We have some great news for your Earth Day! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority has been selected to receive more than $156 million through the Solar for All grant competition to develop long-lasting solar programs that enable under-resourced and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed residential solar.
This award is part of the historic $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was created under the Inflation Reduction Act to lower energy costs for families, create good-quality jobs in communities that have been left behind, advance environmental justice, and tackle the climate crisis.
In Pennsylvania, $159 million will be awarded to the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority as the lead applicant of a two-member coalition that includes the Philadelphia Green Capital Corporation, the non-profit green bank affiliate of the Philadelphia Energy Authority. The award will provide residential solar technology, associated storage, and enable upgrades to households in under-resourced and disadvantaged communities throughout Pennsylvania.
“The allotment of millions of dollars in grants to fund solar projects in under-resourced communities is HUGE,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “This funding could be instrumental in helping to expand access to clean energy in communities disproportionately burdened by climate change and rising energy costs. It could do a lot of good here in western Pennsylvania.”
A complete list of the selected applicants can be found on EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Solar for All website.
The Solar for All program also advances President Biden's Justice40 Initiative, which set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
All of the funds awarded through the Solar for All program will be invested in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
EPA estimates that the 60 Solar for All recipients will enable more than 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed solar energy.
This $7 billion investment will:
generate over $350 million in annual savings on electric bills for overburdened households
reduce 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions cumulatively, from over four gigawatts of solar energy capacity
help improve electric grid reliability and climate resilience, which is especially important in disadvantaged communities that have long been underserved.
EPA anticipates that awards to the selected applicants will be finalized in the summer of 2024.
Editor’s Note: EPA will host informational webinars as part of the program's commitment to public transparency. EPA has scheduled a public webinar for the Solar for All program, and registration details are included below. Information on other GGRF webinars can be found on EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Engagement Opportunities webpage.