Narrowing the Solar Equity Gap through Solarize

RMI outlines how inclusive Solarize campaigns—community bulk-purchasing programs—can help low- and moderate-income (LMI) households overcome financial and outreach barriers to solar adoption. Drawing on support provided to over 20 US local governments in 2021 and 2022, the briefing highlights the importance of partnering with community-based organizations, securing dedicated LMI funding, and using trusted messengers to ensure equitable access to residential solar.

• Between 2021 and 2022, RMI supported more than 20 US local governments in launching inclusive Solarize campaigns, resulting in over 10 MW of residential solar installed across nearly 1,200 households. These projects are projected to avoid more than 106,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and save households over $8 million over a 25-year period. Notably, 65 percent of these installations were in low-, moderate-, or middle-income neighborhoods (<120 percent area median income), which is higher than the national average of 43 percent.
• To increase local participation and ensure equitable decision-making, inclusive campaigns should partner with national Solarize experts—such as Solar United Neighbors (SUN) or Solar Crowdsource (SCS)—and local community-based organizations (CBOs). Examples include the 2021 Miami-Dade Solar Co-op, which used over 10 partners like the South Dade NAACP Branch, and the 2022 Columbus Solar-Co-op, which partnered with IMPACT Community Action to train 17 women and BIPOC residents for clean energy jobs.
• Standard bulk purchasing discounts of 10–20 percent are often insufficient to remove upfront cost barriers for LMI households. Effective campaigns secure additional funding through local funds, federal grants, or private donors. For instance, the 2022 Solar Over Louisville campaign used $100,000 from the federal Community Development Block Grant Program, while the 2021 Solarize Asheville Buncombe and 2022 Solarize KC campaigns each allocated over $100,000 in local government funds for lower-income installations.
• Building trust is essential to reach historically disadvantaged residents who may have been targeted by solar scams or predatory lending. Successful strategies include using trusted CBOs for outreach, securing public endorsements from mayors, and utilizing utility bill inserts. For example, the 2021 Houston Solar Co-op achieved the majority of its nearly 300 sign-ups following a press conference from the mayor's office, and the 2021 St. Petersburg Solar Co-op used utility bill inserts to help 70 households install solar.

APA

RMI (2023). Narrowing the Solar Equity Gap through Solarize. https://rmi.org/resources/narrowing-the-solar-equity-gap-through-solarize/

Chicago

RMI. Narrowing the Solar Equity Gap through Solarize. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/narrowing-the-solar-equity-gap-through-solarize/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Narrowing the Solar Equity Gap through Solarize |date=16 February 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/narrowing-the-solar-equity-gap-through-solarize/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023narrowing, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Narrowing the Solar Equity Gap through Solarize}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/narrowing-the-solar-equity-gap-through-solarize/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }