Multifamily Solar in South Carolina

Disclaimer**

The information in this document serves as an information reference of the members of the SC Sierra Club’s experience with implementing solar in Fairfield County. It can be applied to other counties and areas but all rules may not apply and all information may not be known or listed in this document.

1. Find a Commercial Solar Installer

Installing solar on multifamily housing requires a commercial solar installer- residential solar companies are not eligible to work with multifamily housing as this would require setup of more than one meter. Commercial solar installers will work with businesses, offices, and multifamily residential areas. They have the expertise you need to move forward. Therefore, the first step would be to find a commercial solar installer.

The following commercial solar installers are licensed for work in South Carolina:

Firefly Solar
- https://firefly.solar/
Renu Solutions
- https://renuenergysolutions.com/
Eagle Solar and Light
- https://www.eaglesolarandlight.com/

(a) Community Solar Programs

If there is an option, you can participate in a community solar program. Community solar benefits customers in multifamily housing by connecting to an offsite array through a subscription with their usual utility bill monthly. There is no need to have an array on your property, it simply connects and deducts what you pay on your utility bill each month. For an owner, it is much more accessible and convenient as there are no physical panels.

The follow are a few examples of community solar subscription options (Dominion and Fairfield Co-Op) at the following websites:

Dominion

https://www.dominionenergy.com/south-carolina/save-energy/solar-for-your-home

Fairfield Co-Op

https://fairfield.coop/community-solar

(c) Billing

Generally, there will be a minimum charge associated with your bill for the solar access. Net metering is used in the Carolinas to allow customers to generate the power they are using monthly and if more power is generated, it can be sold back to the utility to turn into a credit.

2. Get Funding

Grant funding, tax credits, and rebates can be used as several forms of financing in this process. Many sources of funding have been made available through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA). The Justice 40 Initiative also brings us new opportunities for environmental justice through energy efficiency and solar. Any combination of these resources can be used, as well.

SC Eligible Financial Incentives

Please refer to this site for more information on incentives to be posted soon!

(a) Grants

Grants for your project can be done through a business, non-profit, individual, or federal Tribe. If it is considered government funding, most of the grants available will be posted on Grants.gov. Most government funding in grants can be done in 3 steps as follows:

Register for a Unique Entity Identification (UEID) with Sam.gov and register for an account on Grants.gov
1. https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration
2. https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html
Read thoroughly and verify eligibility in the Request for Application Document.
Apply using the workspace provided.

Grants for Solar