Request for Information: Supporting Successful Solar Plus Storage Deployment Serving Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities

Background
Through this RFI, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) seeks insight into the resources and support needed, through its existing or expanded work, to ensure successful outcomes of solar and storage deployment serving low-income and disadvantaged communities. The Inflation Reduction Act has dedicated historic levels of funding to catalyze the development of solar programs nationwide that direct benefits towards low-income and disadvantaged communities (LIDAC). The SETO Workforce and Equitable Access (WEA) team seeks input on what nationally coordinated and supported resources are needed to ensure this historic investment in distributed solar leads to equitable and successful delivery of benefits through low-income residential solar plus storage, community solar, and other distributed solar located in or serving low-income and disadvantaged communities.

Grant Details
Despite decreases in system costs, many U.S. households still lack access to affordable solar electricity—especially renters, homeowners who can’t access affordable financing, and those without suitable roof conditions or adequate sun exposure.

As of 2022, only 12% of residential rooftop solar adopters had household incomes below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, a common threshold used for low-income program eligibility. Furthermore, when compared to all households in their respective state, solar adopters were 14% more likely to live outside of a disadvantaged community, and 67% more likely to own a single-family home. These inequitable adoption rates could pose challenges to meeting the Administration’s clean energy deployment goals and miss the opportunity to provide meaningful reductions in household energy costs and other meaningful benefits for energy-burdened households.

Eligibility Requirements
The RFI is seeking feedback from industry; state, territory, Tribal, and local government agencies; utilities; nonprofit organizations; solar developers and installers; solar industry organizations; subscriber management organizations; community-based organizations; financial institutions; philanthropic organizations; academia; research laboratories; advocacy organizations; community action agencies; environmental justice organizations; consumer protection agencies; community members; and other stakeholders on issues related to successfully deploying distributed solar and related technologies through industry, government, and utility-led programs designed to serve low-income and disadvantaged communities (LIDAC).

Grant Value
Not provided