Solar Within Reach
Administered by Energy Trust of Oregon
If you're a low-income household in Oregon and own a single-family, manufactured, floating, condo, or multifamily home (duplex/triplex/fourplex), you can qualify for significant cash incentives toward solar and battery storage through Energy Trust of Oregon—amounts vary by utility and county income limits (updated annually). Contact an Energy Trust Trade Ally Network contractor for a free custom bid; the incentive is applied as a buy-down that reduces your final installation cost. Save hundreds annually on energy bills and gain backup power resilience with solar and storage.
Energy Trust's Solar Within Reach program provides your income-qualified customers with substantial cash incentives: PGE offers $0.90/W (up to $5,500 for solar) and $500/kWh (up to $6,250 for battery), while Pacific Power offers $0.85/W (up to $5,250 for solar) and $400/kWh (up to $5,000 for battery). You must be enrolled in the Trade Ally Network to refer customers and deliver quotes; the incentive is paid directly to you and deducted from the customer's final bill, making projects more affordable and competitive. Subject to funding availability, these incentives apply to systems meeting Energy Trust qualifying standards.
Solar Within Reach targets income-qualified households (thresholds vary by Oregon county and household size, effective June 2026) through Energy Trust of Oregon and utility partners PGE and Pacific Power. The program funds solar PV and lithium-ion battery storage via contractor buy-downs paid from program budget; incentive caps and per-watt rates differ by utility and technology. Eligible housing includes single-family homes, manufactured homes, floating homes, and qualifying multifamily units (attached side-by-side, duplex/triplex/fourplex); funding availability may fluctuate, requiring periodic adjustment to incentive offers.
Program details
- Program ID
- 22417
- Last updated
- 5/30/2025
Eligibility
- Sectors
- low income residential
- Technologies
- solar photovoltaics lithium-ion
Program summary
Energy Trust of Oregon provides increased incentives to income-qualified homeowners in Oregon when they install solar or solar plus storage with a qualifying contractor and are a customer of Portland General Electric or Pacific Power. Qualifying income levels are updated annually (see table below). To participate, customers must own and live in a single-family home, manufactured home, floating home, condo or multifamily residence that is either an attached side-by-side unit or a duplex, triplex or fourplex.
Income Qualifications:
| Household Size | Gross Annual Income Maximum |
| 1 Resident | $66,854 |
| 2 Resident | $87,424 |
| 3 Resident | $107,994 |
| 4 Resident | $128,564 |
| 5 Resident | $149,134 |
| 6 Resident | $169,704 |
| 7 Resident | $173,562 |
| 8 Resident | $177,418 |
Incentive Rates
- PGE Solar: $1.00/W, up to $6,000 per home
- PGE Battery: $900/kWh, up to $10,800 per home
- Pacific Power Solar: $0.80/W, up to $4,800 per home
- Pacific Power Battery: $700/kWh, up to $8,400 per home
*Incentive offers are subject to funding availability.
Energy Trust will provide referrals to contractors from their Trade Ally Network (self-installed systems will not qualify). The solar contractor selected advises the customer on installation options and best siting designs to obtain the maximum performance and satisfaction from the solar electric system. The contractor will provide a system quote that estimates the PV system annual performance, installation date, and the cost after Energy Trust incentive deductions. After Energy Trust approves the customer's PV system, the buy-down incentive will be paid to the solar contractor and deducted from the final cost.
Contact & resources
- Contact email
- solar@energytrust.org
- Additional resources
Please verify current program details with the administering agency before making any financial decisions.
