If there’s one thing everyone knows about solar, it’s this: solar panels cost money. Even with state incentives, the great federal tax credit, and taking into account the fact that the investment eventually pays for itself, installing solar panels in your home is a serious financial undertaking. Yet since the value of a solar PV system lies in its ability to reduce monthly utility bills, the people who arguably need it most are exactly those who can afford it least. What to do about this dilemma?

Well, one point of view would be to do nothing at all. After all, we’re capitalists, and even if that system has been just a tad bit shaky of late, it’s still fair to say that if you can’t afford it, you shouldn’t have it.

But what are we, a nation of Grinches? Solar has value for the community, not just the individual. Highly visible solar arrays convey a sense of social awareness and help reinforce the knowledge that we should all be striving for better energy management and environmental stewardship. More concretely, distributed generation of electricity–which is how utilities view residential solar panels–relieves pressure from the grid, ensuring more stable delivery of electricity across the board and helping manage costs. Everyone’s a winner.

There are some states that offer incentives targeted at moderate or lower-income families. Massachusetts, for instance, offers a $1/watt baseline rebate for solar installations; but if you qualify as moderate income and moderate home value, that number goes up to a healthy $3/watt. (And in MA, you retain the right to sell the Renewable Energy Credits generated by your system, which is unusual; generally, when there’s a cash rebate on hand, it comes with the caveat that the utility providing the rebate retains the rights to your RECs.) California has two special incentive rates, one for residential areas of affordable housing units and one for common areas.

But even with incentives targeted to make solar as affordable as possible, it can still be pretty much impossible to afford for folks working hard and living close to the line. That’s why there are some very cool programs out there that bring the mountain to Mohammed. For instance, Arizona installer American Solar Electric is donating five solar panel arrays to Habitat for Humanity, up from 3 donations last year; business has been good, and the company believes in giving back to the community.

And in California, more than 200 residential solar installations have been made possible by the largely volunteer effort of GRID Alternatives. In addition to helping families cut their electric bills by 75%, GRID provides a great way to get trained in the design and installation of residential solar. GRID also administers the State of California’s new affordable solar incentive program, Single-family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH). (A totally separate project, but check out Wakeland Housing and Development Corps’ awesome LEED-certified, solar-powered affordable housing complex in San Diego.)

What other programs are out there that you know of? Give them a shout-out here, we’d like to spread the word.