025