The Vermont Department of Public Service (PSD) and VEIC announced today the formal kickoff of the state’s Solar for All program planning year. The program aims to launch in late 2025 with the goal of reducing electricity costs by 20% for many low-income and disadvantaged Vermonters through solar projects. This initiative is another step toward making clean, renewable energy more accessible and affordable in the Green Mountain State. 

Vermont’s Solar for All program is part of a nationwide effort, funded by a $62.45 million Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to deliver the long-lasting economic benefits of residential solar to more local communities. The PSD and Vermont’s State Energy Office will administer the grant funding and oversee the program.

Senator Bernie Sanders championed the legislation and joined the White House to announce the clean energy achievement in April 2024. The program will offer incentives that reduce the cost of installing rooftop solar systems on individual homes and affordable apartment buildings; it will also help develop large community arrays that allow renters and other residents to participate.

Vermont’s Solar for All program will consist of three pathways for people to participate, including: 

• The Residential Assistance in Solar Energy (RAISE) program to support the installation of rooftop solar for eligible single-family homes.
• The Managed Affordable Solar Housing (MASH) program to help affordable housing providers install solar on their buildings and provide residents opportunities to participate in community solar projects.
• The Affordable Community Renewable Energy (ACRE) program to create megawatt-scale community solar installations to support low-income Vermonters with a focus on renters and people who are unable to participate in the other two programs. 

“We’re excited to get this program started and can’t wait for Vermonters to see the impact,” said Vermont’s State Energy Office Director, Melissa Bailey. “Having a local and nationally recognized industry leader like VEIC on our planning team is an asset to our program.”

VEIC, the clean energy nonprofit known locally for administering Efficiency Vermont, brings its experience operating the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU), which is a key implementer of the District’s award-winning Solar for All program. The DC solar program earned one of just five Grand Prize Sunny Awards in 2023 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) for equitable community solar development, recognizing its success in increasing access to the benefits of solar for all communities. Since 2019, the DCSEU has partnered with the District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) on DC’s Solar for All program, providing access to solar at no cost to more than 11,000 low-to-moderate income families in the District that will deliver more than $80 million in lifetime electricity bill savings. The company will support the PSD’s community outreach and engagement, program planning and design, and help the state meet the EPA's data collection and reporting requirements. 

“We’re proud to see Vermont’s clean energy champions coming together to address energy affordability, create good-paying jobs, and reduce pollution all at once,” said VEIC Managing Director, Nikki Kuhn. “We look forward to working with the PSD to create solutions that have immediate and tangible impacts for the communities we serve.”  

A portion of the new initiative will also go toward creating a Solar Workforce Development Grant aimed at developing local, high-quality clean energy jobs throughout the state. 

“This early planning and collaboration will help us maximize the full economic impacts of growing solar opportunities in the state,” added Andrew Perchlik, the state’s Solar for All Program Manager. “It’s important we build trust in our communities now so we’re ready to hit the ground running when applications launch.” 

For more details on Vermont’s Solar for All program and to receive the latest updates on program development, please visit publicservice.vermont.gov/renewables/solar-all-vermont.