Solar for All Program: Bringing Residential Solar to Every American

By Sydney Gilliam, Manager, Energy, Policy and Program Development

The federal government announced a historic $7 billion investment to increase access to affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy. Focusing on low-income and disadvantaged communities, the Solar for All Program empowers the 60 selected participants – states, tribes, and nonprofits – to deliver solar projects to over 900,000 low-income and disadvantaged households nationwide. Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act [1], this transformative initiative aims to revolutionize the energy landscape, stimulate economic growth, create jobs, reduce energy bills, and pave the way for a more sustainable future.

These programs are life-changing for economically disadvantaged communities. The high initial costs of installing solar panels often prevent low-income households from benefiting from solar programs. The Solar for All Program removes financial obstacles by providing support and incentives for solar projects, bringing clean, renewable energy to underserved communities.

Benefits of Solar Energy

Solar energy offers numerous economic and environmental benefits, including job creation, lower energy bills, and increased property values. The Solar for All Program makes these benefits accessible to more people, enhancing economic and environmental justice, while fostering overall economic growth and energy resiliency. By reducing energy costs, communities are able to reinvest savings into other vital areas, strengthening the overall economy.

Moreover, solar programs significantly cut carbon emissions and can increase community resilience during prolonged energy disruptions, such as disasters by, providing a dependable energy source. Investing in solar energy reduces costs and creates more resilient communities, enabling faster recovery from disasters and economic crises.

IEM’s Solar for All Program Support

For decades, IEM has been at the forefront of building resilient communities, providing support to those who need it the most in the face of disasters, economic recovery, or preparatory efforts. We offer comprehensive planning and design, program management and innovative solutions to help states, communities, or groups deploy solar programs, from initial concept design, policy creation, oversight and monitoring, and implementation to close-out and auditing.

IEM is committed to uplifting underserved and disadvantaged communities. Our team of experts have a proven track record of helping communities and individuals grow, rebuild, or recover faster and stronger, ensuring that low-income households can access vital programs. We are committed to the Justice40 initiative, striving to ensure that at least 40% of the benefits from solar energy projects are directed at those who need it the most. By partnering with states, communities, and nonprofits, IEM makes alternative, sustainable energy sources a reality for everyone.

With unmatched expertise, IEM is committed to the success of Solar for All initiatives through:

• Planning and Design Support – designing programs to best serve targeted populations, comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal regulations and requirements, and meet – if not exceed — program goals.
• Program Management and Administration – driving programs to increase production speed, overcome schedule and budget barriers, ensure regulatory compliance, and eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse.
• Intake, Eligibility, and Award Determinations – creating accessible applications, aiding individuals seeking assistance, completing accurate eligibility reviews, ensuring quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC), and calculating award or grant determinations.
• Contractor Management – offering community partners and contractors training, oversight and financial management, and auditing resources. We ensure installations are completed in a timely manner, that is cost-effective and correct – offering re-trainings where needed.
• Installation and Inspections – supporting agencies through every step of the process, including site inspections, work and change orders, install assignments, and post-installation certifications.
• RebateIQ™ – IEM’s proprietary, fully customizable, end-to-end federal funds management and contractor management software solution makes tracking funds and progress easy.
• Stakeholder Engagement, Outreach, and Education – leveraging relationships and marketing tactics to drive program awareness, trust, and participation as well as informing communities regarding the benefits of solar energy.

IEM believes in investing in communities to build stronger, more resilient households.

We are your partner for planning, design, and implementation of solar programs. IEM will ensure your program exceeds all federal objectives while delivering tangible results for your communities. Together, we can harness the power of the sun to build a brighter, more sustainable future for all.

Contact our team today to learn more about how we support your energy projects.