Southeast
Rural Power
(Solar for All)
Cutting Electricity Bills in Half for More Than 17,000 Families Across the Southeast
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Groundswell and our Southeast Rural Power Coalition are implementing a 5-year, $156 million regional Solar for All contract from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deploy more than 100 MW of solar and 20 MWh of associated storage to reduce electricity bills by 50% for 17,000 rural households, delivering more than $400 million in household savings over 20 years. The Southeast Rural Power Solar for All Program also includes Workforce Development and Entrepreneurship Centers of Excellence, to ensure that investments made through the program support local businesses and create pathways to stable, good-paying jobs. The Southeast Rural Power coalition includes nonprofit rural cooperative and municipal utilities across Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
BUILDING COMMUNITY POWER, TODAY & TOMORROW
Partnering with local non-profit rural cooperative and municipal utilities.
HOW IT WORKS
Groundswell partners with communities to create resilience hubs with solar and storage systems, helping low-income and minority areas and providing reliable power during outages.
PARTNERS
Current Partner Utilities and Cooperatives
As of March 2025, the list of participating partners in the SE Rural Power Coalition includes:
| Huntsville Utilities | Lanett Utilities |
| Energy Southeast (members) | Ouachita Electric Cooperative |
| SECO Energy | Green Power EMC (members) |
| Electric Cities of Georgia (members) | City of Itta Bena |
| Public Service Commission of Yazoo City | Roanoke Cooperative |
| Rappahannock Electric Cooperative |
Prospective Partner Utilities and Cooperatives
We are now welcoming additional partner municipal utilities and rural cooperatives to work with us to share bill savings and build resilience with local community solar, energy storage and residential energy efficiency.
What is Southeast Rural Power?
Groundswell and our SE Rural Power Coalition Partners are implementing a 5-year, $156 million regional Solar for All contract from the Environmental Protection Agency to build community solar and associated energy storage projects that cut electricity bills in half and improve resilience for more than 17,000 families across eight states. The Coalition includes a growing number of municipal utilities and rural cooperatives across Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
What does it mean to be a Coalition Partner?
SE Rural Power’s partner municipal utilities and rural cooperatives are central to program implementation. The community solar installations developed within the program are connected directly to partner local distribution grids, in alignment with the market and regulatory structures of each of the states we serve. Groundswell supports partners in developing the best solutions for their communities, assisting with site location identification, the selection of project developers, managing subscribers, and more.
What are the benefits for Coalition Partners?
Partners receive an in-kind grant of solar energy that is provided to their low-income customers at zero cost. Partners also receive various collateral benefits, such as the ability to more strategically manage their energy purchases, reduce certain capacity charges, provide workforce development opportunities to their employees, and more.
Current partners include Huntsville Utilities, Lanett Utilities, Energy Southeast (members), SECO Energy, Green Power EMC (members), Electric Cities of Georgia (members), City of Itta Bena, Public Service Commission of Yazoo City, Roanoke Cooperative, and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative.
How can new Municipal Utilities and Rural Cooperatives get involved?
If you are interested in joining the SE Rural Power Coalition and believe a collaborative project might be advanced within your service territory, please contact Carrie Vance, at caroline.vance@groundswell.org.
“Through SE Rural Power, Roanoke Cooperative is able to deliver meaningful energy savings to our members while strengthening the resilience of our community. It is a true partnership that aligns affordable energy, local development, and service to our rural mission.”
CONTRACTORS
Seeking Contractors and Developers!
“We’re looking for contractors and developers who are ready to help us cut electricity bills in half for our neighbors who are struggling by building projects that improve resilience and economic development for everyone.”
– Groundswell CEO Michelle Moore
Submit responses to:
KEY DATES
| Milestone | Date |
| Year 1 SE Rural Power Program RFP Released | June 2025 |
| Mississippi Community Advisory Council | June 9, 2025 |
| Virginia Community Advisory Council | June 10, 2025 |
| Southeast Regional Community Advisory Council | August 12, 2025 |
| Georgia Community Advisory Council | August 12, 2025 |
| Alabama Community Advisory Council | August 13, 2025 |
| Subscriber Pre-Enrollment Begins | Fall 2025 |
| Rural Renaissance Roadshow | November 10-12, 2025 |
GET IN TOUCH
Have a question? We would love to hear from you.
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