FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU), in partnership with the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), announced the solar developers and contractors that will help deliver nearly 10 megawatts of solar to benefit income-qualified DC residents through the Solar for All program this year. This is the fourth year the DCSEU is coordinating the Solar for All program with DOEE. With $11.5 million in incentives, the largest since Solar for All began, the program is expected to provide solar on approximately 100 single-family homes, along with approximately 40 community renewable energy facilities (CREFs or “community solar”) that will provide enough solar capacity to serve 2,600 families through the program. From 2019 to 2021, the DCSEU worked with developers and contractors to install solar on more than 325 single-family homes and 166 community solar installations, which in total will serve up to 6,000 income-qualified families for 15 years.
The DCSEU has selected the following contractors to build solar PV systems on income-qualified single-family homes in the District this year:
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Greenscape Energy |
Revolution Solar |
Solar Solution |
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Uprise Solar |
WDC Solar |
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This year, the Solar for All program has also designated approximately $250,000 for roof repairs for single-family homes to address roof conditions that have prevented residents from participating in the program in the past.
The DCSEU has also selected the following developers this year to build community solar installations that will provide income-qualified DC families with access to Solar for All through credits on their monthly electricity bills:
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Flywheel Development |
New Columbia Solar |
SaveSolar |
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Urban Ingenuity |
WDC Solar |
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“The Solar for All program is creating opportunities for local businesses, jobs for DC residents, and, most importantly, access to solar and significant savings for income-qualified DC families,” said Ted Trabue, Director of the DCSEU. “We are proud to partner with these developers and contractors to install clean, solar energy here in the District that will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
The Solar for All program is unique in that it serves both moderate- and low-income District residents by providing access to solar at no cost to the residents themselves. Residents are eligible to participate in the program if their total household income is below 80% of the area median income (AMI) threshold. For example, a family of four would be eligible if their total household income is $103,200 or below. Participating households should expect to see a 50% savings on their electricity bill, roughly $500 per year, for the next 15 years.
“The DCSEU has been a critical partner in deploying solar to support Mayor Bowser’s goal of providing a fair shot for all District residents by lowering the electric bills of our most overburdened residents through our Solar for All program,” said DOEE Director Tommy Wells. “This historic announcement is the District’s largest single year solar investment, made possible by the Federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act local revenue replacement provision, which Mayor Bowser and the Council have invested towards this important program that improves the economic resiliency of our residents and helps the District meet its ambitious climate goals.”
District residents interested in taking advantage of the Solar for All program can participate in two ways. Residents that live in a single-family home (4 units or fewer) can apply to get solar installed directly on their roof at no cost by visiting www.dcseu.com/SolarforAll or calling 202-479-2222. Any resident who pays their own electric bill, including those who live in multifamily buildings, can apply for Solar for All Community Solar to receive credits to lower on their electricity bills by visiting doee.dc.gov/solarforall [doee.dc.gov] or calling 202-299-5271.
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About the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU)
The District of Columbia Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) helps DC residents and businesses use less energy and save money. Since 2011, as a contractor to the District Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE), the DCSEU has delivered financial incentives, technical assistance, and information to tens of thousands of District residents and businesses, helping them to save more than $1 billion in lifetime energy costs. Our work is building a brighter economic, environmental, and energy future for the District. For more information, visit www.dcseu.com.
About Solar for All
Solar for All, a program of the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and Environment currently operated by the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU), seeks to provide the benefits of solar electricity to 100,000 low-income households and reduce their energy bills by 50% by 2032. The program, which was established by the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Expansion Amendment Act of 2016, is funded by the Renewable Energy Development Fund (REDF). For more information about Solar for All visit: http://doee.dc.gov/solarforall.