Solar For All
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About 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. The EnergizeNC coalition is led by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s State Energy Office, in collaboration with North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, the North Carolina Clean Energy Fund, and Advanced Energy.
After a planning and design period, the EnergizeNC coalition anticipates launching a program in late 2025 to transform solar energy growth statewide, enabling the rapid deployment of distributed solar and associated storage with meaningful benefits to low-income and rural communities across the state.
The Solar for All grant award will be used to develop and execute a robust and equitable program enabling the rapid deployment of distributed solar and associated storage with meaningful benefits to over 12,500 low-income and disadvantaged communities across the state, including state- and federally recognized tribal lands, resulting in at least 43 megawatts of residential solar by the end of the five-year program.
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 program 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 (42 U.S.C. § 7434).
The program aims to lower energy costs for participating residents, create good-paying jobs, and provide North Carolina families with access to reliable, affordable energy.
What is EnergizeNC?
EnergizeNC is the name of North Carolina’s Solar for All program.
The EnergizeNC Coalition is composed of four mission-aligned organizations that are designing and carrying out the program. The Coalition is led by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s State Energy Office, in collaboration with the NC Clean Energy Technology Center, the NC Clean Energy Fund, and Advanced Energy.
How will the program work?
EnergizeNC aims to reach low-income households across the state to provide access to solar power. Households will see an average 20% financial savings on their electricity bill. During the planning period, the Coalition will create a comprehensive program by seeking regular input from intended participants and ensuring transparency into the program. Within this period, the Coalition will also work collaboratively with key stakeholders to determine program development activities such as launch timeline, community and home selection process, and eligibility requirements.
Key activities will include:
Developing several 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?
While all timelines are subject to change, the EnergizeNC program will launch statewide in late 2025. At that time, the program will begin serving communities and will continue reaching residents through 2029. EnergizeNC will provide consistent communication, public meetings, and public comment periods to ensure that project benefits flow to low-income and disadvantaged communities. The Coalition is also engaging with contractors and other key stakeholders for input during the program planning period. To ensure you receive updates, please subscribe at EnergizeNC.com.
I am individual interested in being a part of the EnergizeNC team. Where can I learn about available jobs?
When you sign up for email updates, you’ll get periodic updates on job postings. Additionally, check out each coalition partner’s website for more available positions.
I am an organization interested in contracting with the EnergizeNC program. Where can I learn about available roles?
All Request for Proposals (RFPs) can be found at EnergizeNC.org.
What projects will be eligible to be funded?
EnergizeNC will support residential rooftop solar installations in eligible single-family homes, multi-family housing, and residential-serving community solar programs. EPA’s Solar for All guidance also allows up to 20% of the funding to be used on enabling upgrades to prepare residences for solar installations.
- Residential Rooftop Solar: Put simply, these are solar panels that deliver power to a home.
- Here’s the more technical definition: Behind-the-meter solar photovoltaic (PV) power-producing facilities, including rooftop, pole-mounted, and ground-mounted PV systems, that deliver all the power generated from the facilities to residential customers in existing and new single-family homes, manufactured homes, or multifamily buildings. Residential rooftop solar includes behind-the-meter solar facilities serving multifamily buildings classified as commercial buildings so long as the solar facility benefits residential customers either directly or indirectly such as through tenant benefit agreements. Residential rooftop solar includes properties that are both rented and owned.
- Residential-Serving Community Solar: Put simply, these are solar panels that generate power that you can use in your home, but they are not on your property.
- Here’s the more technical definition: A solar PV power-producing facility or solar energy purchasing program from a power-producing facility, with up to 5 MWac nameplate capacity, that delivers at least 50% of the power generated from the system—by delivering at least 50% of the benefits (e.g., financial savings, renewable energy credits) derived from the power generated by the community solar system—to residential customers within the same utility territory as the facility.
- Enabling Upgrades: Put simply, these are updates you can make to your home to make sure it is ready for solar energy, like upgrading your electrical system upgrades, or fixing an issue with your roof.
- Here’s the more technical definition: Investments in energy and building infrastructure that are necessary to deploy or maximize the benefits of a residential rooftop and residential-serving community solar project. Enabling upgrades must satisfy all of the following criteria to be an eligible zero-emissions technology: (1) an investment in energy or building infrastructure and (2) necessary to deploy or maximize the benefits (i.e., financial savings or resiliency benefits) of a residential rooftop and residential-serving community solar project as defined above.
What factors will determine eligibility?
EnergizeNC will provide funding to projects that benefit low-income individuals and families, with a focus on serving disadvantaged communities
Are there any benefits I can access now?
Please visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency or Energy Funds for All to find other energy incentives that you may be eligible for.
I received a call from someone claiming that I can access the Solar for All program now. Is that correct?
No. Funding from Solar for All will not be available until late 2025. Anyone claiming to offer Solar for All benefits now can be reported to the North Carolina Department of Justice. Please visit their website to file a complaint You may also contact our program for assistance at info@energizenc.org.
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.
For North Carolina’s program updates, visit us here: EnergizeNC - Affordable Solar Solutions for Your Home
Sign up for regular email updates here.
If you have follow-up questions, send them to info@energizenc.org.