OBF for Distributed Solar

The document describes distributed solar as small arrays that power the buildings they are attached to, noting that while PV costs have dropped by over 60 percent in the last decade, high upfront costs still limit adoption. It argues that on-bill financing (OBF) promotes equity by removing barriers like credit and capital access, allowing families and businesses to install solar with no upfront costs and integrate repayments into their utility bills.

• Solar adoption is unequal across racial and income lines; majority Black and Hispanic census tracts have significantly fewer rooftop installations compared to no majority census tracts, while majority-white tracts have higher adoption rates.
• The cost of photovoltaic (PV) technology has decreased by more than 60 percent over the last ten years, though the initial investment remains a barrier for many families.
• On-bill financing programs provide a unique advantage by allowing utilities to control financing within their service territories and offering bill-integrated payments to expand eligibility to nearly all customers.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (n.d.). OBF for Distributed Solar. https://www.eesi.org/obf/how-obf-works/obf-for-distributed-solar

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. OBF for Distributed Solar. n.d. https://www.eesi.org/obf/how-obf-works/obf-for-distributed-solar.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=OBF for Distributed Solar |url=https://www.eesi.org/obf/how-obf-works/obf-for-distributed-solar |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitutendobf, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{OBF for Distributed Solar}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, url = {https://www.eesi.org/obf/how-obf-works/obf-for-distributed-solar}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }