Rhode Island Affordable Solar Access Pathways Program

The ASAP Program is administered by the Renewable Energy Fund and Office of Energy Resources in order to increase the deployment of rooftop solar in environmental justice focus areas.

The Program offers a solar lease for a rooftop solar system, a home energy audit, and energy efficiency upgrades for all participants.

In order to be eligible, residents must 1) live in an “environmental justice focus area” or census tract that is eligible for the federal Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit program, 2) have a household income at or below 80% of the state median income, and 3) live in a 1-4 unit home. This includes residents who are either on the standard residential utility rate schedule (A-16) or the discounted low-income utility rate schedule (A-60).

Rhode Island’s environmental justice focus areas can be found at: https://dem.ri.gov/environmental-protection-bureau/initiatives/environmental-justice 

This designation includes areas of Providence, East Providence, Woonsocket, Central Falls, Warren, West Warwick, Newport, and Middletown

The Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program, which utilizes the same list of census tracts as the New Markets Tax Credit, adds additional census tracts which can be found at:

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/12227d891a4d471497ac13f60fffd822/page/Page/ 

No - you do not need to remain at or below 80% SMI or recertify household income for the duration of the solar lease.

Expected savings will depend on a number of factors including solar system size, the home’s access to sunlight, energy efficiency upgrade opportunities, and the customer’s utility rate schedule (standard residential or discounted low-income rate). The potential utility bill savings could range between $500-$1,500 in the first year on average.

No - participants will have a lease payment for their solar and will also still receive utility bills from Rhode Island Energy for any portion of their energy usage not covered by net metering.

With the initial $1 million in funding, the Program is expected to serve between 200-300 homes.

OER & RI Commerce issued an RFP in late 2022 to select an installer or installers to participate in the program. PosiGen responded to that RFP and was subsequently selected.

The ASAP Program will work in conjunction with net metering. Participants will not be able to also utilize the Renewable Energy Growth Program or an additional Renewable Energy Fund Grant.

Customers can cancel by submitting a signed “Notice of Cancellation” form that is provided with each lease agreement. This can be done before the later of 3 business days or until work has started on the installation.

If a participant is planning to sell their home, the most important thing is to contact PosiGen early on in the process. We provide 4 options:

1. The homebuyer assumes the lease. With the expected savings and value, this is the most commonly used option.

2. You may prepay the agreement. PosiGen would remain the system owner and be responsible for our obligations under the lease but no further payments would be necessary from the new homeowner.

3. You may purchase the system, if the home sale occurs at least 6 years after the system is activated. This would then be transferred to the homebuyer but PosiGen would not longer be responsible for monitoring or repairs.

4.The system may be removed for a fee to cover the cost of removing and redeploying the system.

PosiGen is a public benefit and certified B corporation that was founded in 2011 in New Orleans. They now have over 18,000 customers across a seven states, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut and are the national leader on low-and-moderate income rooftop solar.

Yes, PosiGen has partnered with the Connecticut Green Bank for their Solar For All program and is also currently partnering with the Philadelphia Energy Authority and city of New Orleans for their LMI solar programs.

PosiGen serves everyone! We’d be happy to provide you with a no cost, no obligation solar assessment regardless of your ASAP eligibility.