Washington Clean Energy Fund: HopeSource Solar for Low-Income Families

Low-income families in Ellensburg, Washington are set to benefit from reduced utility bills thanks to a targeted solar grant awarded to HopeSource under the state's Clean Energy Fund. On February 25, 2021, the Washington State Department of Commerce announced that HopeSource would receive $170,130 to install a 101-kilowatt rooftop solar array on the Spurling Court affordable housing complex, with production benefits flowing directly to residents and to the property's community center.

How the Grant Helps Homeowners and Low-Income Residents

The HopeSource award is part of a broader $3.7 million round of grants distributed across nine solar projects throughout Washington. Commerce prioritized applicants whose projects could measurably lower the energy burden — the share of household income spent on utility bills — for low-income households or for nonprofits that serve them. For Spurling Court tenants, that translates into lower monthly energy costs and more predictable bills as the state's electricity rates continue to shift.

Because the solar production offsets energy use tied to the housing complex and its shared community center, the benefit reaches residents without requiring them to finance rooftop systems themselves — a meaningful distinction for renters and low-income homeowners who typically cannot access traditional solar tax credits or long-term financing.

About the Clean Energy Fund's Low-Income Solar Program

Washington's Clean Energy Fund was established in 2013 and has funded a growing pipeline of projects designed to widen access to renewable energy. The Low-Income Solar Deployment Program specifically targets the affordability gap in clean energy, requiring each funded project to demonstrate a direct reduction in energy burden for qualifying households or the nonprofits that house and support them.

Across all nine awards announced in the February 2021 round, Commerce projected roughly 2.8 megawatts of new solar capacity and an estimated $6.1 million in energy cost savings for low-income communities over 25 years. Other grantees included Coastal Community Action Program ($243,000 in Aberdeen), Opportunity Council ($179,324), Olympia Community Solar ($341,732), Lummi Nation ($593,898), OPALCO ($1 million on San Juan Island), Puget Sound Energy ($207,932), Snohomish County PUD ($861,814), and Yakima Valley Partners Habitat for Humanity ($112,600).

Why This Matters for Washington Homeowners

For Washington homeowners — particularly those in low- and moderate-income brackets — the Clean Energy Fund signals continued state-level investment in programs that make solar accessible beyond market-rate buyers. While the HopeSource grant itself benefits affordable housing residents, the broader program model (state dollars paired with nonprofit delivery) is the template Commerce uses for most of its equity-focused energy awards. Homeowners interested in similar assistance can monitor the Department of Commerce's Clean Energy Fund page for new solicitations and work with local community action agencies and utility partners that frequently apply on behalf of residents.

Bottom Line

HopeSource's $170,130 award from Washington's Clean Energy Fund underscores a simple idea: when public grants pay for rooftop solar on affordable housing, the energy savings flow to the people who need them most. For Ellensburg's Spurling Court community, that means a cleaner, cheaper source of power for years to come.