Beyond bill savings: opportunities and challenges for wealth building through solar faced by Solar Energy Innovation Network teams

Keywords: energy justice, equitable solar adoption, wealth building, critical review
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Recent scholarship has revealed significant disparities in distributed solar adoption across demographics in the United States (Sunter et al. 2019; Reames 2020). While significant focus has been placed on adoption disparities across incomes, wealth - a related but distinct concept - is largely overlooked. Round Three of the Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN) seeks to overcome barriers preventing equitable solar adoption. The program - funded by the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office and led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory - works with multi-stakeholder teams in under-served communities on residential and commercial scale solar projects. In dialogues with over 100 community stakeholders, tensions have surfaced surrounding not only the ability of solar to reduce energy bills in high-energy-burdened and low income communities, but also its opportunities to build community wealth. For example, while third-party owned solar systems currently receive the best financing and can most lower electricity bills for residents, they do not create pathways for long-term wealth building through asset ownership and create challenges for increased home values often realized by solar installations. This paper provides a critical review of wealth building through solar and offers insights into the technical, economic, and social challenges faced in translating the ideals of solar energy into real, long-term benefits for under-served communities.