Our Story

Solar for All was founded in 2012 to provide low-income families free solar energy to reduce their utility bills and carbon footprints. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Solar for All funds the installation of photovoltaic solar electric systems on low-income housing projects developed by local public and private entities.

Solar for All Founder and Executive Director Greg Harr says the organization's goal is threefold: 1.) tackling the poverty cycle by helping qualifying low-income individuals and families reduce their utility bills; 2.) providing low-income residents the ability to reduce their overall carbon footprints and impact on the environment; and 3.) helping drive growth in the local renewable energy economy by using local installers and suppliers.

"It's another way to tackle the poverty cycle," Harr said. "We're helping families who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford these products, which drives the growth of family-wage renewable energy jobs as the demand for PV solar electric systems increases in Oregon."

Although a number of incentives for PV solar electric systems exist, these remain largely out of reach for many homeowners due to the up-front installation costs. That's where Solar for All's work begins. We partner with local affordable housing providers to identify qualifying families, and then leverage available grants, rebates, and public donations to fund the installation of solar panels through local solar installers on the home at no cost to the homeowners, or affordable housing providers. The solar panels then produce 'free energy' for at least 20 years which provides a dramatic financial benefit for the homeowner.

Solar for All's first project was completed in March 2015 — a system on a home in SE Portland supported by both Community Vision, Inc. and Proud Ground. Since then we've installed nearly 300 kilowatts of solar on 62 affordable homes in Portland, Gresham, Hillsboro, Medford and Bend, Oregon; and Vancouver and Washougal, Washington. Each of those systems is expected to save its homeowner over $400 a year for the next 20 years — nearly $500,000 in total savings that families can put toward food, clothes, education, retirement savings, or even a vacation, while displacing electricity that would otherwise be generated from coal and natural gas.

Our work continues in Southwest Washington. Three hundred high-quality solar panels salvaged from a Tualatin business — headed for surplus resale or a landfill — are being installed on 15 affordable homes in Clark County, backed by a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce. Eight of those homes are already done, with the remaining seven following throughout 2026 alongside Proud Ground and Evergreen Habitat for Humanity. When they're complete, Solar for All will have served 69 households across Oregon and Washington since our founding in 2012.