EPA, Sanders Launch $7 Billion Program to Expand Rooftop Solar in Poor Neighborhoods

President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday opened a $7 billion grant competition aimed at increasing access to residential solar power for millions of low-income households across the United States.

The initiative was announced by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan in Waterbury, Vermont. Regan was joined by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other members of the state's congressional delegation, who touted how local rooftop solar installations are lowering energy bills while improving public and planetary health.

Regan emphasized that the Biden administration's "Solar for All" program will replicate those benefits in disadvantaged neighborhoods nationwide, simultaneously alleviating the cost-of-living crisis, rampant air pollution, and the climate emergency—all of which are driven to varying degrees by the country's reliance on fossil fuels.

"Solar for All will accelerate the deployment of residential solar in communities that for too long have lacked access to the cost-saving benefits of clean energy generation at home."

"For too long, overburdened communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis have been left behind and locked out of clean energy investments and climate solutions," Regan said in a statement. "This historic boost in solar investments will advance millions of residential solar projects nationwide, protect people and the planet, deliver environmental justice, save families money, and create good-paying jobs."

The grants are part of the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The EPA said that it will award "up to 60 grants to states, territories, tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofits to create and expand low-income solar programs that provide financing and technical assistance, such as workforce development, to enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from residential solar."

Applicants have until September 26 to request grants in amounts ranging from $25 million to $400 million.

"All communities deserve to participate in America's growing clean energy economy," said Regan. "Under this competition, we will bring more communities along, working together to build a healthier and cleaner future for all."

A long-term study published in November showed that rooftop solar is becoming more accessible to low- and moderate-income households, but not quickly enough to stave off the worst consequences of the climate crisis.

Sanders sponsored the inclusion of the Solar for All program in the IRA and has long advocated for its swift implementation.

As The Hill reported Wednesday:

In December, at a meeting of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Vermont senator voted to advance the nomination of Joe Goffman, President Biden's nomination to lead the EPA's air office, but said he would not back him in the full Senate without a written commitment that the full $7 billion would go toward installation of residential solar.

The panel advanced Goffman's nomination this April, but it has yet to receive a full Senate vote.

"At a time when people are struggling to make ends meet, all while dealing with the existential threat of climate change, we must make residential rooftop solar a reality for low-income and working families that need it most," Sanders said Wednesday.

"This $7 billion residential solar program that I introduced and the EPA is administering is a major step in the right direction," he added. "I look forward to working with the EPA on this program to make it more affordable for low-income and working-class families to install solar on their homes and save money on their electricity bills, as well as help create millions of good jobs in Vermont and across the country."

According to the EPA:

The new grant competition will provide funds to expand existing low-income solar programs as well as develop and implement new Solar for All programs nationwide. Solar for All programs ensure low-income households have equitable access to residential rooftop and residential community solar power, often by providing financial support and incentives to communities that were previously locked out of investments. In addition, these programs guarantee low-income households receive the benefits of distributed solar including household savings, community ownership, energy resiliency, and other benefits.

"Solar for All will accelerate the deployment of residential solar in communities that for too long have lacked access to the cost-saving benefits of clean energy generation at home," said GGRF acting director Jahi Wise. "The Solar for All program strengthens low-income and disadvantaged community-focused solar programs across the country, bringing long-needed cost savings and pollution reduction to American communities."

In addition to unveiling the $7 billion Solar for All initiative, the EPA announced that it plans to launch two other GGRF programs in the coming weeks: A $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF) grant competition to expand the deployment of clean technologies at the national scale and a $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) grant competition to increase local clean financing capacity via community lenders.