Solar for All

The Inflation Reduction Act authorized the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund through three grant competitions: the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund, the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, and the $7 billion Solar for All Competition. The Solar for All Competition intended to increase access to affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy for low-income households. Programs selected for funding under the Solar for All Competition were to provide financing and technical assistance to enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from residential solar and energy storage and/or residential-serving community solar and energy storage.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently notified the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) that EPA terminated the assistance agreement awarded to TDEC under the Solar for All Program. TDEC will not be administering an EPA-funded Tennessee Solar for All Program. 

Consumer Protection Notice:

Solar for All funding is not available. Residents should be aware of the potential for scams claiming to provide equipment (such as solar panels or battery storage) or services (such as home repairs or upgrades) under the Solar for All Program. Offers of “free solar” to households (whether received via phone, email, text, advertisement, or door-to-door marketing) are not affiliated with the Tennessee Solar for All Program. Review the U.S. Department of Treasury Consumer Advisory for additional information on solar energy scams. Additional resources from the U.S. Department of Treasury, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Federal Trade Commission on recognizing and avoiding solar scams are available here. 

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Office of Energy Programs (TDEC OEP) worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority, local power companies, local governments, nonprofits, and other organizations to prepare the State's application for the EPA's Solar for All Competition. The State applied for $250,000,000 -- the maximum amount Tennessee was eligible to apply for. This funding cap was informed by the total population within Tennessee census tracts identified as “low-income and disadvantaged communities” by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), a formerly publicly available mapping tool developed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. View the application summary (archive) for additional information. 

EPA announced awards on April 22, 2024, including a total award of $156,120,000 to TDEC. Of the funding, $400,000 was designated as in-kind services provided by the EPA in partnership with the U.S. DOE under the forthcoming National Solar for All Technical Assistance Program.

Tennessee’s Solar for All Program was designed to accelerate the deployment of solar infrastructure to benefit low-income households and disadvantaged communities while supporting Tennessee’s varied urban, suburban, and rural communities. The Solar for All Program offered a period of performance of up to five years, which could include a planning period not to exceed one year. TDEC OEP utilized the one-year planning period, which began after EPA approval of Amendment #1 documents (submitted November 14, 2024), to develop Program guidelines and shape technical assistance and workforce development offerings until the termination of the award on August 7, 2025.

Additional information regarding the Solar for All Competition is available on the Solar for All website and the FAQs page. View the TDEC OEP Solar for All funding opportunity information webinar presentation slides (archive) and application summary (archive) for additional information.