Last year, Columbus, Ga., resident Christine DiFeliciantonio, 67, already began suspecting a new administration could end solar energy incentives. “It was cause for me to act more urgently,” she said.
In March, DiFeliciantonio entered privately funded Georgia BRIGHT’s pilot program that provided solar panels for about 100 statewide residents with no upfront costs. Since May, the 27 panels on her roof have saved about a third of her energy bill. “Whatever stripes you wear,” she said. “We all have a power bill.”
Yesterday, Georgia BRIGHT is handing out its first round of solar panels to 400 households across the state, as one of 60 organizations expanding residential solar under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s $7 billion Solar for All Program. Despite the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s withdrawal of renewable energy incentives, the program intends to continue serving low-income homeowners and renters, people most at-risk of power outages having significant, and even fatal, consequences.
“For low-income families, losing a refrigerator full of groceries can be a really serious financial hit,” said Georgia BRIGHT Founder Alicia Brown. “Or for families that have medical equipment... having that backup power can be a matter of life and death.”
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Despite Georgia’s prime position in the country’s sunbelt, it hasn’t been easy for solar programs to find economic footholds here.
“There's no state incentives,” said Georgia BRIGHT Founder Alicia Brown. "Some states have sales tax exemptions or renewable energy credits... Georgia has none of that.”
But interest in solar has been increasing—especially from Governor Brian Kemp himself, who has touted million-dollar solar projects and investments across the state. In 2024, solar energy accounted for half of Georgia's total in-state renewable electricity generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
For Brown, the reason seems to boil down to dollars and cents.
“Interest has definitely gone up for solar overall, because rates have been going up,” said Brown. And after going without Wi-Fi, refrigerators, and communication after Hurricanes Debby and Helene, “several people come in asking for larger and larger batteries.”
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused Brown's own family home in Mississippi to lose power for 17 days. “Even as a 7-year-old, it is still burned in my brain,” she recalled.
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For those who need it most
The EPA’s Solar for All program requires that solar panel recipients belong to low-income households—and for good reason, said Brown. It’s even harder for low-income residents to cover the extra costs that come with solar installation like roof replacements, tree trimming or electrical work that Georgia BRIGHT was previously unable to cover through its limited private funding.
But the $156 million federal grant “presented an opportunity to overcome all of those remaining barriers,” Brown said.
The No-Cost Solar for All program presents no upfront, monthly, or maintenance costs for solar panel installation, which would normally cost about $20,000, depending on the size of the system, said Brown. This program will provide about 400 low-income homeowners and renters on August 4, and another round in the spring of 2026. “We’re going to draw an equal amount [of residents] from each congressional district.”
Under this program, residents are guaranteed 50% cost reduction in their energy bills.
“We pay you if you don't see those savings,” stated Brown, who expects residents to see a 50 to 70% reduction on their electricity bills.
The second program, the Residential Solar Savings Program, is expected to launch later this summer and won't include an upfront cost but will incur a monthly payment. Residents are guaranteed a 20% cost reduction in their energy bill, a stipulation of the EPA’s grant. “It may not sound like a lot, but to some families, that really is the difference between making those tough choices,” said Brown.
Plus, the program will also supply residents with their own batteries upon request.
The battery “gives us some protection from not only storms but also rate increases,” said DiFeliciantonio. Not only is she thinking about current savings, but also the future value for her home that she plans on passing onto her son. Solar might be a way to “increase its value.”
Georgia BRIGHT’s third and fourth programs will plan to work with solar-izing communities, businesses, churches, apartments, and utilities, if they agree to share financial benefits generated with eligible community members for five years.
The Trump-sized elephant in the room
As for whether the program will be pulled by the solar power-unfriendly administration, “There’s always a possibility... but our funds are obligated,” Brown said.
Georgia BRIGHT receives a 48E tax credit, or the Clean Electricity Investment Credit introduced by the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. But under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, tax credit for entities using foreign suppliers will be ineffective after 2027.
“What it means is you can't buy solar panels from a Chinese company,” said Brown. While Georgia BRIGHT buys U.S. manufactured solar panels, “there's going to be components in the supply chain that come from China still, because you can't open a mine overnight.”
But like DiFeliciantonio, Brown has also foreseen the current administration’s actions.
"We bought some equipment in bulk before all of this happened, just kind of expecting that things were trending in a more expensive direction,” said Brown. “So we're in a pretty good spot.”
Despite the end of tax cuts, Georgia BRIGHT is still promising savings, “no matter what.”
Those interested in receiving updates on Solar For All in Georgia can sign up via the interest form.
Jillian Magtoto covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. You can reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Statewide No-Cost Solar Program Persists Despite Federal Termination of Tax Cuts
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