Solar in Disadvantaged Communities

Overview

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has four programs designed to increase adoption of renewable generation in disadvantaged communities (DAC) pursuant to the requirements of Assembly Bill (AB) 327 (Perea, 2013). The Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program, adopted in Decision (D.) 17-12-022, counts toward the CPUC’s obligations under AB 327. This program provides an avenue for customers residing in multifamily affordable housing to access solar electric generation, with a special provision to increase solar installation in DACs. Also, the CPUC created three programs to increase access to solar for residents of disadvantaged communities located within PG&E's, SCE's, or SDG&E's service territories in D.18-06-027:

  • Disadvantaged Communities - Single-family Solar Homes (DAC-SASH): This program enables income-qualified homeowners in DACs to receive no-cost rooftop solar installations.
  • Disadvantaged Communities - Green-Tariff (DAC-GT): This program enables income-qualified, residential customers in DACs who may be unable to install solar on their roof to benefit from utility-scale clean energy and receive a 20% bill discount.  
  • Community Solar Green Tariff (CSGT): This program enables residential customers in DACs who may be unable to install solar on their roof to benefit from a local solar project and receive a 20% bill discount. The communities work with a local non-profit or government “sponsor” to organize community interest and present siting locations to the utility or CCA.  Clean Power Alliance continues to administer the program. 

Defining Eligible Communities

To define disadvantaged communities which communities are eligible for these solar programs, the CPUC relied on CalEnviroScreen, which identifies California communities by census tract that are disproportionately burdened by and vulnerable to multiple sources of pollution. For these programs, the CPUC defines a "disadvantaged community" as a community that appears among the top 25 percent of census tracts identified by CalEnviroScreen statewide, as well as 22 census tracts in the highest 5 percent of CalEnviroScreen's Pollution Burden, but that do not have an overall CalEnviroScreen score because of unreliable socioeconomic or health data.  The CPUC later expanded the three programs to California Indian County.

DAC-SASH Program

The Disadvantaged Communities – Single-family Solar Homes (DAC-SASH) program, modeled after the Single-family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) Program, provides financial incentives for the installation of rooftop solar generating systems. The incentives assist income-qualified DAC customers in overcoming barriers to the installation of onsite solar energy, such as lack of capital or credit needed to finance a solar installation.  Please visit GRID Alternatives’ website to apply for a no-cost solar system.

The DAC-SASH program also incorporates job training objectives to promote green-collar jobs in low-income communities and to develop a trained workforce that will foster a sustainable solar industry in California.

Through a competitive solicitation, GRID Alternatives was selected to serve as the statewide program administrator for the DAC-SASH program. The CPUC approved the DAC-SASH Program Handbook and Program Implementation Plan in Resolution E-5020 on September 12, 2019, signaling the official launch of the DAC-SASH program.

Eligible customers:

Income-qualified, single-family homeowners in DACs(must be eligible forCARE or FERA) or in San Joaquin Valley (SJV) pilot communities identified inR.15-03-010.

Customers receive:

$3/watt incentives to install an onsite solar system and energy efficiency training

Project location:

InDACson a qualified customer's property

Project size:

1 kilowatt (kW) or higher

Program budget:

$120 million total

($10 million per year 2019 - 2030)

 

Program Documents

Evaluations

Regulatory Documents

  • D.18-06-027: Decision creating the DAC-SASH, DAC-GT, and CSGT programs. 
  • D.18-10-007: Decision correcting and clarifying Decision 18-06-027.
  • D.20-12-003: Decision regarding PFM of D.18-06-027, providing direction regarding marketing and outreach of DAC-SASH, and expanding DAC-SASH eligibility to California Indian Country.
  • Resolution E-5020: Approves GRID Alternative's DAC-SASH Program Handbook and Program Implementation Plan.

AB 2143 DER Installations Report

Assembly Bill (AB) 2143 (Carillo), approved in 2022, added section 913.13 to the Public Utilities Code (PUC) and directed the CPUC to submit annually to the legislature a report on the progress made to grow distributed energy resources (DER) among residential customers in low-income households and disadvantaged communities. AB 2143 also required the CPUC to submit an aggregated list, by census tract and ZIP Code, of all DER facilities that began to receive service to a NEM contract the preceding year. Below are the submitted report and data sets.

Contact Us

You are welcome to contact the CPUC if you have any questions about information on this webpage.  For press inquiries, please contact the CPUC News and Outreach Office.

Solar in Disadvantaged Communities

RELATED PROGRAMS

CARE and FERA Energy Bill Discounts

Energy Savings Assistance Program Free Efficiency Services

SwitchIsOn.org Heat Pump Water Heaters and HVAC System Rebates

Self-Generation Incentive (SGIP) Program Energy Storage Incentives

Solar On Multifamily Affordable Homes (SOMAH) Program Solar Incentives

Disadvantaged Communities

Building Decarbonization

Solar in Disadvantaged Communities

RELATED PROGRAMS

CARE and FERA Energy BIll Discounts

Energy Savings Assistance Program Free Efficiency Services

SwitchIsOn.org Heat Pump Water Heaters and HVAC System Rebates

Self-Generation Incentive (SGIP) Program Energy Storage Incentives

Solar On Multifamily Affordable Homes (SOMAH) Program Solar Incentives

Disadvantaged Communities

Building Decarbonization