Outreach, Consumer Education, and Community Partnerships: How DC’s Solar for All Program is Bringing Solar to Low-Income Households

Washington, DC’s Solar for All program is a rooftop and community solar program aiming to benefit over 100,000 households with incomes at or below 80% of area median income. A new case study by the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) profiles the program and the ways its administrators have handled outreach and consumer education over the program’s seven-year history. The study especially emphasizes the valuable role that trusted community-based organizations and community institutions can play in their communities.

The case study, Implementing Washington, DC’s Solar for All Program: An Example of Equitable Solar Outreach and Consumer Education, covers topics such as addressing distrust or skepticism from potential subscribers and makes recommendations based on the case study’s findings. The lessons learned and recommendations from this case study could be applicable to other states or communities developing and administering low- and-moderate-income solar programs. These recommendations include engaging community leaders and organizations early and often, developing effective educational materials, having dedicated contacts to address consumer questions and concerns, and having a dedicated entity responsible for managing subscriptions.

This webinar featured presentations by Daniel White from the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), Rashad Williams from Groundswell, and Pamela Nelson from the DC Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC). DOEE manages and administers the Solar for All program, as well as having primary responsibility for outreach, education, and recruiting subscribers into the program. Groundswell was the subscription manager for the program. OPC had an important role in the program, including helping with outreach, education, receiving customer complaints, and more.

This case study and webinar were developed as part of CESA’s Solar with Justice: Connecting States and Communities project. The Solar with Justice project aims to bring together state energy agencies (SEAs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) developing solar for environmental justice communities to create opportunities for dialogue and collaboration. This case study is one of six case studies published by CESA under the Solar with Justice project, highlighting models of collaboration between CBOs and SEAs on solar for environmental justice communities.

This case study is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Solar Energy Technologies Office Award Number DE-EE0009360.