The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has adopted a $108 million program that delivers incentives to low-income, single-family homeowners under the California Solar Initiative program. The California Solar Initiative Single-Family Low-Income Incentive Program is the first statewide low-income solar program to be implemented at this scale.
The California Solar Initiative's goal is to drive the installation of 3,000 MW of high-performing new solar installations in the state over the next 10 years. The program will provide incentives that range from $4.75 to $7 per watt, as compared to the general-market California Solar Initiative program, which began with subsidies of $2.50 per watt. The incentives will subsidize roughly 50% to 75% of the photovoltaic system, and they are expected to be available to approximately 5,000 qualifying homeowners.
The program will also reach out to California's lowest-income households who cannot afford to take out loans to cover the cost of the system by providing fully-subsidized, 1 kW photovoltaic systems for qualifying homeowners with incomes up to 50% of the area median income. The program will provide these fully subsidized systems to approximately 1,800 qualifying households.
