Solar Accessibility and Information Distribution

by Bridget Galloway

My parents have owned their small business, CG Industrial Safety for as long as I can remember. Since 1995, they have provided fast, reliable service to major industrial spills, namely oil spills but also hazard chemical spills across New York State and beyond. Around four years ago, they chose to switch their growing operations from gas heating and power to solar; they renovated both their warehouses to be equipped with solar panels and worked with Con Edison to install a meter. They were excited about the switch — they felt that it aligned with the ethos of their business, keeping the environment safe and being a part of the solution rather than the problem. They were proud, and I was too. 

A few short months later, my parents puzzled and puzzled over their electric bill, which showed almost no credits for the energy their panels were producing. The program that they are a part of sells their energy back to Con Edison in exchange for credits, but there was no way for them to measure any of these metrics. How were they still being charged so much for their electric bills? There is a serious gap in the Average American’s knowledge of and access to the energy system in the United States, and the story of my parents is just one in a sea of case studies. 

In order to reach our decarbonization goals set in the Paris Agreement, it’s not only necessary but imperative that we expand access to solar energy. Low and middle income homes, which make up about 43% of all households, only represent 15% of solar adopters, according to Heeter et al. in their report, “Affordable and Accessible Solar for All: Barriers, Solutions, and On-Site Adoption Potential”. This disparity is not rooted in a lack of capacity or interest for solar - these homes make up 42% of rooftop potential, and, according to Heeter’s research, LMI families are interested in solar for the same reasons as high income families: “addressing energy issues, savings on bills, and the overall value of solar as a renewable energy”. 

Income is not the only explanatory variable in limited access to solar technology, though. As Jeremy Hsu notes in his article, “Solar Power’s Benefits Don’t Shine Equally on Everyone”, Black and Hispanic communities not only have significantly fewer homes equipped with solar, but also “bear the brunt of the costs of fossil-fuel use”. Looking forward to our decarbonization goals, it’s clear that we need to not only scale up our efforts in the transition to renewable energy, but simultaneously address the energy injustices that are currently at play. 

Groups like Ampion and Solar United Neighbors champion the idea of community solar to help tackle these energy injustices, which I think would be a promising next step. Community solar both reduces emissions from fossil fuels as well as expands access to solar energy, especially to communities that might traditionally not be able to access it because they live in multifamily homes, rentals, or cannot invest in rooftop panels for any other reason. 

To move a few steps closer to our energy goals for the future, we should invest in programs like this, as well as create a more informed public about how our energy systems work —  if not for the sake of the environment, then maybe just to help my mom decipher her Con Edison bills.

Heeter et al., Affordable and Accessible Solar for All: Barriers, Solutions, and On-Site Adoption Potential

Hsu, Solar Power’s Benefits Don’t Shine Equally on Everyone

 https://ampion.net/about/blog/how-community-solar-can-help-social-environmental-justice