The 60 recipients will use the funding to help low- and moderate-income families overcome barriers to rooftop solar, expanding access to some 900,000 people.
The Biden administration chose Earth Day to announce the recipients of $7 billion in funding for a program called Solar for All that aims to expand rooftop and community solar power to an estimated 900,000 households in low- and moderate-income communities.
« The Solar for All program is really emblematic of the swing-for-the-fences, big bold climate action the president has championed from day one, » White House Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said in a press briefing.
Zaidi said the 60 winning applicants will serve all 50 states, Puerto Rico and other territories and increase solar access for tribal governments. The program uses a mix of grants and low-cost financing to overcome financial barriers to solar and provides assistance on siting and permitting solar arrays.
The Capital Good Fund will use the $156 million award from Solar for All for its Georgia BRIGHT solar leasing program, which the group estimated will serve about 21,000 low-income households over five years.
« That is an absolute game-changer for the state of Georgia, » Capital Good founder and CEO Andy Posner told Newsweek. « It would be unfathomable to have this kind of scale for solar. »
Posner said that prior to the 2022 passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration’s signature climate action, nonprofits and many low-income families were not able to use the federal tax credits meant to encourage solar installations.
