Idaho Needs Community Solar!
Not everyone owns a home or can afford to put solar panels on their roof. Yet so many people struggle to pay their rising power bills and deserve to access the economic and environmental benefits of solar power.
Community solar is an innovative program that lets community members of all income levels share the benefits–and split the costs–of one big solar array in their neighborhood. Local residents can “subscribe” to the array and receive credits on their power bill for the energy that the solar panels produce.
Unfortunately, unlike many other states and utilities around the country, there are currently no community solar programs for customers of Idaho’s corporate utilities.
Help Advocate for Community Solar in Idaho!
It’s time to tell local officials, utilities, and regulators that we want to see equitable, democratic community solar in our neighborhoods.
Boise
The City of Boise set a goal in 2019 to work with Idaho Power to develop a local community solar program by the year 2025. However, there are still no tangible plans for a community solar project. Idaho Power announced it was developing a utility-owned solar subscription program in 2023, but hasn’t moved forward, and we worry that the program would have limited options for low-income folks, be focused on company profits, and have the solar array located far away. We need the City of Boise to reclaim this exciting opportunity and meet its goal in a way that prioritizes community needs!
Idaho Sierra Club staff and youth leaders have been talking to City of Boise staff and elected officials about ways to meet their community solar goal for nearly two years now. We have identified a potential location for a community solar project that would benefit low-income residents at a City-owned apartment complex, serving as a demonstration project to grow similar programs to serve even more residents across the city.
TAKE ACTION: Add your name here to show the City that Boiseans want to see a community solar pilot project for low-income residents included in this year’s City Budget.
Moscow
The City of Moscow set a goal in 2022 to develop a local community solar project. City staff envision putting a community solar array on the City’s new maintenance building and creating a program for local residents to subscribe and get credits on their power bills, including accessible options for low-income residents.
The City has already identified funding sources and feels confident that Avista will cooperate to help make this happen. Now we just need to encourage the City to lift this up as one of its top priorities this year and get it done.
TAKE ACTION: Send a quick message to the Moscow Mayor and City Council to let them know that you support this community solar project and want to see it happen this year!
Learn More About Community Solar
View our short rack card or trifold brochure (en español) with this information & more.
What Are The Benefits Of Community Solar?
- Reduce energy bills
- Create local jobs
- More democratic control
- Build community wealth
- Increase power reliability
- Improve public health
Where Can Community Solar Projects Be Located?
The possibilities are endless! A few examples include:
- Community buildings
- Parking lots
- Brownfields
Who Owns The Solar Array?
- Cooperatives
- Nonprofits
- Local & Tribal Governments
- NOT investor-owned corporate utilities!
How Does It Work?
The community comes together to put solar panels on a neighborhood building. The energy from the panels is sold to the utility and is sent through the entire local community using the existing power grid. Local residents can subscribe to the solar panel system for low or no cost and receive credits on their power bill for the energy the panels produce!
What Are Some Examples?
| City of Denver Community Solar Program, 2025. "This solar carport at Abraham Lincoln High School generates 235 kW of clean, pollution-free energy, supports 3 charging station ports for electric vehicles, and provides about 40 solar subscriptions to income-qualified families in our community, saving each family an estimated $700 per year on their energy bill." - Denver Public Schools | 
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| Oregon Shakespeare Fest Community Solar, 2022. “This is the first [low-income] ‘Carve-Out’ project in the state, the first certified project in Pacific Power territory and the first ‘Participant-Owned’ project” in Oregon." - Solarize Rogue | 
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| Heart Butte Community Solar, 2021. The Heart Butte School is subscribed to the project, receiving 25% of the generated output. The remaining 75% has been distributed via rotating, no-cost subscriptions to 20 low-income Blackfeet households. - Bonneville Environmental Foundation | 
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What’s Standing In The Way?
Community solar requires utility cooperation to access the grid and adjust customer bills. However, many corporate utilities don’t have community solar programs, and are often resistant to locally-owned solar because they prefer to own all energy resources to maximize their profits.
Also, these projects cost a lot of money upfront, and cities, nonprofits, Tribes, and small businesses don't often have these funds immediately available, making it hard to get them off the ground.
We're tackling these issues head-on by exploring innovative work-arounds, advocating for policy changes, and bringing communities together to secure the funds needed for these important projects.
If you live in Boise: Add your name here to show the City that Boiseans want to see a community solar pilot project for low-income residents included in this year’s City Budget.
If you live in Moscow: Send a quick message to the Moscow Mayor and City Council to let them know that you support this community solar project and want to see it happen this year!
Additional Resources
- Just Solutions Collective - Community Solar: A Critical Tool for Energy Justice
- Our Sun Our Power
- Coalition for Community Solar Access
- Our Aug 2025 webinar: Idaho Needs Community Solar