For millions of Americans, solar power is seen as a privilege of the rich. And that’s cause for concern—and action.
Solar power’s inaccessibility is troubling for two reasons.
First, this means that low-income households cannot readily choose to adopt alternative energy—even though the dangers of climate change more disproportionately affect low-income families.
And secondly, this means that that these households cannot make the large installment investment that would lead to years of substantially lower electricity bills.
With these concerns in mind, some environmental and solar power activists have called for policies to make solar power more accessible to all people—and California is taking the lead on making those policies into programs.
SFGate reported in May that a new program in California, run by nonprofit Grid Alternatives, aims to close the solar power income gap for good—by offering solar panel installation for free to low-income homeowners across the state.
“The effort will install home solar arrays in disadvantaged neighborhoods, using $14.7 million raised through California’s cap-and-trade system for reining in greenhouse gas emissions,” SFGate reported. “That system forces factories, power plants, oil refineries and other large businesses to buy credits for every ton of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases they pump into the atmosphere.”
In order to qualify for the panels, applicants must own their homes, live in a neighborhood designated as “disadvantaged” by the state, and must make no more than 80 percent of their neighborhood’s median household income.
This program will reach a subsection of the population for whom solar has long been out of reach. In the past 10 years, solar’s dropped significantly in price—but that’s only made the initial leap to solar more affordable for some. Installment costs for rooftop solar can surpass $15,000, a price that exceeds the annual incomes of nearly one-third of Americans. Even subsidies do not eliminate solar installation’s prohibitively high upfront costs.
That’s why Grid Alternatives’ work is so critical—they’re helping solar power gain traction where it’s most needed.
Grid Alternatives says they will install rooftop solar for over 1,600 families by the end of 2016. The installations could reportedly save homeowners up to $1,000 per year.
While the initiative is far from perfect—these types of policies are small in reach, and the initiative’s current framework is patchy at best—it is certainly heartening.
But what’s next? As consumers—and voters—we can pressure our elected representatives to draft and fund initiatives like California’s. We must make sure that innovations like solar energy are accessible to all, instead of being a privilege of the affluent. The solar industry has showed serious signs of expansion, but we need to ensure that households of all income levels can reap the benefits.
Canton Winer is a recent graduate of Fordham University and is currently based out of West Palm Beach, Florida. He has worked as a Collegiate Correspondent for USA TODAY and is the former Managing Editor of The Fordham Ram. Check out his digital portfolio, or follow him on Twitter: @CantonWiner.