As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, funds will go to 60 recipients that include state and Tribal governments and nonprofit organizations. Its goal is to help lower-income and otherwise disadvantaged households obtain the financial and environmental benefits of solar.
The programs will vary by location and based on variations in what applicants proposed, but a common element is that all are using solar to help reduce household expenses and improve air quality.
The idea for Solar for All was initially part of a bill sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has repeatedly sponsored legislation about expanding access to solar since he entered Congress in the early 1990s. Senate leaders later folded the bill into the Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark federal climate and clean energy law signed in August 2022. Vermont will receive $62.5 million from Solar for All.
“This is a win for the environment, a win for consumers and a win for the economy,” Sanders said in a statement.