This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WABE and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
Update 7:55 p.m. August 5, 2025: Since the initial publication of this story, it’s been reported that EPA is terminating Solar for All grants. According to Georgia BRIGHT, as of August 5 the organization’s grant remains legally obligated and the no-cost solar program remains open.
Hundreds of Georgia households can get free rooftop solar energy through a program that launched Monday.
Georgia BRIGHT will offer rooftop solar arrays at no cost to Georgia households earning 80 percent of their area’s median income. Qualifying households can register now, and a drawing will be held next month to randomly select about 400 recipients.
“It is a fully prepaid solar lease, so there’s no upfront cost, no monthly cost, no maintenance cost,” said program director Alicia Brown. “It’s as truly no cost as a program can get.”
The program will also cover the cost of some upgrades that may be needed to make a house ready for solar, like trimming tree branches or shoring up the roof.
How to apply
Recipients will be chosen through two drawings: the first is open August 4th through September 7th, 2025, and the second will take place in spring 2026. To be eligible to enter the drawing, you must:
- Earn at or below 80% of the area median income for your county, adjusted for your household size (learn more via HUD.gov)
- Own your home
- Be current or near current on your mortgage payments and property taxes and not be at risk of foreclosure
- Have a rooftop or large yard space (300-500 ft2) that receives ample sunlight
Apply here.
Brown explained that the lease is prepaid for 10 years, during which the system will be owned, operated and maintained by Capital Good Fund, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that created the Georgia BRIGHT program. After 10 years, ownership transfers to the homeowner, Brown told The Current.
Georgia BRIGHT’s programs use a $156 million “Solar for All” grant and federal tax credits, both from the Biden administration’s signature climate legislation called the Inflation Reduction Act, to install rooftop solar for low- and middle-income households. The organization aims to cut down on climate-warming energy sources, while also helping people address rising power bills.
Don’t qualify for fee-free? Other programs are coming
Later this summer, Georgia BRIGHT will launch a second residential initiative, the Residential Solar Savings Plan. Qualifying households will receive custom solar installations at no upfront cost, with low monthly payments that guarantee day-one savings of at least 20%, net of monthly payments. Like the No-Cost Solar Plan, the residential lease includes all maintenance as well as the option for battery storage to ensure resilience against severe weather.
Next, Community Benefit Solar will provide a pathway for commercial properties like businesses, houses of worship, and apartment buildings to go solar, if they agree to share the financial benefits (i.e. grocery gift cards, utility assistance, discounted daycare, rental assistance, and more) generated with eligible community members for five years. Lastly, Utility-Led Community Solar will provide grants to local utilities to offer shared solar programs to low-income households.
Source: Georgia BRIGHT
The recent behemoth budget reconciliation bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law by President Trump claws back much of the funding for renewables and sunsets the tax credits in that Biden-era climate bill. Georgia BRIGHT’s grant money was already committed, so the program still has its funding, though Brown said the organization is working on ways to be “nimble” in case it’s unable to claim tax credits in the future.
The goal across most of Georgia BRIGHT’s programs is to save those Georgians at least 20 percent on their energy costs.
But 20 percent just isn’t enough to be “transformative” for many families, Brown said.
“It wouldn’t be enough to really improve their financial situation in a life-changing way,” she said. “That’s something that only no cost solar could do.”
Because the households receiving no-cost solar won’t have to make lease payments for their systems, they’re expected to save around 50-70 percent on their energy bills.
There will be a second drawing in spring 2026. In total, Georgia BRIGHT estimates about 800-900 households will receive no-cost solar.
The Current‘s Mary Landers contributed to this article.