FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 22, 2024
Contact: Noah Rott, Sierra Club Deputy Press Secretary, noah.rott@sierraclub.org
Inflation Reduction Act Delivers $56.5m in Solar for All Funds for Idaho
Boise, ID – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Idaho was awarded $56,540,000 in funding through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s Solar For All program. The competition, created by President Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act, seeks to enable low-income and disadvantaged households across America to access the benefits of low-cost, clean solar energy—benefits that include home energy savings, energy resilience, improved air quality, wealth building, and quality jobs.
Idaho was one of 50 states and territories, 57 municipalities, and 113 eligible nonprofits that applied for funding through the program. A complete list of recipients of Solar For All awards can be found here.
“Local solar power can help low-income Idahoans lower their power bills, breathe cleaner air, work good green jobs, have more reliable electricity, and take pride in being part of solutions to the climate crisis,” said Lisa Young, Director of Idaho Sierra Club. “It's about time we made solar more affordable and accessible to Idahoans of all income levels. This federal funding is a key step in the right direction.”
The climate law authorized $7 billion in funding for the program, but by last year’s deadline for applications, EPA had received requests totaling more than $38 billion.
“The demand for clean energy across the U.S. is growing fast, especially in Idaho where cities, counties, and whole utilities have committed to 100% clean energy,” said Young. “This funding will not only help Idaho communities reach their clean energy goals, but do so in a way that prioritizes benefits for those who have always borne the burden of high energy bills and climate pollution: low-income & disadvantaged communities.”
Initial plans show directing at least ⅓ of these funds toward community solar, a form of local solar power that allows households to subscribe to an offsite solar array located on a community building in their neighborhood, unlocking local solar access for people like renters and apartment dwellers. However, most Idaho utilities don’t have a way for those solar projects to be owned by local community groups, small business cooperatives, or municipalities, which would deliver the most economic benefits and democratic control to low-income communities.
“We need Idaho utilities and the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to create a pathway for third-party-owned community solar so we can use these new federal funds to deliver maximum benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities in Idaho,” Young added.
Just last week, Idaho Sierra Club’s Climate Justice League youth activist team delivered letters to the City of Boise’s Climate Action Division, urging the City to act on its stated goal to “install 500 kW of community solar every 5 years” and do so in a way that prioritizes community ownership and benefits for low-income residents. Earlier this year, Sierra Club pushed back as the Idaho PUC approved an Idaho Power rooftop solar compensation change making it more expensive for their customers to buy rooftop solar.
“We’re hopeful that the City of Boise will leverage these new federal funds to create equitable, democratic community solar gardens that will benefit low-income and disadvantaged Boiseans the most,” said Young. The group is also advocating for the City of Moscow to implement similar goals.
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