What is the current status of this program?
On August 7, 2025, the EPA announced it would terminate the Solar for All program. The NC Department of Environmental Quality and co-grantees in NC have received and are reviewing a letter from EPA on this matter. In the meantime, the program is paused. The SC Office of Resilience is proceeding with closing out the Solar for All Grant and is ceasing all grant-related activities based on the August 7 memorandum of termination received from EPA.
This sudden reversal from EPA stalls projects that are already underway and undermines months of planning, collaboration, and public investment in projects that deliver affordable clean energy and create the jobs needed to revitalize our country.
Solar for All grant recipients and other parties are taking the matter to court:
- On October 6, 2025, Southern Environmental Law Center, Lawyers for Good Government, and others filed a federal lawsuit against EPA on behalf of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, solar businesses, nonprofits, and an individual homeowner in Georgia.
- On October 13, Harris County, Texas filed a lawsuit against the EPA.
- On October 16, NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined over 20 other states in suing the EPA.
Some news coverage:
NC Sues Trump EPA over canceled solar grants for 12,000 families
Harris County sues EPA after Trump administration claws back $250 million solar grant
New lawsuit seeks to reinstate $7 billion Solar for All program
Groups Sue E.P.A. Over Canceled $7 Billion for Solar Energy
Trump administration says it’s axing $7B program for low-income solar
Trump looks to kill ‘Solar for All’ just as it starts to deliver
N.C.’s Democratic Congressional Delegation Condemns EPA Cancellation of Solar for All
Three Years Out: Gutting the Inflation Reduction Act
Georgia launches free rooftop solar and EPA now wants to steal its grant money
What does this funding get me?
Solar for All is one of three programs that make up the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). See this separate page for the two other programs, which are intended to provide new and improved financing for clean energy projects.
On April 22, 2024, EPA awarded $7 billion to 60 Solar for All applicants across the nation, including the NC Solar for All coalition and the South Carolina Office of Resilience. The purpose of the funding is to expand access to solar energy for households in low-income and disadvantaged communities. Funds will also be available for batteries and for upgrades needed to make homes solar-ready. See descriptions of all 60 awardees here.
North Carolina’s Solar for All Program is called EnergizeNC; you can read more about the program here.
Am I eligible?
Households in low-income and disadvantaged communities will be eligible. Solar for All will likely prioritize homes that have been weatherized, so you might consider taking advantage of the Weatherization Assistance Program if you haven’t already.
How can I access the money?
North Carolina: The NC Solar for All coalition (NC Department of Environmental Quality, Clean Energy Fund for the Carolinas, NC Advanced Energy Corporation, and NC Clean Energy Technology Center) was awarded a little over $156 million to fund its EnergizeNC program. The program design process was paused in August 2025 pending review of a letter of termination from the US EPA. Assuming the program resumes, it will help low-income NC households affordably install solar and/or battery storage. Funds will be available for single-family homes, multifamily buildings, and community solar. The program will strengthen solar job training and the solar job market. Sign up here to receive updates and be alerted about opportunities for community involvement in the program design process. Applications closed on April 4 for the Energize NC Advisory Board. Learn more here.
South Carolina: The South Carolina Office of Resilience (SCOR) was awarded $124.4 million to launch the South Carolina Solar for All Program. Read more in the SC Sierra Club’s news release. In December 2024, SCOR began its one-year Planning Period to refine the program and prepare for project implementation, which was expected to begin in early 2026. Elements of the proposed program were to include the Community Solar Initiative, a residential-serving community solar program for income-qualified residents (homeowners and renters); partnering with utilities to expand or enhance existing utility-run programs; working with energy efficiency and weatherization programs to coordinate activities; building on existing solar workforce training programs; and establishing a Solar Innovation Fund to expand solar opportunities, potentially including resilience hubs, solar, and storage installation at affordable housing facilities. However, in an email to stakeholders on August 26, the SC Office of Resilience announced that, in response to the August 7 memorandum of termination received from EPA, it is closing out its Solar for All Grant. SCOR’s comment form is still open if you have questions or comments.
Multistate: The Community Power Coalition (CPC)’s Solar for All program, “Powering America Together,” received $249.3 million to deliver meaningful benefits for Americans in low-income and disadvantaged communities through community solar projects. Led by Inclusive Prosperity Capital, Inc., the program will support the development of low-income community solar projects, reduce carbon emissions, generate energy cost savings, and promote quality jobs, community wealth-building, community energy resilience, and equitable workforce development. CPC’s program is intended to advance solar development in 46 states, including North and South Carolina. In a statement about the EPA’s August 7 termination of the program, CPC says: “We intend to fight this unlawful action and stand ready to return to work.”
What is the timeline?
Awards were announced April 22, 2024. Awardees began designing their Solar for All programs, which are now paused following the EPA’s announcement of termination on August 7, pending further review and possible legal action by recipients (see above).
What other incentives could I use to help me accomplish my goals?
- If you own a home in North Carolina, you can lease solar and batteries and potentially save money on your electric bill immediately.
- The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will make affordable loans available for solar, though it is currently paused while the program termination is contested in court.
- Check the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) for additional incentives that may be offered by your state, local government, or utility, as well as important federal, state, and local policies. For questions regarding DSIRE, contact Justin Lindemann (NC Clean Energy Technology Center) at jplindem@ncsu.edu.
- Check out our (non-exhaustive) list of non-federal funding from other sources that may fit your energy and cost-saving goals.
Where can I get more information?
- US Environmental Protection Agency
- NC Department of Environmental Quality
- Energize NC website
- SC Office of Resilience; SCOR statement on termination; contact Kirsten Lackstrom, Kirsten.Lackstrom@scor.sc.gov, 803-991-3304
- For specific questions on this program or for more assistance, contact Sally Robertson at info@energyfundsforall.org.