Narrowing the Solar Equity Gap through Solarize

This briefing by RMI describes how local governments in the United States can use inclusive "Solarize" (community bulk-purchasing) campaigns to reduce the solar equity gap for low- and moderate-income (LMI) households. It highlights the role of the Inflation Reduction Act in supporting these efforts and provides evidence from RMI-supported campaigns that utilized community partnerships, targeted funding, and trusted messengers to increase solar adoption in marginalized communities.

• Between 2021 and 2022, RMI supported more than 20 local governments in the United States to launch inclusive Solarize campaigns. These efforts resulted in nearly 1,200 households installing over 10 MW of residential solar, which is expected to avoid more than 106,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and save households over $8 million over a 25-year period. Approximately 65 percent of these installations were in neighborhoods defined as having less than 120 percent area median income, exceeding the national average of 43 percent.
• Inclusive Solarize campaigns rely on partnerships with national experts, such as Solar United Neighbors (SUN) or Solar Crowdsource (SCS), to manage procurement and timelines, as well as community-based organizations (CBOs) to drive local participation. Examples include the 2021 Miami-Dade Solar Co-op, which partnered with the South Dade NAACP Branch and Catalyst Miami, and the 2022 Columbus Solar-Co-op, which worked with IMPACT Community Action to train 17 women and BIPOC residents through the "Empowered!" clean energy jobs program.
• Because standard bulk purchasing discounts of 10–20 percent are often insufficient for LMI households, local governments are encouraged to secure additional funding and low-interest financing. Specific examples of funding include the 2021 Solarize Asheville Buncombe and 2022 Solarize KC campaigns, which each used over $100,000 in local government funds for lower-income installations, and the 2022 Solar Over Louisville campaign, which used $100,000 from the federal Community Development Block Grant Program.
• To overcome barriers such as predatory lending and solar scams, inclusive campaigns use trusted messengers and tailored outreach. For instance, the 2021 Houston Solar Co-op used a press conference from the mayor's office to drive the majority of its nearly 300 sign-ups, while the 2021 Solarize Atlanta and Solarize Savannah campaigns partnered with Ayika Solutions and Harambee House to reach nearly 400 sign-ups.

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} }